CARLA Workshop: DIY AI: Creating Custom Chatbots for Language Learning

This hands-on workshop will help instructors build custom chatbots using Artificial Intelligence (AI) for differentiated and individualized language learning. Participants will learn about prompt engineering for a variety of tools to create chatbots that support student learning. Participants will explore and test example chatbots, review adaptable templates and design guidelines, and begin developing their own. This interactive workshop is designed for language teachers who already have some experience using AI tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini, or Magic School, but expertise is not required!

After this workshop, participants will be able to:

• Identify a range of AI tools that allow the creation and sharing of custom chatbots;
• Understand how prompt engineering affects chatbot interactions;
• Use AI tools to develop and customize chatbots for individualized learning.
   

Instructor
Emily Groepper is a Lecturer and the First-Year German Coordinator in the department of German, Nordic, Slavic & Dutch at the University of Minnesota. She has taught German at both the high school and college level, and her current research projects focus on AI chatbot development and use in the first-year language classroom.

Target Audience
This workshop is designed for world language educators at the middle through postsecondary levels and language teacher educators who already have some experience working with AI tools. The workshop is not appropriate for those who have never used AI before. It is not meant for teachers of young children, or for teachers of ASL.