Chatbots for Education: Using and Examples from EdTech Leaders

Imagine a student preparing for an exam late at night and needing clarification on a complex topic. Normally, they’d have to wait until the next day for help, risking a break in study momentum and added stress. These education chatbots provide answers at any hour, supporting students continuously and making learning stress-free. So, there you have it, a carefully collected selection of AI chatbots for education that can significantly enhance both teaching and learning experiences.

Ensure your institution stands out by providing every prospective student a responsive and personalized experience. One of the critical areas where chatbots prove invaluable is in streamlining the admission processes. Handling hundreds of applications with diverse requirements can be daunting and prone to errors when done manually. Chatbots, however, can automate much of this process, from gathering initial student data to answering common questions about courses, fees, and application deadlines. The conversational nature of chatbots can also mimic classroom discussions, allowing students to explore different viewpoints and think critically about the material. After all, more engaged students are more likely to better understand and retain information.

Chatbots can help reduce the number of users requiring human assistance, helping businesses more efficient scale up staff to meet increased demand or off-hours requests. The ability of AI chatbots to accurately process natural human language and automate personalized service in return creates clear benefits for businesses and customers alike. Enterprise-grade, self-learning generative AI chatbots built on a conversational AI platform are continually and automatically improving. They employ algorithms that automatically learn from past interactions how best to answer questions and improve conversation flow routing. For instance, if students consistently receive solutions or information effortlessly through AI assistance, they might not engage deeply in understanding the topic.

Through AI and ML capabilities, bots help to access relevant materials and submit tasks. Implementing innovative technologies, establishments will ensure continuous learning beyond the classroom. In such a way, institutions commit to academic excellence and foster positive student experiences. During holiday periods, when learners might face difficulties reaching teachers, chatbots become valuable tools for assistance. They facilitate communication of homework details, schedules, and answer queries.

Most learning happens in the 99.9% of our lives when we are not in a classroom. The COVID-19 pandemic pushed educators and students out of their classrooms en masse. It was a great opportunity to be creative and figure out how to activate in-context learning, taking advantage of the unique spaces where the students were, and the wide world out there. Besides the enrollment teams and instructors, several services can be streamlined with the help of chatbots. You can foun additiona information about ai customer service and artificial intelligence and NLP. A higher-education CRM like LeadSquared can integrate with different chatbots, capture that information, and give your counseling teams a one-shot view of the student’s journey so far.

Google Bard

Visual cues such as progress bars, checkmarks, or typing indicators can help users understand where they are in the conversation and what to expect next. Begin by telling the chatbot that you would like to develop a fictional short story and that you’d like its assistance in developing your ideas. Try different ways of interacting and responding to the chatbot to get a sense of its capabilities. When prompting a chatbot, ask it “What more would you need to make this interaction better?” (Chen, 2023). This can in turn prompt you to give more specific details and instructions that can yield better results. Go to claude.ai/login and sign in with an email address or Google account to access the Claude chatbot.

By generating mock interview questions and providing background information on potential employers, the chatbot helps users feel more confident and prepared. Another significant concern is the spread of misinformation through AI-generated content. OpenAI acknowledges that ChatGPT can sometimes produce plausible-sounding but incorrect responses. To mitigate this risk, users are encouraged to verify the information provided by the chatbot and report any inaccuracies. Generate leads and satisfy customers

Chatbots can help with sales lead generation and improve conversion rates.

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. Let’s look at how Georgia State uses higher education chatbots to personalize student communication at scale. Pounce was designed to help students by sending timely reminders and relevant information about enrollment tasks, collecting key survey data, and instantly resolving student inquiries on around the clock. AI-powered chatbots can help automate assessment processes by accessing examination data and learner responses.

These indispensable assistants generate specific scorecards and provide insights into learning gaps. Timely and structured delivery of such results aids students in understanding their progress, showing the areas for improvement. Additionally, tutoring chatbots provide personalized learning experiences, attracting more applicants to educational institutions.

