About LocoEnsayo
What is LocoEnsayo?
Section titled “What is LocoEnsayo?”“Ensayo” means rehearsal in Spanish. LocoEnsayo is a platform for AI-driven teaching scenarios where students interact with AI-populated simulated organisations. Think of it as a rehearsal stage where the cast is made up of AI characters, each with their own role, personality, and backstory.
Students don’t just read case studies — they have conversations with the people inside them.
How It Works
Section titled “How It Works”Each scenario is a simulated organisation with multiple AI chatbot “employees.” Students interact with these characters to practise real-world professional skills:
- Security audits — interview staff to identify vulnerabilities
- Requirements gathering — talk to stakeholders to understand business needs
- Business analysis — explore organisational challenges through conversation
The AI characters are powered by fine-tuned small language models running locally via Ollama, ensuring complete privacy.
Conversation, Not Delegation
Section titled “Conversation, Not Delegation”LocoEnsayo follows a “Conversation not Delegation” philosophy. The AI characters are not there to do the work for the student — they’re there to be interviewed, questioned, and engaged with. Students must bring their own professional judgement. The AI provides the context; the student provides the analysis.
This mirrors real-world practice, where the hardest part of any project is understanding the people and the organisation, not writing the report.
Privacy First
Section titled “Privacy First”All inference runs locally. No student data leaves the institution. No cloud APIs. No tracking. This matters for:
- Student privacy — conversations stay on-premises
- Academic integrity — the AI plays a role, it doesn’t write assignments
- Institutional control — universities own their infrastructure
Part of LocoLab
Section titled “Part of LocoLab”LocoEnsayo is a project of LocoLab, an applied AI research lab at Curtin University’s School of Management and Marketing. LocoLab explores practical, accessible AI for education — from fine-tuned local models (LocoLLM) to simulated teaching environments.
Current Scenarios
Section titled “Current Scenarios”| Scenario | Domain | Status |
|---|---|---|
| CloudCore Networks | IT Services / Security | Live |
| Pinnacles Travel | Hospitality / Tourism | Coming Soon |