16. Chatbots and the student experience

Back in November 2020, we chatted to Hannah Mathias, e-learning manager at Cardiff and Vale College, where they've created a personalised learning bot for GCSE Maths and English.

Hannah runs through how the bot can be used by students, how it's programmed by staff, and how it can be used to support students to complete their work. Embedded into Microsoft Teams, teachers can easily add and tag up resources and assignments for students. The bot uses gamification and other rewards for student engagement and aims to provide a personalised learner experience.

The team are also working on a bot to support student wellbeing – not to replace human contact, but to point students towards the support they might need. It's a work in process, but Hannah explores how technology might support student wellbeing in the future. The wellbeing bot in the pipeline is learner-led and designed by a student.

At Jisc we're holding several online sessions around mental wellbeing in further and higher education. On the 24 of February, there's a further education round table discussion: strategies and tactics for improving the wellbeing of staff and learners. Learn more and sign up here.

We're keen to cover the subjects that matter to you, so do get in touch with us at podcast@jisc.ac.uk if you'd like to come on the show or have any suggestions.