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Conversational Agents in Education: Context and Case Studies of Practice in Tertiary Education
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Abstract
This report examines the emergence, uses and implications of conversational agents in education, with a particular focus on further and higher education. It situates current developments in generative artificial intelligence within a longer historical trajectory of artificial intelligence in education, reviews policy and research trends, and analyses four institutional case studies from the United Kingdom. Across these cases, conversational agents are shown to support student services, formative feedback, learning analytics and accessibility, with promising benefits for personalisation, responsiveness and student engagement. At the same time, the report highlights persistent challenges in data quality, ethics, governance, staff capacity, evaluation, and the gap between policy and practice. The findings suggest that successful implementation depends on co-design, secure, well-curated data, a strong institutional strategy, and a clear focus on student needs. The report concludes with priorities for governments, institutions, policymakers, and researchers to guide the ethical, inclusive, and effective adoption of conversational agents in education.
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Country
United Kingdom
Region
Europe
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Adobe PDF, 3.84 MB
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Date
2026-05
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Publisher
Commonwealth of Learning (COL)