SSR Seminar Series: Using LLMs in Role Playing for Social Work Skills Training: How does it work? What does it work towards? A Proposed Theory of Change

How does role playing with large language models (LLMs) work for social work skills training, and what does it work towards? We trace how our studies have been building a theory of change. A survey of 68 students documented the problem: too little practice, infrequent feedback, high anxiety. A scoping review pointed to deliberate practice as the learning theory behind role playing. A teaching note argued that deliberate practice alone is not adequate and proposed ritual fluency as what training must also cultivate. A think-aloud study of 26 students found that an AI service user engaged their clinical reasoning, affect, and relational work, and where it broke down. We will present a tentative theory of change built from these findings. In a hands-on activity, participants will design an AI client for students to role play with. Come and build LLM role playing for social work with us!