Considering that the majority of participants possessed an upper intermediate (B2-C1) or advanced (C2) proficiency level, the distinction between native and non-native speakers was not deemed a crucial factor for this research. Subsequently, a statistical analysis was conducted to evaluate the impact of language nativeness (Spanish and Czech versus non-Spanish and non-Czech speakers), revealing no significant differences in the study’s outcomes. Furthermore, the evaluations of the AICs by both Spanish and Czech cohorts displayed similar results. This analysis led us to conclude that language nativeness and the specific educational settings of the participants were not key factors influencing the results of our study. Regarding gender, 81% of the participants were females, while 19% were male students.
Most peer agent chatbots allowed students to ask for specific help on demand. For example, students may ask the peer agent in (Janati et al., 2020) how to use a particular technology (e.g., using maps in Oracle Analytics), while the peer agent described in (Tegos et al., 2015; Tegos et al., 2020; Hayashi, 2013) scaffolded a group discussion. Interestingly, the only peer agent that allowed for a free-style conversation was the one described in (Fryer et al., 2017), which could be helpful in the context of learning a language. A conversational agent can hold a discussion with students in a variety of ways, ranging from spoken (Wik & Hjalmarsson, 2009) to text-based (Chaudhuri et al., 2009) to nonverbal (Wik & Hjalmarsson, 2009; Ruttkay & Pelachaud, 2006). Similarly, the agent’s visual appearance can be human-like or cartoonish, static or animated, two-dimensional or three-dimensional (Dehn & Van Mulken, 2000). Conversational agents have been developed over the last decade to serve a variety of pedagogical roles, such as tutors, coaches, and learning companions (Haake & Gulz, 2009).
Henceforth, encouraging participation (Tamayo et al., (2020); Verleger & Pembridge, 2019) and disclosure (Brandtzaeg & Følstad, 2018; Ischen et al., 2020; Wang et al., 2021) of personal aspects that were not possible in a traditional classroom or face to face interaction. Conversely, it may provide an opportunity to promote mental health (Dekker et al., 2020) as it can be reflected as a ‘safe’ environment to make mistakes and learn (Winkler & Söllner, 2018). Furthermore, ECs can be operated to answer FAQs automatically, manage online assessments (Colace et al., 2018; Sandoval, 2018), and support peer-to-peer assessment (Pereira et al., 2019). Qualitative data, obtained from in-class discussions and assessment reports submitted through the Moodle platform, were systematically coded and categorized using QDA Miner.
In our review process, we carefully adhered to the inclusion and exclusion criteria specified in Table 2. Criteria were determined to ensure the studies chosen are relevant to the research question (content, timeline) and maintain a certain level of quality (literature type) and consistency (language, subject area). When we talk about educational chatbots, this is probably the biggest concern of teachers and trade union organizations. The truth is that they will take over the repetitive tasks and make a teacher’s work more meaningful. Next, it was interesting to observe the differences and the similarities in both groups for teamwork.
Secondly, it seeks to measure their level of satisfaction with four specific AICs after a 1-month intervention. Lastly, it aims to evaluate their perspectives on the potential advantages and drawbacks of AICs in language learning as future educators. Thanks to these advances, the incorporation of chatbots into language learning applications has been on the rise in recent years (Fryer et al., 2020; Godwin-Jones, 2022; Kohnke, 2023). The wide accessibility of chatbots as virtual language tutors, regardless of temporal and spatial constraints, represents a substantial advantage over human instructors.
Moreover, both classes were also managed through the institution’s learning management system to distribute notes, attendance, and submission of assignments. According to Adamopoulou and Moussiades (2020), it is impossible to categorize chatbots due to their diversity; nevertheless, specific attributes can be predetermined to guide design and development goals. For example, in this study, the rule-based approach using the if-else technique (Khan et al., 2019) was applied to design the EC. The rule-based chatbot only responds to the rules and keywords programmed (Sandoval, 2018), and therefore designing EC needs anticipation on what the students may inquire about (Chete & Daudu, 2020).