Education chatbots excel in this area by using machine learning to analyze data from student interactions to tailor educational content and responses. If a student frequently struggles with a particular concept, the chatbot can offer revised explanations, additional resources, or slower-paced guidance. Chatbots have become an immensely helpful tool for teachers and students alike, as they can help in providing timely answers to their queries, guidance on daily tasks and even provide educational support. They can also be used as writing assistants especially when writing long form content and research papers.

Teachers and students can use Bing Chat to search for content related to their subject, ask questions and get reliable answers. Moreover, Bing Chat can provide additional resources through its ‘Learn more’ feature and can help students write better essays by filtering out disallowed content. In short, Bing Chat has all the necessary features to make it a powerful AI chatbot assistant for teachers and students. With active listening skills, Juji chatbots can help educational organizations engage with their audience (e.g., existing or prospect students) 24×7, answering questions and providing just-in-time assistance. These chatbots are also faster to build and easier to be integrated with other education applications. In response to these concerns, some educational institutions initially blocked access to ChatGPT.

Artificial intelligence can also be a powerful tool for developing conversational marketing strategies. More recently, more sophisticated and capable chatbots amazed the world with their abilities. Among them, ChatGPT and Google Bard are among the most profound AI-powered chatbots.

Real-life examples of chatbots helping in the learning process

While the technologies these terms refer to are closely related, subtle distinctions yield important differences in their respective capabilities. Chatbots can make it easy for users to find information by instantaneously responding to questions and requests—through text input, audio input, or both—without the need for human intervention or manual research. As an expert multi-tasker, it can engage with a number of prospects at the same time.

Educational chatbots serve as personal assistants, offering individual guidance to everyone. Through intelligent tutoring systems, these models analyze responses, learning patterns, and overall performance, fostering tailored teaching. Bots are particularly beneficial for neurodivergent people, as they address individual comprehension disabilities and adapt study plans accordingly. Digital assistants offer continuous support and guidance to all trainees, regardless of time zones or schedules. This constant accessibility allows learners to seek support, access resources, and engage in activities at their convenience.

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. Remember to take the lead when using chatbots for team projects, making your own choices while incorporating the helpful and discarding what is not. Multilingual chatbots act as friendly language ambassadors, breaking down barriers for students from diverse linguistic backgrounds. Their ability to communicate in various languages fosters inclusivity, ensuring that all students can learn and engage effectively, irrespective of their native language.

This capability allows for the collection of precise feedback on the effectiveness of teaching methods and materials, enabling continuous improvement in educational content and delivery. A chatbot might analyze students’ textual responses in a post-lecture feedback form to determine if the content was clear or if students are struggling with specific topics. Immediate feedback allows educators to adjust their teaching strategies promptly, ensuring that students understand the material and feel supported in their learning journey. Implementing chatbots in educational systems leads to substantial cost savings. Educational institutions can use them to automate mundane tasks, reduce administrative staff, decrease operational expenses, and allocate more resources to improving educational facilities and learning tools. Carnegie Mellon University has developed an AI tutor called ALEKS (Assessment and Learning in Knowledge Spaces) that provides personalized learning experiences for students.

Before publishing your first chatbot, there are some tips and tricks that you should be aware of. Guided analysis of how AI can affect your own courses and teaching practice, covering ethical issues, student success issues, and workload balance. Download Microsoft Edge and sign in with a Microsoft account to access Bing Chat. A renowned quote by Ken Blanchard, “Feedback is the breakfast of champions.” can never go wrong. Collecting feedback on a daily basis is extremely important, no matter which industry you belong to. Bing Chat is available on Microsoft Edge including the mobile Edge browser.You need to download the latest version of Microsoft Edge in order to use Bing Chat.

These chatbots can be integrated into existing learning management systems or used as standalone tools, making them accessible and flexible for institutions and students alike. In terms of application, chatbots are primarily used in education to teach various subjects, including but not limited to mathematics, computer science, foreign languages, and engineering. While many chatbots follow predetermined conversational paths, some employ personalized learning approaches tailored to individual student needs, incorporating experiential and collaborative learning principles. Chatbots can assist student support services teams by providing instant responses to frequently asked questions.

