Brainstorming activities with AI
Use your favorite AI tool to brainstorm rich simulation scenarios and personas before building them in Dialog Lab.
Brainstorm before you build
Designing an active-learning simulation or conversational study activity doesn't require starting from a blank screen. You can use your favorite conversational AI tool (such as ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, or Copilot) as a creative thought partner to rapidly explore scenario ideas, character dynamics, and student assignments.
Once you have an idea you like, you bring the core components into Dialog Lab to cast personas and launch conversations for your class.
The Production and the Actor
When brainstorming with an external AI, it helps to structure your thinking around Dialog Lab's core mental model:
- The Production (The Activity): The shared pedagogical scenario. It defines what students are trying to accomplish, the case background, and the student briefing.
- The Actor (The Persona): The reusable character identity. A persona has a name, background, personality, and natural speaking style or temperament.
- The Casting Call (The role in this activity): How that actor is cast into this specific production. This includes their specific interaction archetype (such as client, skeptical counterpart, Socratic tutor, novice student, or career and exploration guide), private facts they can reveal, blind spots students must navigate, and their stakes in the conversation.
Below are copyable prompts designed for external AI tools. Choose between an interactive coaching conversation (recommended for exploring new ideas) or a one-shot outline (ideal when you already have a syllabus topic, reading, or case study).
Role-play simulation prompts
Role-play simulations put students into realistic, interactive conversations with one or more characters—such as a challenging client, an employee facing a workplace dilemma, an opposing negotiator, or a community stakeholder.
1. Interactive brainstorming coach (Role-Play)
Copy and paste this prompt to have your AI tool interview you and help uncover engaging, pedagogically sound simulation concepts.
You are an expert university simulation designer and active-learning instructional coach. I want to design an interactive AI role-play simulation for my students using an educational platform called Dialog Lab.
In Dialog Lab, students converse in small group conversations with an in-character AI persona. An activity holds the shared case context, briefing, and participant assignment; a persona provides the character's reusable identity and voice; and the persona's role in the activity holds the character's private objectives, hidden facts, and blind spots.
Please act as my brainstorming coach. To start, do NOT generate a full scenario yet. Instead, ask me these 3 quick questions:
1. What course or subject do you teach, and who are your students (undergraduate, graduate, professional)?
2. What specific topic, dilemma, or soft skill should students practice navigating (e.g., ethical whistleblowing, client intake, salary negotiation, crisis management)?
3. What is the intended level of conversational challenge or tension (collaborative, defensive, skeptical, high-stakes)?
Once I answer, pitch 3 distinct simulation concepts with contrasting dynamics. When I choose one, help me outline:
- Scenario Title & Student Briefing (what students read before entering the conversation)
- Persona Identity (name, professional background, and speaking style)
- Persona Dynamics (interaction archetype, hidden facts, and blind spots)
- Student Task (what decision or deliverable the group must produce together, and any guiding questions to work through in the conversation)
2. One-shot scenario generator (Role-Play)
If you already have a syllabus topic, case reading, or specific challenge in mind, copy this prompt, replace the bracketed placeholder with your topic, and run it.
You are an expert simulation architect for university and professional education. Help me design an active-learning role-play simulation based on the topic below.
TOPIC / CASE DETAILS:
[PASTE YOUR SYLLABUS TOPIC, CASE SUMMARY, OR LEARNING GOALS HERE]
Please generate 2 distinct simulation proposals formatted specifically for an active-learning seminar. For each proposal, provide:
1. SIMULATION OVERVIEW:
- Title: Engaging, clear scenario title
- Activity Type: Role-Play Simulation
- Learning Objectives: 2-3 concrete skills or concepts students will practice
- Student Briefing: 2-3 paragraphs describing the situation and setting the scene for students
2. CAST PERSONA (The Actor):
- Name: Character's name and title
- Background: 1-2 paragraphs detailing their career history, worldview, and speaking voice
- Default Temperament: Emotional state (e.g., anxious, skeptical, overconfident) and communication style (e.g., blunt, diplomatic, rambling)
3. ROLE IN THIS ACTIVITY (The Casting Call):
- Interaction Archetype: [client_subject | skeptical_counterpart | scenario_facilitator | evaluator | novice_student | guide]
- Character Stakes: What does this character want or fear in this conversation?
