Chatbots in higher education: Enhancing students' digital competence
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.46502/issn.1856-7576/2026.20.03.12Keywords:
chatbots, categories of chatbots, artificial intelligence, digital environment of higher education, digital competence.Abstract
The article presents the content and reveals the significance of chatbots in the higher education environment. The categories of chatbots with growing capabilities (systems based on artificial intelligence) are considered. To develop the digital competence of future specialists for the effective integration of chatbots into the educational process of higher education and into the professional activities of future specialists, which significantly improve the quality of higher education, professional activities, and the life of each person, we conducted an experimental study. Student's t-test was used for independent variables to identify differences between the experimental and control groups, and Fisher's multiple-test to compare the results of the diagnosis. Upon completion of the formative stage of the experimental study, all the outlined indicators differed from the results of the ascertaining stage of the experimental study. In the EG, we see significant changes in the high level of formation of students' digital competence, which qualitatively introduces chatbots into the educational process of higher education and into the professional activities of future specialists in students. In the control group, there are also changes, but not significant. Analysis of the obtained experimental results proves the effectiveness of the innovative system developed and implemented by us and the proposed pedagogical conditions of the outlined phenomenon.
References
Adamopoulou, E., & Moussiades, L. (2020). Chatbots: History, technology and applications. Machine Learning with Applications, 2, 100006. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mlwa.2020.100006
Ait Baha, T., El Hajji, M., Es-Saady, Y., & Fadili, H. (2024). The impact of educational chatbot on student learning experience. Education and Information Technologies, 29(8), 10153–10176. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-023-12166-w
Alenezi, A., & Alenezi, A. (2025). Evaluating the effectiveness of chatbot-assisted learning in enhancing English conversational skills among secondary school students. Education Sciences, 15(9), 1136. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci15091136
Alsanousi, B., Albesher, A. S., Do, H., & Ludi, S. (2023). Investigating the user experience and evaluating usability issues in AI-enabled learning mobile apps: An analysis of user reviews. International Journal of Advanced Computer Science and Applications, 14(6), 18–29. https://doi.org/10.14569/IJACSA.2023.0140602
Baig, M. I., & Yadegaridehkordi, E. (2024). ChatGPT in higher education: A systematic literature review and research challenges. International Journal of Educational Research, 127, 102411. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2024.102411
Debets, T., Banihashem, S. K., Joosten-ten Brinke, D., Vos, T. E. J., Maillette de Buy Wenniger, G., & Camp, G. (2025). Chatbots in education: A systematic review of objectives, underlying technology and theory, evaluation criteria, and impacts. Computers & Education, 234, 105323. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2025.105323
Jauhiainen, J. S., & Garagorry Guerra, A. (2025). Generative AI in education: ChatGPT-4 in evaluating students’ written responses. Innovations in Education and Teaching International, 62(4), 1377–1394. https://doi.org/10.1080/14703297.2024.2422337
Knoth, N., Hahnel, C., & Ebersbach, M. (2025). Promoting online evaluation skills through educational chatbots. Computers in Human Behavior: Artificial Humans, 4, 100160. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chbah.2025.100160
Kohnke, L. (2023). A pedagogical chatbot: A supplemental language learning tool. RELC Journal, 54(3), 828–838. https://doi.org/10.1177/00336882211067054
Labadze, L., Grigolia, M., & Machaidze, L. (2023). Role of AI chatbots in education: Systematic literature review. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 20, 56. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-023-00426-1
Liu, L., Subbareddy, R., & Raghavendra, C. G. (2022). AI intelligence chatbot to improve students learning in the higher education platform. Journal of Interconnection Networks, 22(Supp02), 2143032. https://doi.org/10.1142/S0219265921430325
Munaye, Y. Y., Admass, W., Belayneh, Y., Molla, A., & Asmare, M. (2025). ChatGPT in education: A systematic review on opportunities, challenges, and future directions. Algorithms, 18(6), 352. https://doi.org/10.3390/a18060352
Palshkov, K., Yaromenko, O., Pilishek, S., Golinska, T., Batenko, H., Lushchan, T., & Kuchai, O. (2026). Gamification in higher education: An experimental study. Revista Romaneasca Pentru Educatie Multidimensionala, 18(2), 147–169. https://doi.org/10.66388/rrem/18.2/36
Panok, V., Shevchenko, A., Nazar, M., Starkov, D., Meshcheriakov, D., & Shevtsov, A. (2025). Methodological principles of educational and psychological chatbot development. Information Technologies and Learning Tools, 106(2), 76–93. https://doi.org/10.33407/itlt.v106i2.5872
Pentina, I., Hancock, T., & Xie, T. (2023). Exploring relationship development with social chatbots: A mixed-method study of Replika. Computers in Human Behavior, 140, 107600. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2022.107600
Qiu, W., Su, C. L., Jamil, N. B., Thway, M., Ng, S. S. H., Zhang, L., Lim, F. S., & Lai, J. W. (2025). A systematic approach to evaluate the use of chatbots in educational contexts: Learning gains, engagements and perceptions. Computers, 14(7), 270. https://doi.org/10.3390/computers14070270
Rojas-Bahamón, M. J., & Arbeláez-Campillo, D. F. (2020). Panorama de la implementación de los sistemas de gestión ambiental en la Amazonia Colombiana. Revista Científica del Amazonas, 3(6), 48–64. https://doi.org/10.34069/RA/2020.6.04
Rudolph, J., Tan, S., & Tan, S. (2023). War of the chatbots: Bard, Bing Chat, ChatGPT, Ernie and beyond. The new AI gold rush and its impact on higher education. Journal of Applied Learning & Teaching, 6(1), 364–389. https://jalt.open-publishing.org/index.php/jalt/article/view/771
Vanichvasin, P. (2022). Impact of chatbots on student learning and satisfaction in the entrepreneurship education programme in higher education context. International Education Studies, 15(6), 15–26. https://doi.org/10.5539/ies.v15n6p15
Zhang, Q. (2023). Investigating the effects of gamification and ludicization on learning achievement and motivation: An empirical study employing Kahoot! and Habitica. International Journal of Technology-Enhanced Education (IJTEE), 2(1), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.4018/IJTEE.326127
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Veronika Titarchuk, Liubomyra Iliichuk, Svitlana Vakulenko

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.












