Using Bots to Conduct Interviews in Journalism and Research Courses

Chatcontext is a chatbot created to promote oral communication skills among journalism and research students, specifically in interviews. The chatbot is available on cell phones and computers. In class projects, it allows students to practice different interviewing techniques with various characters (impersonated by bots). This study worked with a sample of 112 students who interacted with the chatbot in two sessions in a private Mexican university. The research also analyzed the grades that professors assigned to the work done on the bots. The System Usability Scale (SUS) was used in its positive and validated version to measure the tool’s user-friendliness and degree of learning in the Mexican context. To measure SUS, students completed an electronic questionnaire after conducting an interview and performing a class activity. The results showed that students improved significantly in the ease of learning and usability when interacting with the chatbot a second time. This exploratory study provides evidence that this technological tool can help students master their oral skills and generate new avenues of research.