A few other subjects were targeted by the educational chatbots, such as engineering (Mendez et al., 2020), religious education (Alobaidi et al., 2013), psychology (Hayashi, 2013), and mathematics (Rodrigo et al., 2012). A scripted chatbot, also called a rule-based chatbot, can engage in conversations chatbot in education by following a decision tree that has been mapped out by the chatbot designer, and follow an if/then logic. In contrast, NLP chatbots, which use Artificial Intelligence, make sense of what the person writes and respond accordingly (NLP stands for Natural Language Processing).
Concurrently, it was evident that the self-realization of their value as a contributing team member in both groups increased from pre-intervention to post-intervention, which was higher for the CT group. Involving AI assistants in administrative tasks raises the overall efficiency of educational institutions, reducing wait times for students. This efficiency contributes to higher satisfaction levels among educatee and staff, positively impacting the institution’s credibility. By transforming lectures into conversational messages, such tools enhance engagement.
Furthermore, conversational agents have been used to meet a variety of educational needs such as question-answering (Feng et al., 2006), tutoring (Heffernan & Croteau, 2004; VanLehn et al., 2007), and language learning (Heffernan & Croteau, 2004; VanLehn et al., 2007). Chatbots have been utilized in education as conversational pedagogical agents since the early https://chat.openai.com/ 1970s (Laurillard, 2013). Pedagogical agents, also known as intelligent tutoring systems, are virtual characters that guide users in learning environments (Seel, 2011). Conversational Pedagogical Agents (CPA) are a subgroup of pedagogical agents. They are characterized by engaging learners in a dialog-based conversation using AI (Gulz et al., 2011).
Besides, institutions can integrate bots into knowledge management systems, websites, or standalone applications. Furthermore, tech solutions like conversational AI, are being deployed over every platform on the internet, be it social media or business websites and applications. Tech-savvy students, parents, and teachers are experiencing the privilege of interacting with the chatbots and in turn, institutions are observing satisfied students and happier staff.
Over the past year I’ve designed several chatbots that serve different purposes and also have different voices and personalities. You might first use the chatbot to help you define a project and break down the work into manageable chunks, then clarify the function or routine you want to work on. You might then use the chatbot to generate examples or suggest useful methods (Gewirtz, n.d.).
Repetitive tasks can easily be carried out using chatbots as teachers’ assistants. With artificial intelligence, chatbots can assist teachers in justifying their work without exhausting them too much. This, in turn, allows teachers to devote more time and attention to designing exciting lessons and providing learners with the personalized attention they deserve.
However, the initial models were basic, relying on a scripted question–answer format and not intended for meaningful practice beyond their specific subject area (Godwin-Jones, 2022). Since then, AI technology has significantly advanced and chatbots are now able to provide more comprehensive language learning support, such as conversational exchange, interactive activities, and multimedia content (Jung, 2019; Li et al., 2022). The latest chatbot models have showcased remarkable capabilities in natural language processing and generation. Additional research is required to investigate the role and potential of these newer chatbots in the field of education. Therefore, our paper focuses on reviewing and discussing the findings of these new-generation chatbots’ use in education, including their benefits and challenges from the perspectives of both educators and students.
The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots in education has the potential to revolutionize how students learn and interact with information. One significant advantage of AI chatbots in education is their ability to provide personalized and engaging learning experiences. By tailoring their interactions to individual students’ needs and preferences, chatbots offer customized feedback and instructional support, ultimately enhancing student engagement and information retention. However, there are potential difficulties in fully replicating the human educator experience with chatbots. While they can provide customized instruction, chatbots may not match human instructors’ emotional support and mentorship. Understanding the importance of human engagement and expertise in education is crucial.
This knowledge is crucial for educators and policymakers to make informed decisions about the continued integration of chatbots into educational systems. Secondly, understanding how different student characteristics interact with chatbot technology can help tailor educational interventions to individual needs, potentially optimizing the learning experience. Thirdly, exploring the specific pedagogical strategies employed by chatbots to enhance learning components can inform the development of more effective educational tools and methods. Nevertheless, Wang et al. (2021) claims while the application of chatbots in education are novel, it is also impacted by scarcity. Nevertheless, while this absence is inevitable, it also provides a potential for exploring innovations in educational technology across disciplines (Wang et al., 2021).
