Abstract:

There is a growing tendency to use chatbot solutions as a lever for communicating with students in a university environment. New students in particular need support on various topics when starting their academic journey that could be addressed with a chatbot solution. One of the areas of reference in which students should be supported is in Mathematics, and higher education institutions have considered monitoring solutions and encouraging school success in Mathematics curricular units, contradicting a tendency for students to drop out of school who attend the first years of higher education.

The objective of this research is to serve as a first step towards the development of the solution and also to understand the efficiency of such a tool as a communication enhancer. We strongly believe that a constant and open communication channel with the University will certainly bring many benefits to all students. Thus, the quantitative-based study aimed at higher education teachers and students intends to explore the potential for complementarity between technological solutions for virtualization of student assistance and tutoring and the traditional role assumed by the teacher in the classroom context. Essentially, it is about exploring dimensions that refer to the perceptions of teachers and students about the potential of new technologies related to Chatboot and Artificial Intelligence, such as those related to the predisposition to adhere to new teaching methodologies different from traditional ones, the consideration of limits in the pedagogical relationship associated with the use of technology, the adequacy of technology to the teaching of concrete subjects and syllabus contents, the intrusiveness of technology, the consideration of sociocultural characteristics of students and teachers when using virtualization technology, or the real access on the part of those involved in new teaching modalities to the technological resources necessary for its effectiveness.

It is intended that the results obtained will be useful in the elaboration and specification of a software prototype that is being built to support the students' questions about all academic issues. This prototype will be migrated in the future in order to be totally directed to the teaching of mathematics. The results obtained go towards confirming the recognition by the school population involved in projects of this type of the potential of using chatboot technology. However, the dimensions under analysis in the weighting of this type of tools confirm the need for the teacher's presence in the pedagogical relationship built within the scope of teaching content in the area of mathematics. It highlights, however, the potential that technology can have in clarifying concrete and specific issues, and in indicating ways to solve problems in mathematics.

It is possible to point out aspects of change and innovation in the practical application of chatboot technology, in the sense of a better understanding of how the chatbot can and should change to become more efficient compared to a common contact center, affirming it as a contact tool between users and the institution where the teaching is provided.

Keywords:

Chatboot technology, teaching, virtual tutoring, mathematics, artificial intelligence.