Here are some of the other teams that can also take advantage of a chatbot for their processes. An AI-enabled education chatbot can deliver personalized communication and nudge the student to act faster. The chatbot can not only explain the steps involved, but also save the counselor’s time on following-up for necessary documents.

For instance, during enrollment periods, chatbots can manage thousands of inquiries about deadlines, requirements, and procedures, reducing the workload on human staff and speeding up response times. Process automation significantly enhances operational efficiency, improving the overall student experience by providing quicker and more accurate information. Dr. Med Kharbach is an influential voice in the global educational technology landscape, with an extensive background in educational studies and a decade-long experience as a K-12 teacher.

Through this multilingual support, chatbots promote a more interconnected and enriching educational experience for a globally diverse student body. Renowned brands such as Duolingo and Mondly are employing these AI bots creatively, enhancing learner engagement and facilitating faster comprehension of concepts. These educational chatbots play a significant role in revolutionizing the learning experience and communication within the education sector. Educational institutions can start by identifying areas where chatbots could have the most impact, such as customer service, admissions, or student support.

You can start with a free 14-day trial to explore how the University Template can work for your institution. Chatbots can provide students with on-demand learning assistance outside of regular class hours. Whether a student needs help with homework late at night or wants to clarify a doubt over the weekend, chatbots are available 24/7 to assist. Education bots are influencing how institutions engage with students by enhancing learning and administrative processes. With the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), chatbots are becoming a crucial part of educational frameworks globally.

Unless you have been hibernating in a remote cave, you must have heard and probably have already used ChatGPT3. This is the chatbot attributed with releasing the AI genie out of the bottle. ChatGPT, by Open AI, went online in November 2022 and took the internet by storm. We in the education sector are still scrambling to grasp how to effectively use it in teaching and learning.

Industry is the largest employer, followed by commerce, construction, education, culture, administration, and transport and communications. Nearly half the labour force is female; the proportion of women is almost one-half in manufacturing, but it is considerably higher in education and culture, in trade, and in the health field. They make it far easier (in most cases) to resolve outstanding customer issues and eliminate a significant amount of manual work for live support agents. With that said, they are not to be perceived as human replacements, but rather as human augmentation.

Try beginning the same way you would begin a chat conversation with a colleague or acquaintance. AI aids researchers in developing systems that can collect student feedback by measuring how much students are able to understand the study material and be attentive during a study session. The way AI technology is booming in every sphere of life, the day when quality education will be more easily accessible is not far. With artificial intelligence, the complete process of enrollment and admissions can be smoother and more streamlined. Administrators can take up other complex, time-consuming tasks that need human attention.

Chatbots ease administrative processes, serving as an efficient interface between students and departments. They help in obtaining information on fee structures, course details, scholarships, and school events. By digitizing enrollment processes and simplifying communication channels, bots reduce the workload for staff. The e-learning showed the need for exceptional support, especially in the wake of COVID-19.

However, many have since reversed this decision, recognizing the tool’s potential as an academic assistant. As AI becomes more integrated into the classroom, universities are beginning to tailor their coursework to include AI-related content. While conversational AI chatbots can digest a users’ questions or comments and generate a human-like response, generative AI chatbots can take this a step further by generating new content as the output. This new content can include high-quality text, images and sound based on the LLMs they are trained on. Chatbot interfaces with generative AI can recognize, summarize, translate, predict and create content in response to a user’s query without the need for human interaction.

She has been a part of the content and product marketing game for almost 3 years. In her free time, she loves reading books and spending time with her dog-ter and her fur-friends. The streamlined evaluation process offers precise evaluations of student performance.

By leveraging the capabilities of chatbots for students, educators can create a holistic learning experience that caters to individual needs, fosters engagement, and empowers students to achieve academic success. This interactive technology is revolutionizing the way teachers educate and students learn. But how does it work, and why should teachers embrace this digital transformation? Let’s explore the benefits, use cases, and the top 10 chatbots for teachers in the education sector. A systematic review follows a rigorous methodology, including predefined search criteria and systematic screening processes, to ensure the inclusion of relevant studies. This comprehensive approach ensures that a wide range of research is considered, minimizing the risk of bias and providing a comprehensive overview of the impact of AI in education.

