Guided Dialogues: Overview, Assignment, and Scoring
Guided Dialogues: Overview, Assignment, and Scoring
Guided Dialogues are topic-specific, AI-driven chat experiences that engage students in thoughtful discussions about course concepts. Each Guided Dialogue focuses on a specific section or chapter of an OpenStax textbook and follows a learning progression authored by a subject-matter expert.
Guided Dialogues are available only in OpenStax Assignable and are assigned to students at their instructor's discretion. Availability varies by course and discipline.
In this article, you will find:
What are Guided Dialogues?
Guided Dialogues help students understand and apply course concepts through structured, AI-driven conversations.
As students work through a Guided Dialogue, they respond to questions and receive feedback based on their responses. Some questions are specifically scripted, while others adapt based on the student's responses. The Guided Dialogue may coach a student to refine an answer or provide direct instruction when additional support is needed.
Guided Dialogues are scored activities, and the scores are incorporated into the student's overall assignment score.
For Fall 2026, Guided Dialogues are initially available in:
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Biology 2e
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Concepts of Biology
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Anatomy and Physiology 2e
Additional courses may receive Guided Dialogues during the semester.
How to assign a Guided Dialogue
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From your LMS, open OpenStax Assignable and begin creating an assignment.
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Select the chapter you want to assign.
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Scroll to Supplemental Activities near the bottom of the chapter asset list.
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Find the Guided Dialogue you want to assign. Available Guided Dialogues display the section number associated with the activity.
Note: Guided Dialogues are not available for every chapter or section.
Some Guided Dialogues, particularly Starting Point activities, may draw on prerequisite concepts from earlier sections. The section shown in the assignment builder indicates the activity's primary focus.
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Select the checkbox next to the Guided Dialogue to add it to your assignment.
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Continue through the remaining steps to create and assign your assignment.
Preview the student experience
Use Student View to see how the Guided Dialogue will appear to students.
Select Student View, then open the Guided Dialogue.
In a Guided Dialogue, students work through a conversation about the concepts covered in the activity. The Guided Dialogue provides feedback, may ask follow-up questions, and guides the student through the learning progression.
Scoring and completion
Students should work through the Guided Dialogue until it indicates that they have finished the activity.
When finished, the student selects Mark Complete in the upper-right corner. The Guided Dialogue evaluates the student's responses and generates a score and report. The score is incorporated into the student's overall assignment score.
Important: Students can select Mark Complete at any point during the activity. Once selected, the Guided Dialogue generates a score that cannot be changed. Encourage students to make a good effort to complete the activity before selecting Mark Complete.
Plan for time on task
Most Guided Dialogues take at least 4–5 minutes to complete with a conscientious effort.
Because Guided Dialogues respond to individual students, completion time can vary. An activity may take longer if a student needs additional help with a concept or asks for more information.
Consider this time when planning the overall workload and expected time on task for an assignment.
If a student leaves before finishing
A student's conversation is saved as they work. If a student leaves a Guided Dialogue before completing it, they can reopen the activity and continue from where they left off.
Your feedback helps us improve this product for instructors and students. Share your experience and suggestions with our product team using the Assignable feedback form.