Posted by Techopedia defines a chatbot as – ‘An artificial intelligence (AI) program that simulates interactive human conversation by using key pre-calculated user phrases and auditory or text-based signals.’
Chatbots are all the rage now. From Facebook and Twitter chatbots to virtual voice assistants that are programmed to respond to basic queries; chatbots have grown in popularity. The popularity of Alexa and Siri and Cortana to a lesser extent are ample proof of how chatbots have evolved considerably.
Most product-based websites now have a chatbot built into their website to respond to basic queries by product-users. Service providers are also using Twitter chatbots quite effectively to address issues raised by users on their Twitter page. In this blog post, we look at how chatbots can be used effectively in eLearning solutions to offer an enhanced learning experience.
Table of Contents
Simulations and Avatars
Remember Clippit, the default office assistant, the animated icon that would guide you when you had a problem with MS-Office?
The humble paper-clip was animated and received a life of its own as it would guide MS-Office users with their queries. Modern eLearning solutions make ample use of animated icons/avatars, adopt a story-telling approach, and guide learners to complete the learning module with ease. Originally considered as an approach to make eLearning interactive and fun for students in schools; the use of icons and avatars is now considered as an integral part of digital learning solutions for adults as well.
Learning Reinforcement
There is a body of research that suggests that spacing learning over time helps people learn more quickly and remember better. You can use chatbots to deliver spaced learning in interesting ways. It can be in the form of a push-notification delivered via a mobile app, a pop-up on the screen with a recorded message, or an automated program that sends a SMS to the learners’ smartphones.
Social Learning
Social Learning has seen phenomenal growth in the last three to four years. This has seen providers of LMS products coming up with a social learning module/functionality integrated in the product. Chatbots can be integrated within the learning content to allow learners to challenge other learners within a group to take up assessments and complete learning goals. Chatbots can be embedded within closed social learning networks, prompting learners to complete specific tasks and issue notifications pertaining to the progress of other users or tasks assigned by the course-moderator!
A recent Gartner study stated that – “Twenty-five percent of customer service and support operations will integrate virtual customer assistant (VCA) or chatbot technology across engagement channels by 2020.” The same study also highlights another interesting prediction – “By 2020, 30 percent of all B2B companies will employ artificial intelligence (AI) to augment at least one of their primary sales processes.”
Is your organization prepared to meet the challenges and possibilities that open with AI in the near future? We design innovative eLearning solutions that integrate the best elements of modern learning technology. Be it a sales training guide, a product demo, or a compliance safety program; Origin offers cutting-edge result-driven digital learning solutions that help enhance your organizational growth. Write to us at info@originlearning.com for more information.