- Private Facts: 2-3 specific pieces of information the character knows but will only reveal if students ask thoughtful, trust-building questions
- Blind Spots: 1-2 biases or false assumptions the character holds that students should gently identify
4. STUDENT TASK:
- Group Task: What decision or deliverable must the participants produce together?
- Guiding Questions: 3-4 questions students should work through during the dialogue
Socratic study and exam review prompts
In Socratic study mode ("Study Buddy"), the AI character acts as an inquiring tutor or study partner who asks probing questions, tests conceptual understanding, and nudges students away from common misconceptions.
3. Interactive tutor designer (Socratic Study)
Copy and paste this prompt to collaborate with an AI tool on building a targeted Socratic study companion.
You are an expert cognitive learning scientist and Socratic dialogue designer. I want to design an AI "Study Buddy" for my students using an educational platform called Dialog Lab.
In this mode, students engage in a conversational study and review activity. Rather than just giving answers, the AI persona acts as a thoughtful tutor or inquisitive peer who asks probing questions, diagnoses misconceptions, and guides students to discover core principles on their own.
Please act as my design partner. Start by asking me these 3 quick questions:
1. What course topic, chapter, or exam unit do you want students to review?
2. What are 2-3 common misconceptions, edge cases, or traps students typically struggle with on this topic?
3. What tutoring persona would best motivate your students (e.g., encouraging mentor, inquisitive peer study partner, rigorous mock oral examiner)?
After I answer, outline the complete tutor identity:
- Tutor Name & Background (pedagogical tone, patience level, and conversational style)
- Opening Greeting (the welcoming first message the tutor sends when students enter)
- Guiding Inquiry Strategy (how the tutor sequences questions from foundational to advanced)
- Synthesis Milestones (key ideas students should be able to explain as they work through the dialogue)
4. One-shot study buddy generator (Socratic Study)
If you already have lecture notes, study objectives, or an exam guide, copy this prompt, paste your notes in the bracketed area, and generate your review session outline.
You are an educational designer specializing in Socratic tutoring and retrieval practice. Based on the study material below, design a Socratic "Study Buddy" review activity for students.
STUDY MATERIAL / LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
[PASTE YOUR LECTURE OUTLINE, LEARNING OBJECTIVES, OR EXAM TOPICS HERE]
Please generate a complete Socratic Review activity plan with the following components:
1. ACTIVITY OVERVIEW:
- Title: E.g., "Socratic Review: [Topic Name]"
- Activity Type: Socratic Study & Exam Review
- Learning Goals: Key conceptual thresholds students must demonstrate
- Student Instructions: What students should have prepared and how they should approach the conversation
2. THE TUTOR PERSONA:
- Name & Identity: An approachable persona name and persona summary
- Tutoring Voice: Conversational demeanor, questioning technique, and encouragement style
- Opening Greeting: The persona's initial in-character message welcoming students and kicking off the first inquiry question
3. PEDAGOGICAL PROBING STRATEGY:
- Core Concepts: 3 key conceptual milestones to explore
- Misconception Traps: How the tutor detects common fallacies and guides students to self-correct
- Socratic Prompts: 3-4 probing questions the tutor will use to deepen reflection
4. SYNTHESIS MILESTONES:
- 3-4 reflection ideas students should be able to discuss together before leaving the session
Bringing your ideas into Dialog Lab
Once you have chosen or refined an outline in your AI tool, translating it into Dialog Lab takes just a few minutes:
Option A: Let Dialog Lab assemble it with AI:
- From the instructor workspace, open Activities and click Create with AI.
- Paste the scenario summary and persona details directly into the prompt box.
- Click Create Draft. Dialog Lab builds the activity, its personas, and any exhibits as a private draft that only you can see. Review it, edit anything you like, then click Publish (or Delete Draft to start over).
Option B: Handcraft it in the progressive authoring form:
- From the instructor workspace, open Activities and click New Activity.
- Stage 1 (Context & Briefing): Paste your Scenario Title, Description, and Student Briefing.
- Stage 2 (Personas): Create or select the persona (The Actor) and define its role in this activity (The Casting Call) with the interaction archetype, private facts, and blind spots. See Creating a persona for details on visual style presets and temperament defaults.
- Stage 3 (Flow): Optionally configure in-conversation help requests and conversation visibility.
- Stage 4 (Settings & Review): Review the summary and save your activity.
Launch your lab:
- When you are ready, create a lab from your activity, choose the maximum participants per conversation, and share the series join link. Learn more in Preparing a lab.