Communication Skills Instructor Jenny Heinritz represented Fox Valley Technical College at the Building Blackboard Together conference in Dallas, Texas, where she presented on how FVTC is using AI tools to support student learning.
Jenny shared how the Communication Skills team has spent the past two years testing and improving AI-powered conversations in Blackboard to make them more useful, engaging and connected to course assignments. Based on student feedback and classroom experience, the team refined both the instructions students see and the AI prompts behind the scenes to help create more meaningful interactions.
During her presentation, Jenny explained a step-by-step process she developed to design and improve AI activities. The approach helps instructors focus on learning goals, address common student challenges and ensure AI tools support specific assignments rather than act as general tutors.
She also shared examples and resources from her Communication Skills courses that other educators can adapt for their own classrooms. By sharing both successes and lessons learned, Jenny contributed to the ongoing conversation about using AI in education in ways that keep student learning and success at the center.
