USCA leading the nation in AI curriculum integration

The University of South Carolina Aiken is on the cutting edge of artificial intelligence (AI) technology by integrating Blackboard’s AI Conversations tool across multiple curricula. The tool, which uses chatbots or virtual agents to create personas and simulate human conversation, is not used on any other campus in the country.

When Blackboard, a prominent online learning platform, launched its AI Conversations tool in the fall of 2024, the University of South Carolina system was the first institution to activate the feature. Ellis Reeves, USCA’s Director of Online Learning and Support, quickly jumped on board.

“No one else is doing this yet, so it puts USCA on the leading edge,” Reeves says. “It works on our small campus because I can target specific faculty to identify what students are struggling with and build an AI simulation to help them.”

AI Conversations are being used in USCA’s nursing, education, and business curricula to address the needs of faculty and students and offer students a competitive edge in the workforce. For online students, such as those in USCA’s Registered Nurse to Bachelor of Science in Nursing program (RN-BSN), the tool can be especially helpful.

Julia Smith, Online Programs Student Advisor, says, “AI Conversations will allow our RN-BSN students the opportunity to gain situational knowledge and experience and apply it to their real-world occupations as licensed RNs. They rely solely on online course material, so this tool keeps their course engagement more interactive and interesting.”

In one example of the tool’s integration with the nursing curriculum, Reeves works alongside faculty to program AI personas to simulate patient care scenarios with a first-time expectant mother. Students interact with the persona to address pregnancy concerns, providing experience in patient-caregiver interaction.

RN-BSN Program Clinical Coordinator Mary Kennedy is using AI in lieu of a traditional discussion board to create an engaging, interactive experience with a supervisory persona.

“I was able to design a unique conversation with ‘Nurse Leader Louisa’ where students engaged in meaningful discussions while meeting specific learning objectives,” Kennedy says. “Reading the thoughtful and dynamic conversations students had with Nurse Leader Louisa was incredible. They had to dig deep to respond to her prompts, turning what could have been a routine activity into a truly immersive learning experience.”

According to Instructor Mary Keigans, AI Conversations boost student confidence and help her measure their performance.

“Students frequently share that AI patient conversations ease their anxiety before approaching topics with patients in the clinical setting,” Keigans says. “As an instructor and clinical coordinator, I use AI Conversations to provide insight into student mastery of topics, but also areas where improvement is needed. Week after week, students engage in educational and entertaining group discussions after completing AI conversations, providing feedback and connections amongst the class.” 

AI Conversations are being used in other USCA curricula on a more limited scale, with plans to expand moving forward. In the School of Education, the tool simulates young learners, helping student-teachers connect with them and create excitement about learning. A parent persona also allows student-teachers to role play parent-teacher conferences and encourage parental involvement. In the School of Business, data analytics students work with a small business client persona to address their data visualization needs.

With USCA at the forefront of AI-curriculum integration, Reeves is hopeful the university’s groundbreaking work will be recognized on a national scale. The program has been entered in educational technology provider Anthology’s AI Conversation Championship, which will recognize the best use of Blackboard’s AI Conversations tool worldwide. Reeves has been nominated for the Ethical AI Instruction Award, which recognizes those leveraging the power of AI tools to elevate teaching practices while upholding ethical standards in AI use. Winners will be announced during Anthology’s annual conference in July.

“USCA is blazing a path forward with the use of generative AI,” says School of Nursing Dean Katie A. Chargualaf. “With this new tool, faculty can easily customize student learning experiences to create engaging simulations that meet accreditation requirements and stakeholder expectations. In nursing, generative AI helps us graduate registered nurses who possess competencies necessary to deliver high-quality care to a broad range of persons and populations.”

For more information, contact USCA Marketing & Communication at news@usca.edu.