Chatbots are either flow-based or powered by AI, concerning approaches to their designs. The teaching and learning in both classes are identical, wherein the students are required to design and develop a multimedia-based instructional tool that is deemed their course project. Students independently choose their group mates and work as a group to fulfill their project tasks.
Therefore, future studies should look into educators’ challenges, needs, and competencies and align them in fulfill EC facilitated learning goals. Furthermore, there is much to be explored in understanding the complex dynamics of human–computer interaction in realizing such a goal, especially educational goals that are currently being influenced by the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. Conversely, future studies should look into different learning outcomes, social media use, personality, age, culture, context, and use behavior to understand the use of chatbots for education. Looking at the related work, many research questions for the application of chatbots in education remain. Therefore, we selected five goals to be further investigated in our literature review. Firstly, we were interested in the objectives for implementing chatbots in education (Goal 1), as the relevance of chatbots for applications within education seems to be not clearly delineated.
Furthermore, ECs were found to provide value and learning choices (Yin et al., 2021), which in return is beneficial in customizing learning preferences (Tamayo et al., 2020). When interacting with students, chatbots have taken various roles such as teaching agents, peer agents, teachable agents, and motivational agents (Chhibber & Law, 2019; Baylor, 2011; Kerry et al., 2008). Teaching agents play the role of human teachers and can present instructions, illustrate examples, ask questions (Wambsganss et al., 2020), and provide immediate feedback (Kulik & Fletcher, 2016). On the other hand, peer agents serve as learning mates for students to encourage peer-to-peer interactions. Nevertheless, peer agents can still guide the students along a learning path. Students typically initiate the conversation with peer agents to look up certain definitions or ask for an explanation of a specific topic.
The first article describes how a new AI model, Pangu-Weather, can predict worldwide weekly weather patterns much more rapidly than traditional forecasting methods but with comparable accuracy. The second demonstrates how a deep-learning algorithm was able to predict extreme rainfall more accurately and more quickly than other methods. 3 is more than 36 (the number of selected articles) as the authors of a single article could work in institutions located in different countries.
There’s a lot of fascinating research in the area of human-robot collaboration and human-robot teams. Today, many teachers are solely focused on memorizing lessons and grading tests. By taking over these tasks, chatbots will allow teachers to concentrate on establishing a stronger relationship with students. They will have the opportunity to provide them with personal guidance and enhance the curriculum with their own research interests. Consequently, this will be especially helpful for students with learning disabilities.
The ECs were also developed based on micro-learning strategies to ensure that the students do not spend long hours with the EC, which may cause cognitive fatigue (Yin et al., 2021). Furthermore, the goal of each EC was to facilitate group work collaboration around a project-based activity where the students are required to design and develop an e-learning tool, write a report, and present their outcomes. Next, based on the new design principles synthesized by the researcher, RiPE was contextualized as described in Table 5. Nevertheless, Hobert (2019) claims that the main issue with EC assessment is the narrow view used to evaluate outcomes based on specific fields rather than a multidisciplinary approach. Furthermore, there is a need for understanding how users experience chatbots (Brandtzaeg & Følstad, 2018), especially when they are not familiar with such intervention (Smutny & Schreiberova, 2020). Conversely, due to the novelty of ECs, the author has not found any studies pertaining to ECs in design education, project-based learning, and focusing on teamwork outcomes.
The purpose of this work was to conduct a systematic review of the educational chatbots to understand their fields of applications, platforms, interaction styles, design principles, empirical evidence, and limitations. Another example is the study presented in (Ondáš et al., 2019), where the authors evaluated various aspects of a chatbot used in the education process, including helpfulness, whether users wanted more features in the chatbot, and subjective satisfaction. The students found the tool helpful and efficient, albeit they wanted more features such as more information about courses and departments.
