Customer story · Higher education
Practice before arrival: an AI coach for first-year students
How Iowa State University used AIReady PracticeLayer to bring AI coaching and realistic practice into its student transition course.
Starting university comes with a lot of questions. And while students may know that help is available, reaching out isn’t always easy.
Iowa State University wanted to change that.
By embedding Nova, the AI Hype Coach, into its Cyclone 101 transition course, Iowa State gave incoming students a place to ask questions, practice difficult conversations, and figure out what to do next.
The results? More students engaging with the course, thousands of conversations with Nova, and stronger reported confidence.
Jacie Collum, Transition Specialist, New Student Programs, Iowa State University
Cyclone 101 · Summer 2026
The results at a glance
42.1%
End-of-course engagement, up from 21.9% the previous year
10,843
Learner messages to Nova in seven weeks
2,226
AI roleplay interactions
79.4%
Of surveyed students said the course increased their confidence in succeeding at Iowa State
Sources: Iowa State University’s Fall 2026 census and student survey (2,149 respondents); AIReady usage data, July 14–September 3, 2026.
The challenge
Knowing help exists isn’t the same as asking for it
Every year, Iowa State University invites more than 6,000 incoming students to take Cyclone 101, an optional online course designed to prepare them for university life.
The course introduces students to campus resources, academic expectations, and the support available to them.
But the New Student Programs team noticed a gap. Students were learning about university resources without necessarily feeling ready to use them.
What should you say to a professor after a disappointing exam grade? How do you start a conversation with your academic advisor? Who should you contact when everything feels overwhelming?
These aren’t questions a resource list alone can answer.
“It wasn’t just knowing the resources, but having the confidence to use them.”
Iowa State University
The solution
Meet Nova, an AI coach built into the course
Instead of sending students to a separate AI tool, Iowa State brought support directly into Cyclone 101 using AIReady PracticeLayer. Nova, the AI Hype Coach, became part of the learning experience.
Each of the course’s five modules included an AI coach grounded in that module’s Iowa State-approved content.
Students could:
Ask without hesitation
Explore questions they might feel uncomfortable asking someone else.
Find the right resource
Get guidance based on approved Iowa State information, with direct links to university resources.
Practice what to say
Rehearse conversations, including how to approach an instructor or ask for help.
Take the next step
Move from wondering what to do to feeling more prepared to contact a real person.
What were students actually asking Nova?
The questions weren’t complicated. They were the everyday questions that can make a big difference when you’re starting something new.
“Who should I ask about a low exam grade?”
“How do I use office hours?”
“I feel really overwhelmed.”
“I’m nervous to meet my advisor.”
Nova gave students a place to explore these concerns, find relevant information, and work out what to do next.
AI roleplay
A safe place to practice a difficult conversation
Nova didn’t just answer questions. It gave students opportunities to practice.
In a dedicated roleplay called “I’m Overwhelmed. Where Do I Start?”, students could work through a help-seeking conversation before having one in real life. They could describe what was going on, explore their options, and leave with a practical next step.
No pressure to find the perfect words. No judgment. Just a chance to practice.
2,226
times students engaged in this roleplay in seven weeks
Built to be trusted
Designed to build human connection, not replace it
Iowa State didn’t want a generic chatbot giving students advice from across the internet. Nova was designed to work within clear boundaries.
Grounded in trusted content
Responses draw on Iowa State-approved information and resources.
A coach, not an authority
Nova helps students explore options rather than replacing an advisor or counselor.
A bridge to real people
Conversations guide students toward instructors, advisors, and appropriate campus support.
Privacy-conscious by design
Personal information isn’t collected by default, and conversations aren’t used to train external AI models.
The team took a phased approach before launch:
- 01Develop Nova’s voice
- 02Test it in one module
- 03Expand across the course
- 04Testing in Canvas LMS
“We didn’t want AI to replace human connection. We wanted it to create opportunities for human connection.”
Nova wasn’t there to become the student’s advisor. It was there to help students feel more ready to speak with one.
The impact
More engagement. More action. More confidence.
The results were encouraging, especially for a course students weren’t required to take.
Nearly twice the end-of-course engagement
End-of-course engagement increased from 21.9% in 2025 to 42.1% in 2026, a 92% relative increase. More students were making it to the final module of Cyclone 101.
More students putting learning into action
Completion of the course’s schedule-building assignment rose from 906 students (13.9%) to 1,842 students (30%). That’s more than twice as many students completing an activity designed to help them prepare for university life.
Thousands of conversations with Nova
10,843Over seven weeks, students sent 10,843 messages to Nova, including activity on weekends. They weren’t just accessing content. They were asking questions and interacting with their AI coach as they worked through the course.
Greater confidence in succeeding at university
79.4%Of 2,149 students who responded to the end-of-course survey, 79.4% said Cyclone 101 increased their confidence in their ability to succeed at Iowa State.
And students were already seeing the value once they arrived on campus.
“Within my first two days of being on campus, the info in Cyclone 101 was already very helpful!”
Iowa State’s New Student Programs team identifies the AI integration as an important contributor to these results. The course was also streamlined and reorganized in 2026, so the engagement and assignment improvements reflect the redesigned course as a whole, not an independently measured effect of AI.
Behind the scenes
Hear from the team that created Nova
What does it take to introduce AI into an existing course without making it feel like one more technology students have to learn? How do you make sure the AI gives trustworthy guidance and encourages learners to connect with real people? And what happens when thousands of students start using it?
Hear Jacie Collum from Iowa State University share the thinking, design decisions, and lessons behind Nova in conversation with Garima Gupta from Artha Learning.
Jacie Collum, Transition Specialist, New Student Programs, Iowa State University, in conversation with Garima Gupta, Artha Learning. Recorded September 2026.
What could an AI coach do for your learners?
Your learners may face different challenges. Maybe they’re new employees navigating unfamiliar systems. Managers preparing for difficult conversations. Or professionals trying to apply policies and procedures in the real world.
But the gap is often the same.
Knowing something isn’t the same as feeling ready to do it.
AIReady PracticeLayer helps you close that gap by adding AI coaching, realistic roleplay, and personalized feedback to learning experiences you already have.
Grounded in your content. Designed around your learners. Built to help people move from knowing to doing.
Ready to give your learners a place to practice?
See how AIReady PracticeLayer could work with your training content and learning goals.
Nova, the AI Hype Coach, was designed by Iowa State University’s New Student Programs team and developed by Artha Learning using AIReady PracticeLayer.