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April 29, 2022
Chatbots for the Classroom
Related to the topic of assessments, Beckie Supiano posted recent Chronicle of Higher Education April 28, 2022 “Teaching” article titled “The Case for Reminding Students about Assignments” provided below. I recall discussing in some committee the use of chatbots (automated application for text or text-to-speech conversations) for students during admissions to remind them and help them with filling out forms, financial aid, etc. I am not sure if it was implemented at CSU. Instructors at Georgia State University have been testing chatbots in conjunction with data analytics in courses to remind students to complete assignments with apparent success, particularly for historically excluded/underserved students.
Chatbots for the Classroom
I’ve long been fascinated by efforts to use behavioral “nudges”—low-cost, low-touch interventions to encourage, but not require, students to take a particular action. Much of the early research on nudging in higher ed focused on helping students apply for admission and financial aid — my Chronicle beat before I switched to teaching — and I covered it a bunch over the years.
That reporting culminated in this 2019 story, which tried to make sense of some disappointing findings from several high-profile efforts to expand on promising early studies.
One concern that seems to pop up in every discussion of nudging is that it could make college too easy for students. Shouldn’t they be able to navigate their way without text-message reminders? Most observers, I’ve found, can be convinced that helping students apply for financial aid is in-bounds: Wealthy students don’t have to file, and it’s hard to argue that a process that begins with finding your parents’ tax returns has much to do with someone’s ability to succeed academically.