As the educational landscape continues to evolve, the rise of AI-powered chatbots emerges as a promising solution to effectively address some of these issues. Some educational institutions are increasingly turning to AI-powered chatbots, recognizing their relevance, while others are more cautious and do not rush to adopt them in modern educational settings. Consequently, a substantial body of academic literature is dedicated to investigating the role of AI chatbots in education, their potential benefits, and threats. Firstly, it aims to investigate the current knowledge and opinions of language teacher candidates regarding App-Integrated Chatbots (AICs).
Okonkwo and Ade-Ibijola (2021) analyzed the main benefits and challenges of implementing chatbots in an educational setting. The adoption of educational chatbots is on the rise due to their ability to provide a cost-effective method to engage students and provide a personalized learning experience (Benotti et al., 2018). Chatbot adoption is especially crucial in online classes that include many students where individual support from educators to students is challenging (Winkler & Söllner, 2018).
The findings emphasize the need to establish guidelines and regulations ensuring the ethical development and deployment of AI chatbots in education. Policies should specifically focus on data privacy, accuracy, and transparency to mitigate potential risks and build trust within the educational community. Additionally, investing in research and development to enhance AI chatbot capabilities and address identified concerns is crucial for a seamless integration into educational systems. Researchers are strongly encouraged to fill the identified research gaps through rigorous studies that delve deeper into the impact of chatbots on education. Exploring the long-term effects, optimal integration strategies, and addressing ethical considerations should take the forefront in research initiatives.
Meet ‘Stretch,’ a New Chatbot Just for Schools.
Posted: Mon, 26 Jun 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]
Student comments were systematically categorized into potential benefits and limitations following the template structure and then coded using a tree-structured code system, focusing on recurrent themes through frequency analysis. This line of research investigates how the interactive nature of some AICs can reduce students’ anxiety and cognitive load (Hsu et al., 2021) and promote an engaging learning environment (Bao, 2019). Furthermore, some authors have examined the ability of chatbots to promote self-directed learning, given their wide availability and capacity for personalized responses (Annamalai et al., 2023).
The choice of Spain and the Czech Republic was primarily based on convenience sampling. The two researchers involved in this study are also lecturers at universities in these respective countries, which facilitated access to a suitable participant pool. Additionally, the decision to include these two different educational settings aimed to test the applicability and effectiveness of AICs across varied contexts.
Concerning their interaction style, the conversation with chatbots can be chatbot or user-driven (Følstad et al., 2018). Chatbot-driven conversations are scripted and best represented as linear flows with a limited number of branches that rely upon acceptable user answers (Budiu, 2018). When the user provides answers compatible with the flow, the interaction feels smooth. Hands-on experience using a chatbot can help you to better understand the capabilities and limitations of these tools. Try completing some of the following tasks, or the example educational use cases above, to practice using a chatbot. The Summit Learning project and Jill Watson are ideal examples how chatbots can bring constructive change to the learning process and make it more efficient.
In this study, students appreciated the supplemental use of chatbots for their ability to provide immediate feedback on unfamiliar words or concepts, thereby enriching their English textbook learning. The third area explores how AICs’ design can positively affect language learning outcomes. Modern AICs usually include an interface with multimedia content, real-time feedback, and social media integration (Haristiani & Rifa’I, 2020). They also employ advanced speech technologies to ensure accessible and humanlike dialogues (Petrović & Jovanović, 2021). Additionally, AICs today can also incorporate emerging technologies like AR and VR, and gamification elements, to enhance learner motivation and engagement (Kim et al., 2019). In this research, the term chatbot (AIC) is used to refer to virtual tutors integrated into mobile applications specifically designed for language learning to provide students with a personalized and interactive experience.
Peer agents can also scaffold an educational conversation with other human peers. Subsequently, the chatbot named after the course code (QMT212) was designed as a teaching assistant for an instructional design course. It was targeted to be used as a task-oriented (Yin et al., 2021), content curating, and long-term EC (10 weeks) (Følstad et al., 2019). Students worked in a group of five during the ten weeks, and the ECs’ interactions were diversified to aid teamwork activities used to register group members, information sharing, progress monitoring, and peer-to-peer feedback. According to Garcia Brustenga et al. (2018), EC can be designed without educational intentionality where it is used purely for administrative purposes to guide and support learning.
