{"id":6426,"date":"2024-04-09T14:53:18","date_gmt":"2024-04-09T18:53:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/learndash.com\/support\/docs\/virtual-instructors\/"},"modified":"2026-04-22T10:09:11","modified_gmt":"2026-04-22T14:09:11","password":"","slug":"virtual-instructors-intro","status":"publish","type":"docs","link":"https:\/\/learndash.com\/support\/kb\/resources\/uncategorized\/virtual-instructors-intro\/","title":{"rendered":"Intro to Virtual Instructors"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Virtual Instructors<\/strong> allow you to add an AI-powered assistant to your LearnDash courses that can respond to learner questions as they progress through content. This feature is designed to support instructors by handling common or repetitive questions, giving educators more time to focus on instruction and course design.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This guide walks through enabling Virtual Instructors, configuring global and individual settings, managing language preferences and content restrictions, and understanding how learners interact with the Virtual Instructor on the front end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Virtual Instructors<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Virtual Instructors feature helps you create an AI-powered virtual assistant that can answer questions asked by learners while progressing through the Course. Virtual Instructors can share the workload of real-life teachers by responding to common questions, allowing teachers to focus their energy on creating more complex training material.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Please note that we currently do not use contextual AI for Virtual Instructors. This means the virtual assistant works like a real-life classroom teaching assistant who does not have the surrounding context of questions put to them. Off-Topic questions can be answered, but you can restrict the tool from answering certain questions based on a list of banned words.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Note:<\/strong> You may need to include various forms of a banned word. For example, if your banned list includes the word \u201cpotato\u201d in all lowercase, your learner may still work around the banned list by using \u201cp0t@t0\u201d and substituting numbers or signs for letters. You\u2019ll want to include a variety of forms of your banned word, including using numbers or signs in place of letters, such as in \u201cpot@to\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Setting up Virtual Instructors<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Virtual Instructors is an experimental feature. To enable Virtual Instructors, go to LearnDash LMS > Settings > Experiments<\/strong> and toggle on the switch to enable this feature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. Click the toggle to enable Virtual Instructors<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Click on Save to save your changes<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Once enabled, you\u2019ll see the Virtual Instructors<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. \u00a0menu item under LearnDashLMS<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Once enabled, a new menu item, LearnDash LMS > Virtual Instructors, <\/strong>will be added to the Admin menu.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Global Configuration<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Before you start setting up virtual Instructors, go to LearnDash LMS > Virtual Instructors <\/strong>and click Next to save a few global settings. On the next screen, you will be prompted to enter your OpenAI key.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Creating an OpenAI API key<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
      \n
    1. Visit the OpenAI site at the following link and log in to your account or sign up for a new one: https:\/\/platform.openai.com<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
    2. Visit the pricing page to confirm which plan you need: https:\/\/openai.com\/pricing<\/a>.
      We recommend GPT-3.5-Turbo<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    3. Go to the billing section and add a credit balance based on the subscription plan you choose: https:\/\/platform.openai.com\/account\/billing\/overview
      <\/a>You can choose to switch on\/off auto-recharge for your account, set up a payment method, and save other relevant billing-related information.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    4. Next, go to https:\/\/platform.openai.com\/api-keys<\/a> and create a secret key to connect your site to OpenAI’s services.
      Copy over the secret key and save it in the field highlighted in the screenshot above on your site. The OpenAI API key can be later updated on your site from LearnDash LMS > Settings > Advanced > AI Integrations<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

      Save the global configuration, and then you are ready to add a list of comma-separated banned words and the error message that should be shown to users who try to use them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      The Objective of Setting Banned Words<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

      Due to the wide range of subjects taught and age groups that learners belong to, the banned words list will help site admins protect users from inappropriate content or exclude off-topic<\/a> questions from being asked. The global banned list can be overridden at the individual Virtual Instructor<\/a> level. This will allow you to include more flexibility in the feature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Setting up Banned Words<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

      Go to LearnDash LMS<\/strong> > Virtual<\/strong> Instructors<\/strong><\/a> ><\/strong> Settings to set up a banned word list<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      The words added in the field provided should be comma-separated. Below the banned words, field, add the error message that should be displayed to users if they enter any of the banned words in their questions. The default message is \u201cOops! We can’t help you with that question. Please ask your instructor.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Language Support<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

      Configuring Language Preferences for the Virtual Instructor<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

      To enhance the user experience, the Virtual Instructor can be configured to respond in languages other than English. This customization allows for a more tailored interaction in the user\u2019s preferred language.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Steps to Configure Language Settings<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
        \n
      1. Go to LearnDash LMS > Virtual Instructors<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
      2. Select the desired Virtual Instructor to modify its settings<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      3. In the Virtual Instructor settings, locate the Custom Instruction<\/strong> field. Enter the instruction to specify the desired language for responses. For example, you could enter \u201cPlease respond in Spanish only\u201d as seen in the illustration below.
        \"VirtualYou can replace \u201cSpanish\u201d with your preferred language.<\/em><\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
      4. Optionally, you can refine your language preferences. For example, you could address specific linguistic preferences, such as excluding jargon or avoiding high-sounding, literary language as in the illustration below:.\"Additonal<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      5. Finally, click the Update button in the Publish box to save your changes.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

        <\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Experience on the Front-end<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

        A user conversing with the Virtual Instructor will encounter responses on the following lines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        The Custom Instruction<\/strong> saved was Please respond in Spanish only and avoid using technical jargon or high-sounding words. Note how the response in Spanish uses simple words and short sentences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Note:<\/strong> The Virtual Instructor does not automatically detect the site’s current language saved in Settings > General<\/strong> in WordPress<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Adding\/Modifying Virtual Instructors<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

        After the global settings have been added, go to LearnDash LMS > Virtual <\/strong>Instructors<\/strong><\/a> to add your first Virtual Instructor<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Individual Virtual Instructor<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

        Use individual Virtual Instructor settings to customize how a specific Virtual Instructor behaves, what content it supports, and which courses or groups it appears in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Accessing Virtual Instructor settings<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
          \n
        1. Navigate to LearnDash LMS \u2192 Virtual Instructors<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        2. Click Edit<\/strong> next to an existing Virtual Instructor, or click Add New<\/strong> to create a new one.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        3. (Optional) Click Select Image<\/strong> to choose an avatar for the Virtual Instructor.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

          Adding custom instructions<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

          Use the Custom Instructions<\/strong> field to control how the Virtual Instructor responds to learner questions. These instructions are not visible to learners<\/strong> and are used only by the AI when generating responses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          For example, you might instruct the Virtual Instructor to guide learners instead of providing direct answers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          Example instruction:<\/strong>
          Don\u2019t give direct answers; instead, provide a clue.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

          Resulting behavior:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n