Work

Ni máquina, ni humano ni disponible: Do College Admissions Offices Use Chatbots and Can They Speak Spanish?

Year: 2022

Type: article

Abstract: Colleges continue to use technology to connect students to information, but a research gap exists regarding how colleges use a ubiquitous technology in the business world: chatbots. Moreover, no work has addressed whether chatbots address Spanish-speaking students seeking higher education in the form of automated (AI) chatbot responses in Spanish or Spanish-programmed chatbots. This study randomly sampled 331 United States institutions of higher education to learn if these institutions embed chatbots on their undergraduate admissions websites and if these chatbots have been programmed to speak Spanish. Results suggest 21% of institutions (n=71) embed chatbots into their admissions websites and only 28% of those chatbots (n= 20) were programmed to provide Spanish-language admissions information. Implications for college access and equity for English learners and L1 Spanish speakers are addressed.

Source: Journal of Communication Technology

DOI: 10.51548/joctec-2022-009

Authors: Z.W. Taylor, Linda Eguiluz, Paige-Erin Wheeler

Institutions: Texas State University, University of Southern Mississippi, Austin Community College, The University of Texas at Austin

Language: English

Topic: AI in Service Interactions

Subfield: Marketing

Field: Business, Management and Accounting

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Reduced inequalities, Quality education

Open Access status: diamond

OpenAlex ID: W4294365733