The authors would like to express their gratitude to all the college students from both institutions for their invaluable participation in this project. “First, ChatGPT may help students use writing as a tool for thinking in ways that students currently do not. Many students are not yet fluent enough writers to use the process of writing as a way to discover and clarify their ideas. ChatGPT may address that problem by allowing students to read, reflect, and revise many times without the anguish or frustration that such processes often invoke. The recent release of ChatGPT — a new natural language processor that can write essays, spit out a Haiku, and even produce computer code — has prompted more questions about what this means for the future of society than even it can answer, despite efforts to make it try.
AI in the Classroom: Everyone’s Favorite Teacher May Soon Be a Chatbot.
Posted: Wed, 17 Jan 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]
Concerning the evaluation methods used to establish the validity of the approach, slightly more than a third of the chatbots used experiment with mostly significant results. The remaining chatbots were evaluated with evaluation studies (27.77%), questionnaires (27.77%), and focus groups (8.33%). The findings point to improved learning, high usefulness, and subjective satisfaction. In terms of the interaction style, the vast majority of the chatbots used a chatbot-driven style, with about half of the chatbots using a flow-based with a predetermined specific learning path, and 36.11% of the chatbots using an intent-based approach.
No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms. The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. The original contributions presented in the study are included in the article/supplementary material, further inquiries can be directed to the corresponding authors. Seven general research questions were formulated in reference to the objectives. Go to claude.ai/login and sign in with an email address or Google account to access the Claude chatbot.
To summarize, the journey through educational chatbots has uncovered a field of possibilities. These AI tools amplify engagement, offer personalized content, and ensure uninterrupted support. Yet, the limitations of these bots, such as lack of emotional intelligence, demand further attention. But the success stories of the University of Galway and Georgia State University, reveal the transformative potential of such models. AI and chatbots have a huge potential to transform the way students interact with learning. They promise to forever change the learning landscape by offering highly personalized experiences for students through tailored lessons.
Digital assistant integration significantly changes the way learners engage in studying processes, offering an array of benefits. You can foun additiona information about ai customer service and artificial intelligence and NLP. Understanding student sentiments during Chat PG and after the sessions is very important for teachers. If students end up being confused and unclear about the topic, all the efforts made by the teachers go in vain.
7, most of the articles (88.88%) used the chatbot-driven interaction style where the chatbot controls the conversation. 52.77% of the articles used flow-based chatbots where the user had to follow a specific learning path predetermined by the chatbot. Notable examples are explained in (Rodrigo et al., 2012; Griol et al., 2014), where the authors presented a chatbot that asks students questions and provides them with options to choose from. Other authors, such as (Daud et al., 2020), used a slightly different approach where the chatbot guides the learners to select the topic they would like to learn.
It is evident that chatbot technology has a significant impact on overall learning outcomes. Specifically, chatbots have demonstrated significant enhancements in learning achievement, explicit reasoning, and knowledge retention. The integration of chatbots in education offers benefits such as immediate assistance, quick access to information, enhanced learning outcomes, and improved educational experiences.
Interestingly, 38.46% (5) of the journal articles were published recently in 2020. Intriguingly, one article was published in Computers in Human Behavior journal. The remaining journal articles were published in several venues such as IEEE Transactions on Affective Computing, Journal of Educational Psychology, International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, ACM Transactions on Interactive Intelligent System. Most of these journals are ranked Q1 or Q2 according to Scimago Journal and Country Rank Footnote 7. After defining the criteria, our search query was performed in the selected databases to begin the inclusion and exclusion process.
Participants were third-year-college students enrolled in two subjects on Applied Linguistics taught over the course of 4 months, with two-hour sessions being held twice a week. Both Applied Linguistics courses are integral components of the Teacher Education degree programs at the respective universities in Spain and the Czech Republic. These participants were being trained to become English language teachers, and the learning module on chatbot integration into language learning was strategically incorporated into the syllabus of both subjects, taught by the researchers.
