Macquarie Shifts Two Psychology Subjects to AI-Guided Learning, With Human Tutors Optional

Macquarie University has moved two mandatory psychology subjects from in-person classes to online learning that includes weekly work with Virtual Peer, a chatbot built around course material. The change puts AI into a recurring teaching role while keeping paid human tutors available through optional Zoom sessions.

The subjects had in-person classes in the first semester of 2026. Their replacement format combines online readings, quizzes, videos and AI activities; none is mandatory, and students are assessed through separate research tasks and exams. Macquarie says in-person classes will return in alternate semesters from 2027, allowing students to choose a format.

A constrained chatbot, not a general-purpose tutor

Virtual Peer asks students questions and leads scenario-based exercises using information professors upload and check. That setup makes the tool course-specific rather than reliant on general material. Macquarie says it can also monitor student conversations on the service.

Human contact has moved outside the weekly core

The subjects retain weekly Zoom sessions with paid tutors: six sessions for 400 students in one subject and 10 for 700 in the other, or roughly one session per 70 students. Macquarie says attendance varies and rises around assessment deadlines. The design preserves access to people, but requires students to seek it out.

Other universities are testing different roles for AI

At the University of Sydney, hundreds of academics use the Cogniti platform for education-focused chatbots and scenario exercises. Sydney has shared it with institutions in Australia, New Zealand and the Netherlands. Its units include an oral-assessment practice bot and a metabolism tutor. Central Queensland University, meanwhile, is piloting Birdy in 24 units, alongside an academic-built subject-matter avatar called Neena Chatbot.

Central Queensland associate professor Meena Jha said she had not encountered another university both cutting in-person teaching and introducing AI chatbots. She warned that replacing human engagement with virtual tutors could create a serious engagement issue. At Sydney, staff planned a strike over AI protections, workloads and job insecurity as the university considered a future of more personalized AI teaching and reduced staff-student contact hours.