Another early example of a chatbot was PARRY, implemented in 1972 by psychiatrist Kenneth Colby at Stanford University (Colby, 1981). PARRY was a chatbot designed to simulate a paranoid patient with schizophrenia. It engaged in text-based conversations and demonstrated the ability to exhibit delusional behavior, offering insights https://chat.openai.com/ into natural language processing and AI. Later in 2001 ActiveBuddy, Inc. developed the chatbot SmarterChild that operated on instant messaging platforms such as AOL Instant Messenger and MSN Messenger (Hoffer et al., 2001). SmarterChild was a chatbot that could carry on conversations with users about a variety of topics.

They offer adaptable content formats, such as audio, visual, and text-based materials, ensuring accessibility for all users, regardless of their needs. In the context of chatbots for education, effectiveness is commonly measured by the reduction in response times, improvement in student satisfaction scores and the volume of successfully resolved queries. Use structured conversation flows with clear options and avoid jargon that might confuse the user. Developing a chatbot for educational services is as much about the frontend design as it is about the backend logic. By analyzing conversation data, educational institutions can gain insights into user preferences, pain points, and popular inquiries, informing decision-making and strategy.

For example, a student can interact with a career chatbot to identify different types of questions to expect for a particular job interview. It can be used to offer tailored advice based on students’ interests and qualifications and provide links to relevant job boards or networking events. Having an integrated chatbot and CRM can streamline the application process for prospective students. The chatbot can assist students in filling out application forms, provide guidance on required documents, and offer reminders about deadlines.

From the viewpoint of educators, integrating AI chatbots in education brings significant advantages. Educators can improve their pedagogy by leveraging AI chatbots to augment their instruction and offer personalized support to students. By customizing educational content and generating prompts for open-ended Chat GPT questions aligned with specific learning objectives, teachers can cater to individual student needs and enhance the learning experience. Additionally, educators can use AI chatbots to create tailored learning materials and activities to accommodate students’ unique interests and learning styles.

• Chatbot interfaces with generative AI can recognize, summarize, translate, predict and create content in response to a user’s query without the need for human interaction.
• More and more enterprise organizations are using them to automate aspects of the customer experience.
• An integrated chatbot and CRM, enables automated follow-ups for incoming inquiries.
• ELIZA could mimic human-like responses by reflecting user inputs as questions.

If you are ready to explore chatbots’ potential in the education sector, consider trying respond.io, a platform that revolutionizes customer communication. Education businesses like E4CC, Qobolak and CUHK have already seen success with respond.io. The versatility of chatbots allows for a range of applications in educational services. Adeel Akram, Senior Account Executive for respond.io, highlights the prominent use cases he encountered in the education field. In conversations with other people, we routinely ask for clarifying details, repeat ideas in different ways, allow a conversation to go in unexpected directions, and guide others back to the topic at hand. For example, if you are using a chatbot to reflect on a recent experience and to think of possible next steps, a conversational tone might yield better results.

Moreover, this will provide opportunities for mentorship and collaboration between current attendees and alums. Such a contribution also offers networking opportunities and support for current students. Additionally, this will positively impact the brand image, attracting potential applicants and stakeholders.

Each step in the flow is a chatbot-initiated action that is customizable, e.g., informing prospects about the unique qualities of your learning programs. He said it felt like a regular drill as students lined up to hide in the band closet. It was the the latest among dozens of school shootings across the U.S. in recent years, including especially deadly ones in Newtown, Connecticut, Parkland, Florida, and Uvalde, Texas. The classroom killings have set off fervent debates about gun control and frayed the nerves of parents whose children are growing up accustomed to active shooter drills in classrooms. The math students ducked onto the floor and sporadically crawled around, looking for a safe corner to hide.

Institutions seeking support in any of these areas can implement chatbots and anticipate remarkable outcomes. These educational chatbots are like magical helpers transforming the way schools interact with students. Now we can easily explore all kinds of activities related to our studies, thanks to these friendly AI companions by our side. The potential of AI and chatbots to transform educational systems is immense. As technology advances, these tools are set to redefine the traditional educational models, making learning more personalized, accessible, and efficient. Students could interact with a chatbot to reserve a study room, ask about the due date for a loaned book, or find out if a particular journal is available.

