8 Policy Advocacy Roleplay with AI

Directions

For Instructors

• Prepare students for this activity by asking them to be ready to discuss a specific topic as a class, likely related to that day’s learning outcomes. For instance, you might assign them to research a particular social welfare policy, such as affordable housing initiatives, child welfare reforms, or affordable mental health services. Encourage them to gather relevant data, understand different viewpoints, and develop clear arguments for why the policy should be supported. This preparation will enable them to engage more effectively in the roleplay and apply their learning in a practical context.
• Prior to class, create/log in to your AI account, such as ChatGPT. This activity was originally implemented with ChatGPT’s free version (3.5) but may be replicated using equivalent generative AI chat-based platforms.
• Prime your selected AI tool about the purpose of the activity, its role in the scenario, and any other parameters you’d like. For example, “In this chat thread, we’ll be doing a roleplay where a social work student is lobbying for a social welfare policy, and you are the staffer of an elected official. I will start with the phrase ‘Beginning now’ to signal the start and type ‘End roleplay’ when finished.” You may also provide any additional guidance, such as preferred political stance, attitude, receptiveness, etc. For instance, you might prompt, “…Please adopt a neutral but respectful and professional tone, ask detailed questions about the policy proposal, and be moderately receptive but critical to ensure thorough discussion. Your current budget is very tight, and the majority of your constituents support [xyz]. Also be sure to ask the social worker what their qualifications are for raising these suggestions.”
• Explain the purpose and logistics of the activity (see Instructions for Students)
• Share your computer screen, projected to a screen at the front of the class (or a screen share if online), and model the first interaction (see Instructions for Students).
• As the activity progresses, you may wish to provide real-time guidance or seek input from the class. For example, if students appear to be struggling with formulating their arguments or need help responding to questions posed by the AI, you can pause the roleplay and offer suggestions or examples. You might say, “Let’s pause for a moment. What are some key points we want to emphasize in our advocacy?” or “How might we address the staffer’s concerns about funding for this policy?” This can help students stay engaged and ensure they are effectively learning from the exercise.
• After the activity has concluded, ask ChatGPT to provide feedback about the interaction. You may ask for general impressions or specify a particular skill, such as supporting recommendations with data.
• Debrief with the class, discussing any particularly persuasive techniques, missed opportunities, lessons learned, etc.

For Students

In this activity, we are going to work together as a class to play the part of a social worker who is advocating for [pre-selected policy, which they are prepared for] with a political office staffer [specify specific office, such as city council member, governor, mayor]. The “staffer”, an assistant who works with the elected official will be simulated by an artificial intelligence app called ChatGPT. Our goal here is to [insert learning outcome or focus area].

Here’s how it will work. We’ll spend about [x] minutes engaging in a dialogue with this staffer. Every student will have the opportunity to contribute a response. Remember that this is a low-stakes activity because it’s not a real political office, and so there’s no “wrong answer” or feeling foolish, just learning opportunities. We are here to support and learn from each other. The way it will work is [Instructor chooses one approach]:

Option 1: Each time the staffer responds with a comment or question, raise your hand if you’d like to be the responding social worker.

Option 2: One by one, I will call on students to give a response as the social worker. If you are stuck, you may “phone a friend” from the class to assist you. [If the dialogue reaches saturation before all students have a turn, start a new dialogue with a “new staffer” or about a different policy]

Option 3: Each time the staffer responds to us, we will discuss as a class how we might respond and come up with a response together.

I have already set up the roleplay. Our first step will be to initiate the conversation by introducing ourselves and stating the policy we are advocating for. [Instructor demonstrates first interactions with “staffer.” resulting in a response from ChatGPT]. Okay, the staffer has responded [read response out loud]. What should we say next? [continue until the conclusion of roleplay]

Assessment

This activity was originally designed to be an ungraded in-class learning experience and thus does not include an assessment component. However, instructors can modify this activity into a graded assignment by asking students to submit individual chat logs, along with a reflection on the experience and application to professional practice.