**2.8 Chatbots**

Chatbots are interactive applications that provide feedback or address the queries of the users, having been applied in almost every sector. It is very common these days to observe a pop-up on banking or retail websites, where a virtual avatar asks whether it can help with anything. Chatbots could be applied in many areas in higher education, such as personalized tutoring, personalized feedback, and query resolution. Institutions often receive thousands of queries regarding the admission process, fee structures, merit lists, college or exam schedules, syllabuses, etc. Chatbots in this context could be very helpful, as they can virtually assist users in real time, thereby enhancing their satisfaction. The scope of its application in higher education can be understood from a recent study [31] that developed three chatbots: (1) to support the delivery of a taught master's course simulation game; (2) to support the training and use of a newly introduced educational application; and (3) to improve the processing of helpdesk requests within a university department. Other studies [32, 33] have identified more possibilities for the use of chatbots in online education in the future for facilitating personalized and self-paced learning practices.
