Ethical Implications of AI in Student Assessment and Surveillance

Abstract

The rise of using digital technologies in the world of higher education has given a possibility to improve the student support services by using new innovative solutions. Chatbots or automated conversational agents are also one of these and have become popular as robots that can support students around the clock with immediate help applicable to both their academic and administrative requirements. The present research paper explores the place of chatbots within the campuses of institutions of higher learning; in terms of their application in enhancing student engagement, accessibility, and satisfaction. Chatbots help learners by providing immediate answers to common questions, assisting them in enrolling in the college, searching the courses, timetables, exams, and campus facilities, and promoting well-being programs by referring students to relevant counseling or support centers. The research problem is to explore the two-fold effect of chatbots to simplify administrative tasks of faculty and staff and provide students with timely and personalized assistance. Other issues discussed in the paper are the implementation problems that could emerge in the process such as data privacy, diversity in the linguistic and cultural backgrounds, accuracy in the responses and building a trust among the users. The case-study-based study and the existing empirical data help discover the best practices of introducing chatbots into institutional systems and the importance of updating the systems regularly, user feedback systems, and hybrid models that enable the provision of automated support and human oversight. The outcome shows that chatbots have the potential to enhance the efficiency, reactiveness and availability of the student support services very significantly provided that they are not designed with the aim of replacing the human aspect of guidance that is very essential. Last but not least, chatbots have also become another tool that would help to improve the experiences of students, establish a sense of engagement, and contribute to the overall quality of providing higher education.