# Conversation Tasks

#### 💬 What is a Conversation Task in Classlet?

Conversation tasks in Classlet are dynamic, **agent-based interactions** where learners engage in spoken or typed exchanges with **GPT-powered avatars** or scripted characters. These tasks are implemented across both desktop/mobile and VR modes — in either 2D chat or 3D avatar formats.

> These conversations are **not just dialogue boxes** — they are **pedagogical encounters** that allow learners to receive instruction, simulate roles, and practice reasoning or language in context

<figure><img src="https://3349891533-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FjIzKZ5igIly5Ymft60he%2Fuploads%2Fvf79JGQYjaD7M49UvjPs%2Funnamed%20(2).png?alt=media&#x26;token=6b2228e2-9ca2-4e1e-8da3-5d4e5fe4a55a" alt=""><figcaption><p>This dialogue in a scene for Lingnan University, introduces learners to 1930s New York during the Great Depression, using a narrative-driven NPC to set historical context. Students are immersed in a socio-economic environment marked by poverty and unemployment, priming them for critical thinking and decision-making in a historically grounded scenario.</p></figcaption></figure>

#### 🎯 Key Pedagogical Purposes

<table><thead><tr><th width="200.39996337890625">Function</th><th>Description</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>Knowledge Delivery</strong></td><td>Agent provides structured, chunked explanations during conversation</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Feedback &#x26; Remediation</strong></td><td>Agent offers correct/incorrect response branches with built-in guidance</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Scenario Simulation</strong></td><td>Learner engages in social or procedural talk (e.g., dentist/patient roles)</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Practice &#x26; Repetition</strong></td><td>Learner repeats key vocabulary or logic steps across conversation paths</td></tr></tbody></table>

#### 🎭 Role-Based Interaction

In VR or mobile/desktop formats, agents are **assigned roles** such as:

* **Instructor** – delivers new knowledge, theories, or procedures.
* **Mentor/Coach** – supports reflection and encourages metacognition.
* **Challenger** – poses dilemmas or provocative follow-ups.
* **Peer/Patient/Client** – engages learner in simulated real-world roles (e.g., ethics, nursing).

This structure aligns with **situated learning theory**, where knowledge is embedded in social and task-specific contexts (Lave & Wenger, 1991).

#### 📚 Grounding Theories

* **Cognitive Apprenticeship**: Learners observe modeled language use and then participate within safe, guided scaffolding (Collins et al., 1989).
* **Situated Learning**: Knowledge is embedded in socially and contextually meaningful interactions (Lave & Wenger, 1991).
* **Vygotskian Dialogue**: Dialogue fosters higher-order reasoning when scaffolded within a learner’s zone of proximal development (Vygotsky, 1978).
* **Instructional Alignment**: Branches ensure responses reinforce target content, avoiding off-topic drift (Biggs & Tang, 2011).

#### 📐 Design Considerations

* Use **simple response trees** for fast tasks; deeper trees for storytelling or dilemmas.
* Include **positive, neutral, and incorrect** reply paths.
* Tie response branches directly to the **target learning objective** (cognitive, procedural, affective).
* Reuse key phrases for **reinforcement** and **vocabulary exposure**.
