CCQ206 Communicating with Bots

Unit Outline: Session 4 2025, QUT Online, Online

Overview

This unit introduces you to the development and use of artificial intelligence (AI) and bots as effective tools for communication planning and execution. It examines the impact of such technologies on communication planning and practice, aiding you in developing your own bots. The unit provides the hands-on experience of applying technology to develop bots that algorithmically communicate via social media platforms. Communication professionals need to understand how to use emerging technologies such as AI to innovatively engage with their users and audiences. Bots, generally defined as “a computer program that performs automatic repetitive tasks”, and other technologies in the field of AI are changing the way communication is planned and executed, and how stories are told and evolve across social media platforms.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit you will be able to:

1. Critically analyse the impact of bots and artificial intelligence on the flow of information in major social media platforms.
2. Create a bot to algorithmically communicate across social media platforms to execute a communication strategy.
3. Discuss the social, ethical, legal and privacy issues associated with using bots as part of a communication strategy.
4. Collaborate in a team to solve communication problems and present solutions in a written communication strategy.

Content

Learning Approaches

This unit will be delivered fully online and may include intensive delivery. It will be facilitated by a unit coordinator using a flipped learning approach. This approach requires you to complete online pre-workshop activities independently, prior to attending the online workshop. Indicative learning experiences in this unit may include:

• participating in class and online discussions and debates
• critically examining AIs and Bots in context of communication
• reading book chapters and scholarly and industry articles
• viewing mini-lecture videos around key concepts
• participating in hypotheticals
• interpreting a client brief
• planning a project
• learning how to use AI and Bot creation tools
• designing and testing a Bot
• critiquing Bot design
• engaging in self and peer evaluation
• reflecting on your learning
• collaborating with peers.

Feedback opportunities from members of the teaching team and your peers will be integrated into the unit as outlined in the Feedback to students section of this unit outline.

Feedback on Learning and Assessment

You will receive feedback on your learning in a variety of ways, including:

• Informal formative feedback will be provided via quizzes, self-assessment tools, peer feedback and through individual or whole of class feedback, the debriefing of learning activities or via comments in online communities.
• Formal written or recorded feedback will be received on both formative and summative assessment tasks, in addition to the grade on the Criterion Reference Assessment sheet.

Feedback on your formative assessment task will be received prior to the submission of your summative assessment task.

Assessment

Overview

The assessment in the unit has been designed to provide you with the opportunity to demonstrate your understanding of how to leverage artificial intelligence and bots to execute a communication strategy as well as the social, ethical, legal and privacy issues associated with the use of artificial intelligence and bots. Additionally, you will demonstrate your ability to collaborate with your peers to create a bot and evaluate its effectiveness.

Opportunities for feedback and other formative activities, which mirror the assessment tasks, will be available to help you to gauge your progress. Additionally, opportunities for self and peer evaluation will be integrated into the unit.

Unit Grading Scheme

7- point scale

Assessment Tasks

Assessment: Case study

You will undertake a data-driven analysis that identifies and critically examines the role of bots in the communication about a specific real-world event. This includes considering the ethical and legal issues associated with using bots in communication contexts.

This is an assignment for the purposes of an extension.

Assessment: Build a bot

In this assessment you will assume the role of a communication consultant employed by an organisation. In this role you have been asked by the Managing Director to create a bot as a part of a communication strategy in response to a challenge faced by the organisation. Working in a team you will devise a communication strategy and build a bot to achieve the organisation's communication goals.

This is an assignment for the purposes of an extension.

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a commitment to undertaking academic work and assessment in a manner that is ethical, fair, honest, respectful and accountable.

The Academic Integrity Policy sets out the range of conduct that can be a failure to maintain the standards of academic integrity. This includes, cheating in exams, plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion and contract cheating. It also includes providing fraudulent or altered documentation in support of an academic concession application, for example an assignment extension or a deferred exam.

You are encouraged to make use of QUT’s learning support services, resources and tools to assure the academic integrity of your assessment. This includes the use of text matching software that may be available to assist with self-assessing your academic integrity as part of the assessment submission process.

Breaching QUT’s Academic Integrity Policy or engaging in conduct that may defeat or compromise the purpose of assessment can lead to a finding of student misconduct (Code of Conduct – Student) and result in the imposition of penalties under the Management of Student Misconduct Policy, ranging from a grade reduction to exclusion from QUT.

Resources

Risk Assessment Statement

You are advised to back-up your digital files on a regular basis to ensure work is not lost if there is a hardware failure. Information about the free file storage provided by QUT for students is available on the Storing your files page.

There are no out of the ordinary risks associated with this unit.