An Australian university has introduced an AI chatbot into the weekly teaching of two compulsory psychology subjects, in a move that academics fear could be “damaging”. Macquarie University’s chatbot, called Virtual Peer, interacts with students during their coursework, asking questions and guiding them through exercises built around different scenarios. The university maintains that the chatbot isn’t a replacement for conventional teaching.
It says the AI chatbot’s activities are an “optional supplementary tool”, with students also expected to work through online readings, quizzes and videos. Assessments are done separately through research assignments and examinations. The shift nevertheless sparked concern among students, particularly after the two subjects moved online for the second semester.
Both had offered face-to-face teaching earlier in the year. However, the university clarified that “the units have been offered in different formats across different semesters, including online/asynchronous delivery before the introduction of Virtual Peer”. It said that “in 2026, they were offered in person in Semester 1 and online/asynchronously in Semester 2, with both formats continuing to be offered in future years, with the format varying between semesters”.
Macquarie University said that they “will continue to offer the subjects in both in-person and online formats in future years, with the format varying between semesters”. An anonymous student said they felt “short-changed” after problems with their degree structure meant they had to take the online version. The university reiterated that “both units continue to have paid tutors providing scheduled drop-in sessions, while students complete their core learning through the units' teaching materials and online modules”.
Macquarie said the chatbot was developed alongside educators and was intended to complement their work rather than eliminate it. Academics using the system provide and verify the material on which it is based, which the university says gives it a more subject-specific foundation than general-purpose AI systems. The University of Sydney has also expanded its use of AI through Cogniti, an education-focused generative AI platform used by hundreds of academics for chatbots and scenario-based learning.
The university has reportedly made the system available to institutions in Australia, New Zealand, and the Netherlands. But the prospect of AI assuming more teaching responsibilities has unsettled university staff. Dr Alison Barnes, an academic at Macquarie, said the concerns extended beyond individual universities.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
