Reminders, reflections, and relationships: insights from the design of a chatbot for college advising
Information and Learning Sciences
ISSN: 2398-5348
Article publication date: 4 April 2023
Issue publication date: 12 April 2023
Abstract
Purpose
In the USA, 22–40% of youth who have been accepted to college do not enroll. Researchers call this phenomenon summer melt, which disproportionately affects students from disadvantaged backgrounds. A major challenge is providing enough mentorship with the limited number of available college counselors. The purpose of this study is to present a case study of a design and user study of a chatbot (Lilo), designed to provide college advising interactions.
Design/methodology/approach
This study adopted four primary data sources to capture aspects of user experience: daily diary entries; in-depth, semi-structured interviews; user logs of interactions with the chatbot; and daily user surveys. User study was conducted with nine participants who represent a range of college experiences.
Findings
Participants illuminated the types of interactions designs that would be particularly impactful for chatbots for college advising including setting reminders, brokering social connections and prompting deeper introspection that build efficacy and identity toward college-going.
Originality/value
As a growing body of human-computer interaction research delves into the design of chatbots for different social interactions, this study illuminates key design needs for continued work in this domain. The study explores the implications for a specific domain to improve college enrollment: providing college advising to youth.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This work was supported by the Institute of Education Sciences, award number R305H180051.
Citation
Nguyen, H., Lopez, J., Homer, B., Ali, A. and Ahn, J. (2023), "Reminders, reflections, and relationships: insights from the design of a chatbot for college advising", Information and Learning Sciences, Vol. 124 No. 3/4, pp. 128-146. https://doi.org/10.1108/ILS-10-2022-0116
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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