Boise State University and Rapport Partner to Bring AI-Powered Roleplay Practice to Nursing and Language Learning Students

For Immediate Release

Pilot puts Rapport's face-to-face AI avatar platform inside Canvas for several hundred students, giving future nurses and beginner Spanish learners a safe place to practice high-stakes conversations before they happen in real life.

BOISE, Idaho (August 3, 2026) Rapport, the AI-powered conversation practice platform, today announced a new partnership with Boise State University's Extended Studies and eCampus Center (opens in new tab) that gives students access to Rapport's AI avatar roleplay platform to rehearse high-stakes conversations before they face them in the field.

The pilot spans two very different use cases, underscoring the flexibility of AI-driven roleplay across the curriculum. Nursing students will use Rapport to rehearse care coordination conversations, including interviewing patients, social workers, and pharmacy staff to identify gaps in care, before heading into clinical fieldwork.

Meanwhile, beginner Spanish students will use the platform for self-paced, judgment-free conversation practice, building fluency and confidence without the anxiety of speaking in front of a classroom.

Several hundred students across both programs will receive access as part of the rollout, with scenarios integrated directly into Boise State's Canvas LMS via SCORM, meaning no new logins, no separate apps, and no friction between coursework and practice.

"For the nursing program, we wanted our students to walk into their first real care coordination conversation having already practiced and received coaching feedback, and for our lecturers and professors to see objective cohort performance insights. The Rapport experience and team has been great for that."

~Lee Mitchell, Research and Innovation Consultant for Educational Technology, Boise State eCampus Center

Unlike audio-only roleplay tools, Rapport's scenarios are visual and face-to-face, designed to replicate the pressure and nuance of an actual Zoom call or in-person meeting. Learners see a responsive avatar, hear tone, read expressions, and receive coaching feedback after every session, while instructors get objective, cohort-level performance insights they can act on.

"Effective practice, especially for critical interpersonal interactions like care coordination, requires that students can hear tone, read a face, and adjust in real time. That's how learning sticks. We're so excited to work with an innovative leader in higher education like Boise State University."

~Chen Zhang, Chief Growth Officer, Rapport

The nursing and language pilots launch this month. Boise State joins a growing list of institutions and companies using Rapport to help learners build confidence before the conversations that matter most.

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About Rapport

Rapport is an AI-powered roleplay and conversation practice platform that helps learners rehearse high-stakes interpersonal interactions with lifelike, face-to-face AI avatars.

Used by universities and enterprises for sales enablement, healthcare training, language learning, and professional skills development, Rapport delivers realistic scenarios, real-time coaching feedback, and objective performance analytics, all deployable directly inside existing learning platforms.

About Boise State University Extended Studies/eCampus Center

Boise State University's Extended Studies/eCampus Center supports innovative, high-quality online and technology-enhanced education, partnering with faculty to design learning experiences that prepare students for real-world practice. Learn more at www.boisestate.edu.