Online chat and chatbots to enhance mature student engagement in higher education

被引:42
作者
Abbas, Noorhan
Whitfield, Jenni
Atwell, Eric
Bowman, Helen
Pickard, Thomas
Walker, Aisha
机构
[1] Univ Leeds, Lifelong Learning Ctr, Sch Comp, Leeds, W Yorkshire, England
[2] Univ Leeds, Sch Educ, Leeds, W Yorkshire, England
关键词
Mature students; online chat; chatbots; peer engagement; sense of belonging; student-led online communities; AGE STUDENTS; UNIVERSITY; COLLEGE; RETENTION; NEWS;
D O I
10.1080/02601370.2022.2066213
中图分类号
G40 [教育学];
学科分类号
040101 ; 120403 ;
摘要
Mature students transitioning into their first year of higher education face many difficulties that affect their motivation, participation and success. Their feelings of being disconnected from their peers and from their institutions are among the key barriers to the successful completion of their courses. Encouraging online student engagement among mature students to establish social connection with their instructors and peers can reduce their isolation and enhance their 'sense of belonging'. During the academic year 2020/2021, the Lifelong Learning Centre (LLC) at the University of Leeds in the UK, decided to pilot an online chat platform 'Differ' including a chatbot 'Bo' after it had seen a decline in the use of programme Facebook groups. To promote student engagement and monitor the Differ online communities, sixteen digital student mentors were recruited and trained. During the pilot, feedback was collected from students and student mentors. A mixed-methods approach was adopted to boost robustness through triangulation. Several forms of data collection methods were used: a mentimeter, an online survey, three focus group sessions and a semi-structured interview. This study sheds light on the different aspects of creating student-led online communities and provides recommendations on how to improve the uptake of students in the future.
引用
收藏
页码:308 / 326
页数:19
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