DOI: https://doi.org/10.63345/ijre.v14.i7.1
Er. Lucky Jha
ABESIT
Crossings Republik, Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh 201009, India
Abstract
This manuscript explores the multifaceted role of chatbots in higher education’s student support services, examining their capacity to deliver scalable, immediate, and personalized assistance. As institutions face burgeoning enrollments alongside finite staffing resources, chatbots have emerged as a promising technological intervention. Leveraging advancements in natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning, modern chatbots transcend basic keyword matching to engage users in more nuanced dialogue. Through a comprehensive mixed-methods study—including six months of interaction log analysis, a large-scale student satisfaction survey, and in-depth focus group discussions—this research assesses chatbot performance across administrative support, academic advising, technical troubleshooting, and mental health triage functions. Key performance indicators such as response latency, fallback rates, usage frequency, and correlations with academic outcomes are quantified. Additionally, qualitative feedback sheds light on user perceptions of conversational accuracy, perceived empathy, and trust in automated systems. Findings indicate that chatbots substantially reduce response times (mean = 1.2 seconds), maintain a low fallback rate (8.5%), and correlate with modest GPA improvements (Δ = +0.15 for frequent users), while also highlighting gaps in emotional support and information transparency. The study culminates in actionable recommendations: adopt hybrid support architectures combining AI and human expertise; implement continuous monitoring and iterative refinement protocols; establish clear communication of chatbot capabilities and escalation pathways; and enforce rigorous ethical and data-privacy standards. These guidelines aim to inform higher education practitioners and technology developers seeking to optimize chatbot-driven student services, ensuring both operational efficiency and empathetic care.
Keywords
Chatbots, Higher Education, Student Support, Artificial Intelligence, Service Delivery
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