The TechnoChatbot AI course has 20 assignments divided into six sessions.

Session 1: Introduction to Chatbots

Students explore the practical applications of chatbots. They interact with chatbots to recognize how they communicate with humans. This exploration includes a critical examination of their strengths and limitations. Later, they prepare to create their own chatbots by registering for a Scratch account. This will be used in upcoming Sessions to build an event and order chatbot. To extend learning, an optional activity provides insight into key historical moments in chatbot development.

Session 2: Design an Event Chatbot

Students build a chatbot for an upcoming school event using Scratch coding. It could be a prom, school dance, spirit day, talent show, or retirement party. The chatbot will answer attendees' questions. To make the bot appear intelligent, it uses if-then logic and keyword matching. Upon completion, students evaluate their chatbots' limitations. An optional activity about artificial intelligence will expand students' knowledge of large language models.

Session 3: Create an Order Chatbot

Students create an order chatbot using Scratch coding. It is a transactional chatbot, which can do one action. It will simplify the task of taking school fundraiser orders for items such as hats, cookies, or flowers. Just like a real salesperson, the bot will ask questions to help the customer make purchasing decisions. It will store their answers in a list. At the end of the conversation, the customer will be able to edit and then submit their order. This task expands students' knowledge of the practical applications of chatbots. In addition, it also introduces the use of lists, if-else logic, and broadcasting. An optional activity for using a chatbot to create a support ticket will develop a deeper understanding of how this technology can be used to automate tasks.

Session 4: Design a Virtual Agent

Students use the bot-builder app, Bot Libre, to design a virtual agent for a school or an organization. It will provide help to a new student or member. The chatbot will use natural language processing to answer common questions, provide directions, connect a user to information sources, and more. To start, they select a topic such as a local drama club, sports team, or art class. Next, they create a bot and then chat with it to discover what it does and does not know. Afterwards, they select an animated avatar and voice that will appeal to users. An extension activity emphasizes the need to be a responsible digital citizen by examining the Bot Libre terms of use and privacy policy.

Session 5: Train the Virtual Agent

Students train their virtual agent to increase its intelligence. To start, they view pre-programmed responses to verify the chatbot's existing knowledge base. Next, they add a new greeting and modify default responses to make the bot friendly and helpful. The training continues by adding questions and answers for common requests such as directions and contact information. Students then share their chatbot with a friend to test the design. They analyze the conversation to improve responses. An extension activity explains how to import data into the chatbot to increase its ability to correctly reply to users.

Session 6: Deploy the Virtual Agent

Students deploy their virtual agent. To prepare they use a checklist to verify that the chatbot can complete essential tasks. Once they are certain it is ready to use, they share their bot. This allows new members or students to get the information they need about an organization.

Optional Chatbot and Artificial Intelligence Lessons

• History of Chatbots: Recognize importance of events.
• AI Chatbots and You: Critically think about LLM.
• Import a Response List: Use a spreadsheet to add questions and answers.