Chatbot Integration Within United States Higher Education Websites: Historical Trends from 2017–2023

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

10-16-2024

Department

Educational Research and Administration

School

Education

Abstract

As technology continues to advance, more institutions of higher education are integrating artificially intelligent chatbots within their websites to increase customer service efficiency and disseminate information more effectively. However, to date, no studies have explored when institutions of higher education have adopted these technologies, and which types of institutions are most likely to adopt chatbots. Therefore, this study employed a seven-year, longitudinal content analysis of institutional websites to explore when institutions adopted chatbots and which types of institutions were most likely to adopt this technology. Results suggest that institutions of higher education have steadily integrated chatbots within their websites since 2017, with nearly 30% of institutions using chatbots in 2023. Moreover, private for-profit institutions were most aggressive in integrating chatbots earlier than peers, yet public and private not-for-profit institutions have rapidly integrated chatbots in recent years. Major implications and conclusions include a discussion of institutional capacities to adopt new technologies and potential issues with students’ and other stakeholders’ experiences interacting with this technology.

Publication Title

Technology, Knowledge and Learning

Volume

30

Issue

1

First Page

157

Last Page

170

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