There are different approaches and tools that you can use when building chatbots. Depending on the use case you want to address, some technologies are more appropriate than others. Combining artificial intelligence forms such as natural language processing, machine learning, and semantic understanding may be the best option to achieve the desired results. Watsonx Assistant automates repetitive tasks and uses machine learning to resolve customer support issues quickly and efficiently.

Bard, a generative AI chatbot developed by Google, relies on the Pathways Language Model (PaLM) large language model. Remember to read the terms of service of the tool when deciding to access it. Some chatbots have options to opt out of sharing data which are described in the terms of service. While many different chatbots and LLMs exist, we choose to highlight four prominent chatbots currently available for free.

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.

This quick response mechanism is capable of asking about specific aspects of the session or course. Such programs gather comments on various subjects like study material, teaching approaches, assignments, and more. Likewise, bots can collect inputs from all involved participants after each interaction or event. Subsequently, this method offers valuable insights into improving the learning journey.

The integration of chatbots into the education sector is revolutionizing the way students learn and interact with educational institutions. These AI-driven conversational agents offer a multitude of advantages, enhancing the educational experience for both students and educators. Embracing chatbots in education opens new horizons for innovative, student-centric learning approaches.

The presence of conversational AI in educational settings enhances the student experience by offering a seamless, interactive, and responsive communication channel. As a tool that supports both current and prospective students, chatbots help educational institutions meet student’s expectations for fast, efficient support. Education chatbots facilitate various processes by serving as virtual teaching assistants, evaluating papers, retrieving alumni data, updating curriculums, and streamlining admissions. These tools, powered AI, are transforming how educational institutions, from EdTech startups to universities, engage with students and staff.

And if a user is unhappy and needs to speak to a real person, the transfer can happen seamlessly. Upon transfer, the live support agent can get the education chatbot full chatbot conversation history. ChatGPT is a versatile AI chatbot that shines in providing information and engaging in meaningful conversations.

The recent introduction of GPT-4o, with its multimodal capabilities, marks a significant leap forward in AI development. Since its launch, ChatGPT has been available for free, allowing users to explore its functionalities without any financial commitment. However, in February 2023, OpenAI introduced ChatGPT Plus, a subscription-based model that offers additional benefits, including access to the latest AI models and exclusive features. Bringing human-like intelligence to your chatbot is key to better customer interactions. While chatbots have become fixtures in the online retail space to streamline customer support, they have also been widely adopted in industries such as finance, healthcare, and insurance. Beyond customer support, you see sales teams use chatbots to steer customers through the sales funnel and marketing teams to generate qualified leads.

For example, a customer browsing a website for a product or service might have questions about different features, attributes or plans. A chatbot can provide these answers in situ, helping to progress the customer toward purchase. For more complex purchases with a multistep sales funnel, a chatbot can ask lead qualification questions and even connect the customer directly with a trained sales agent. Any software simulating human conversation, whether powered by traditional, rigid decision tree-style menu navigation or cutting-edge conversational AI, is a chatbot. Chatbots can be found across nearly any communication channel, from phone trees to social media to specific apps and websites.

Chatbots may be better at tutoring certain subjects than others, so be sure to try it out first to assess the helpfulness of the responses. By harnessing the power of generative AI, chatbots can efficiently handle a multitude of conversations with students simultaneously. The technology’s ability to generate human-like responses in real-time allows these AI chatbots to engage with numerous students without compromising the quality of their interactions.

Firstly, we define the research questions and corresponding search strategies and then we filter the search results based on predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Secondly, we study selected articles and synthesize results and lastly, we report and discuss the findings. To improve the clarity of the discussion section, we employed Large Language Model (LLM) for stylistic suggestions. I borrowed the term “proudly artificial” from Lauren Kunze, the CEO of the chatbot platform Pandorabots. It would be unethical to use a chatbot to interact with students under false pretenses. It is very important that they understand from the beginning that they are not chatting with a human.