In this approach, the agent acts as a novice and asks students to guide them along a learning route. Rather than directly contributing to the learning process, motivational agents serve as companions to students and encourage positive behavior and learning (Baylor, 2011). Chatbots have affordances that can take out-in-the-world learning to the next level. The most important of those affordances is that chatbots can respond differently to each learner, depending on what they say or ask, so the experience adapts to the learner. This can increase the learner’s sense of agency and their ownership of the learning process.
The data is captured digitally in a format that can be analyzed manually or by using algorithms that can detect themes, patterns, and connections. In effect the teacher can “interact” with and learn from multiple learners at the same time (in theory an infinite number of them). A well-functioning team can leverage individual team members’ skills, provide social support, and allow for different perspectives. This can lead to better performance and enhance the learning experience (Hackman, 2011). For example, teams can use a chatbot to synthesize ideas, develop a timeline of action items, or provide differing perspectives or critiques of the team’s ideas.
Bing Chat, an AI chatbot developed by Microsoft, also uses the GPT large language model. Sign in to a Microsoft Edge account to allow longer conversations with Bing Chat. Students who attend the same class have different skills, interests, and abilities. Unfortunately, even some of the most expensive schools and colleges in the world are not able to provide this type of service. That is why chatbots are the most logical and affordable alternative for personal learning. What’s more, unlike other large language models, Stretch cites its sources, giving it another layer of accountability, Culatta said.
• were not mainly focused on learner-centered chatbots applications in schools or higher education institutions, which is according to the preliminary literature search the main application area within education. Some studies mentioned limitations such as inadequate or insufficient dataset training, lack of user-centered design, students losing interest in the chatbot over time, and some distractions. As an example of an evaluation study, the researchers in (Ruan et al., 2019) assessed students’ reactions and behavior while using ‘BookBuddy,’ a chatbot that helps students read books. The researchers recorded the facial expressions of the participants using webcams. It turned out that the students were engaged more than half of the time while using BookBuddy.
These educational chatbots play a significant role in revolutionizing the learning experience and communication within the education sector. In this paper, we investigated the state-of-the-art of chatbots in education according to five research questions. By combining our results with previously identified findings from related literature reviews, we proposed a concept map of chatbots in education.
In comparison, 88% of the students in (Daud et al., 2020) found the tool highly useful. A notable example of a study using questionnaires is ‘Rexy,’ a configurable educational chatbot discussed in (Benedetto & Cremonesi, 2019). The questionnaires elicited feedback from participants and mainly evaluated the effectiveness and usefulness of learning with Rexy. However, a few participants pointed out that it was sufficient for them to learn with a human partner. Only four studies (Hwang & Chang, 2021; Wollny et al., 2021; Smutny & Schreiberova, 2020; Winkler & Söllner, 2018) examined the field of application.
In the EC group, there were changes in terms of how students identified learning from other individual team members towards a collective perspective of learning from the team. Similarly, there was also more emphasis on how they contributed as a team, especially in providing technical support. As for CT, not much difference were observed pre and post-intervention for teamwork; however, the post-intervention in both groups reflected a reduced need for creativity and emphasizing the importance of managing their learning task cognitively and emotionally as a team.
This study applies an interventional study using a quasi-experimental design approach. Creswell (2012) explained that education-based research in most cases requires intact groups, and thus creating artificial groups may disrupt classroom learning. Therefore, one group pretest–posttest design was applied for both groups in measuring learning outcomes, except for learning performance and perception of learning which only used the post-test design. The EC is usually deployed for the treatment class one day before the class except for EC6 and EC10, which were deployed during the class.
Furthermore, according to Tegos et al. (2020), investigation on integration and application of chatbots is still warranted in the real-world educational settings. Therefore, the objective of this study is first to address research gaps based on literature, application, and design and development strategies for EC. Next, by situating the study based on these selected research gaps, the effectiveness of EC is explored for team-based projects in a design course using a quasi-experimental approach. Educational chatbots (ECs) are chatbots designed for pedagogical purposes and are viewed as an Internet of Things (IoT) interface that could revolutionize teaching and learning.
