Debating with AI: A New Pedagogical Approach in Mobile Robotics

Prof. Mondada, in collaboration with Aitor Pérez from the Center for Digital Education, has introduced an innovative chatbot designed to complement the sessions where students discuss around the course’s case studies, real-world questions related to the course material. Because these sessions allow to tackle only few case studies per week, and based on students demands, Prof. Mondada is introducing the possibility to discuss more case studies with a chatbot. Unlike traditional AI tutors that aim to provide straightforward answers, this system plays the role of another student who engages in a discussion and questions students' reasoning. It adapts to the student’s arguments, drawing information from course slides and weekly case studies to argue from multiple perspectives—even those that are incorrect. This strategy makes students reflect and not assume everything the AI system says is true.

The chatbot’s behavior evolves over the course of a discussion. Early on, it is more open to introduce new angles to stimulate debate, while later it recaps and helps consolidate key ideas. If a student argues incorrectly, the AI system can challenge them with evidence grounded in the material. If the student is correct, the AI can reason following a common misconception, prompting learners to justify and reinforce their claims. Only at the end, and only with the student’s confirmation, does the chatbot reveal the solution.

This approach mirrors the dynamics of real intellectual debate, encouraging critical thinking and resilience in argumentation. By blending in-person discussions with adaptive virtual exchanges, Prof. Mondada’s course is opening up new ways for students to engage not only with robotics, but also AI, reasoning, and the learning process itself. He is looking forward to get the feedback of the students on this new approach.