Hello,
It is Yannick Lyons from The Teaching Twin Newsletter
When professors imagine introducing an AI avatar into a course, they often picture resistance.
Confusion. Discomfort. A class full of raised eyebrows.
What actually happens is far more predictable.
Students decide how they feel about a format in the first minute. After that, they stop thinking about the medium and start thinking about the material.
That means their reaction is not driven by whether something is “AI.”
It is driven by whether it feels clear, familiar, and purposeful.
In practice, students usually fall into three phases:
Curiosity in the first moments
Orientation to the voice and style
Full focus on the lesson
Once they reach that third phase, the avatar disappears in their minds. What remains is instruction.
The professors who see the smoothest adoption do not rely on novelty. They anchor the experience.
Practical Ways to Guide Student Reactions
Open the first video by explaining what they are seeing and why it exists.
Use the same tone and structure you use in live lectures.
Keep early videos short and tightly focused.
Maintain the same pacing students already expect from you.
Reassure them that this supports learning, not replaces you.
Students are far more adaptable than we give them credit for.
What unsettles them is not new tools.
What unsettles them is confusion.
When the purpose is clear, the format becomes invisible.
Talk later,
Yannick
Work With Me
See how a personalized AI Avatar can help you and your class at LyonsMediaProductions.com
Create and test your own avatar using free tools with my free training: https://gamma.app/docs/How-You-Can-Create-and-Test-Your-Own-AI-Avatar-prc006lf27gvvs7