Making organisational psychology more real with Torrino AI bot

Enter Torrino — a custom-built AI chatbot designed by our subject-matter experts, learning experience and AI developers, to simulate the role of a Human Resources manager and bring Organisational Psychology to life.

This innovative project not only enhances learning but challenges students to think critically, apply theory to practice, and engage interactively with AI.

Executive Dean Health and Education, Professor Matthew Mundy, said “Torrino is an example of how Torrens is not only advancing the way we teach; we are creating the leaders of tomorrow — those who will navigate the world of AI with critical thinking, ethical decision-making, and a deep understanding of both human and machine intelligence.”

“Integrating AI into our curriculum ensures we can guide our students to engage with it critically and ethically. With Torrino, students are asked to critically reflect and analyse the bot’s responses, rather than taking them verbatim, and synthesise these with their own research and knowledge.

“This ensures we can use the best teaching best practices and technology to give our graduates a competitive edge for employability,” said Professor Mundy.

Meet Torrens University’s AI chatbot – Torrino

Torrino is a bespoke AI chatbot trained specifically for academic contexts, with the Organisational Psychology subject in the Bachelor of Psychological Sciences being its primary playground.

Rather than simply providing answers, Torrino acts as a dynamic learning partner, offering simulated HR consultations where students can tackle real-world workplace issues like employee wellbeing, mental health, and engagement.

Torrino helps students to apply psychological theories to real-world scenarios, transforming passive learning into an interactive experience.

“Our goal is to bridge theory with practice and inspire students to think critically about organisational psychology and workplace challenges,” says Professor Mundy.

The creation of Torrino

Torrino is the brainchild of Carlos Ortega, Product Innovations Head of Digital Learning Systems & Emerging Technology and his team of tech wizards Angelo Estoque and Sarri Talhami.

“What's special about Torrino is its scalability and potential to be used in teaching and learning as well as operationally,” said Carlos.

The development team worked collaboratively to design an AI that was not only technically advanced but also ethically sound.

One of the major hurdles was ensuring Torrino complied with copyright laws: the team scraped and curated data from current, peer-reviewed resources to train Torrino specifically for the course, ensuring it provided accurate and relevant content for students.

“Torrino was designed to help students tackle issues of workplace wellbeing while adhering to ethical standards. We focused on creating a highly curated, relevant, and authoritative dataset for the AI,” said Carlos.

Importantly, Torrino’s capabilities are purposefully limited to the scope of the first assessment. It won’t respond to questions beyond that dataset, ensuring students focus on applying organisational psychology theories to real-world scenarios.

Torrino in action

Students interact with Torrino, acting as an HR manager, to discuss workplace mental health and wellbeing. They ask five tailored questions, aimed at improving workplace conditions, and critically reflect on Torrino’s responses considering the theories they have learned.

This hands-on assessment method represents a departure from traditional exams and quizzes. It requires students to move beyond memorisation and actively apply their knowledge to practical, complex issues.

The benefits of an AI chatbot for students

Torrino challenges students to:

• Analyse and evaluate
• Reflect on AI responses versus their understanding of psychological theories in the workplace
• Students deepen their understanding of complex organisational issues
• Develops metacognitive skills, helping them to regulate their use of AI and know when to seek additional resources