Part 1 of 3 part series on Role Play
Introduction
Role-playing is a dynamic and immersive educational strategy recognized for its ability to foster active learning, engagement, and skill development. Rooted in experiential learning theory, it enables learners to step into simulated environments, adopt diverse perspectives, and apply theoretical knowledge in realistic, context-rich scenarios. As digital learning evolves, role-playing has become an increasingly relevant tool in corporate training, higher education, and professional development—particularly within the realm of AI-driven learning.
While role-playing has traditionally been associated with live, in-person interactions, advancements in Agentic AI and conversational AI have transformed its application in EdTech. Companies are now exploring how AI-powered simulations can enhance adaptive learning, providing learners with personalized, scalable, and responsive training environments. However, successful implementation requires more than technological integration; it demands a structured, pedagogically sound approach that aligns with best practices in learning science.
This three part series explores the theoretical foundations of role-playing, its applications in digital education, and its evolving potential within AI-driven environments. It also differentiates between distinct forms of role-playing, highlighting the importance of tailoring experiences to specific learning objectives in a corporate environment and sets a framework of how a Role Playing Learning Science Module performs in an Agentic AI enterprise learning solution from Mentor126.
Theoretical Foundations of Role-Playing
Experiential Learning and Active Engagement
The effectiveness of role-playing is well-supported by foundational learning theories. Kolb’s Experiential Learning Model (1984) underscores the significance of active, hands-on experiences in fostering deep cognitive engagement and long-term knowledge retention. Learners progress through a cycle of concrete experience, reflective observation, abstract conceptualization, and active experimentation, making role-playing an ideal instructional method.
Similarly, Bonwell and Eison (1991) highlight active learning strategies—including role-playing—as essential for increasing learner motivation and comprehension. Heron (1999) further emphasizes the development of empathy, communication, and interpersonal skills through experiential learning, reinforcing the role of role-play in preparing learners for multidisciplinary and multicultural professional environments.
Cognitive and Emotional Learning
Beyond knowledge acquisition, role-playing engages both cognitive and affective domains by integrating problem-solving, decision-making, and emotional intelligence into learning experiences. This aligns with constructivist learning principles, where learners build understanding through direct interaction with complex, real-world problems.
Additionally, role-playing supports differentiated instruction and Universal Design for Learning (UDL) by allowing educators to tailor scenarios to individual learning needs. By doing so, learners engage at optimal challenge levels, reinforcing a bespoke learning approach that fosters deeper skill acquisition and retention.
The Role of AI in Enhancing Role-Playing in EdTech
Despite its established benefits, role-playing has historically been resource-intensive, requiring skilled facilitators and carefully crafted scenarios. The emergence of AI-driven role-playing has begun to bridge these gaps, offering adaptive, scalable, and personalized learning experiences.
Ethan Mollick, an AI thought leader and associate professor at the Wharton School, has explored AI’s potential to transform role-playing into a more dynamic and responsive learning tool. His research suggests that AI-powered simulations can create lifelike training environments, enabling learners to engage in realistic conversations with AI-driven mentors and role-players. These systems provide personalized feedback, iterative practice opportunities, and scalable learning simulations—a significant advancement over traditional role-play methods.
However, for AI-driven role-playing to be pedagogically or andragogically effective, it must adhere to rigorous instructional design principles. Poorly structured AI role-play experiences risk superficial engagement and ineffective learning outcomes. EdTech companies must therefore prioritize learner-centered design*, ensuring that AI-driven role-playing aligns with authentic learning objectives and cognitive engagement strategies.
* Learner-centered design in AI solutions such as Mentor126 utilize a personalized knowledge graph (pKG) that securely gains an understanding of the learner, their goals, learning styles and method effectiveness.
Variations of Role-Playing: Tailoring to Learning Objectives
Not all role-playing experiences are the same. Depending on the learning objective, role-playing can be structured in distinct ways, each aligned with different cognitive demands and skill applications. Below, we outline two major role-playing formats and their educational significance.
Role-Playing Version 1: Practical Application
This version of role-playing focuses on structured, predictable skill application, aligning with lower-order cognitive skills on Bloom’s Taxonomy (e.g., knowledge recall and application). It serves as a reinforcement tool for learners who have acquired theoretical knowledge and now need to apply it in a controlled setting.
Example in EdTech:
Consider a retail salesperson learning about a new clothing line’s materials and pricing. In a structured AI-driven role-playing scenario, they engage in a simulated conversation with an AI chat agent posing as a customer. The learner practices recalling product information, refining their sales pitch, and handling basic customer inquiries in a low-risk, guided environment.
Role-Playing Version 2: Improvisational & Open-Ended
This advanced role-playing format assesses higher-order cognitive skills, including critical thinking, adaptability, and real-time problem-solving. It aligns with open-skill training, requiring learners to respond dynamically to unstructured and unpredictable situations.
Example in EdTech:
Building on the previous retail training scenario, the learner is now placed in an improvised AI-driven role-play, where they must navigate an unscripted customer interaction. The AI agent no longer provides predefined cues; instead, it simulates a realistic, unpredictable conversation, requiring the learner to build rapport, assess customer needs, and adapt responses on the spot. This format enhances decision-making, active listening, and interpersonal communication skills, crucial for professional success.
Significance:
- Encourages deep learning and cognitive flexibility
- Fosters creative problem-solving and critical thinking
- Mimics real-world complexity, ensuring authentic skill transfer
Expanding the Scope of Role-Playing: Applications Across Industries
Role-playing is highly versatile and can be designed to cultivate various competencies across disciplines. When integrated with AI and EdTech, role-playing can be tailored using several methods in a Multi-Dimensional Upskilling (MDU) approach through a Human-In-The-Loop curation process to enhance the following skills and learning outcomes:
- Sales, customer service, and professional training
- Enterprise internal Product, Processes, People, and Tools
- Communication, negotiation, and conflict resolution
- Empathy-building and perspective-taking
- Abstract conceptualization & active experimentation
- Interpersonal and cross-cultural communication
- Decision-making and working under pressure
- Leadership development
- HR and DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) training
- Compliance, legal, and ethics training
- Medical and healthcare simulations
These examples highlight the limitless potential of role-playing in education. By carefully aligning role-play activities with learning theories, organizations can design impactful and transformative learning experiences that extend beyond traditional knowledge acquisition.
Role Playing Benefits
Role Playing Benefits
- Real-world scenarios: Role play can help learners learn skills used in real-world situations, such as negotiation, teamwork, and persuasion. Optional CRM integration could extract real customers and build meaningful personas for role play.
- Multiple perspectives: Role play can help learners understand a situation from different perspectives. This would flip roles in sales, assuming the role of the customer and their job responsibilities, needs for believing in and justifying a purchase.
- Critical thinking: Role play requires creativity and critical thinking.
- Active learning: Role play can help learners become active, rather than passive participants in the learning experience.
- Engagement: Role play can help motivate and engage.
- Social and emotional skills: Role play can develop social and emotional skills.
- Self-confidence: Role play can give confidence to envision themselves in a variety of situations.
Conclusion & Next Steps
Role-playing is a time-tested, evidence-backed educational strategy with broad applications in corporate training, academia, and professional development. The emergence of AI-powered role-playing presents new possibilities for scalable, adaptive, and deeply bespoke (personalized) learning experiences. However, effective implementation requires thoughtful curated HITL instructional design, ensuring that technology serves as that scalable enhancement rather than a replacement for meaningful human interaction.
The next installment in this series will explore best practices in AI-driven role-playing design, identifying key principles that differentiate effective implementations from superficial AI gimmicks.