Academic Support for All Students Based on Reasonable Accommodations in Emergency Situations Using AI Chatbots

Abstract

Shikoku University in Japan has implemented a plan to improve academic support for all students, especially those who need reasonable accommodations for their disabilities, so that they can spend their time at the university in a meaningful way and with peace of mind. In this context, we conducted a questionnaire survey to determine the best way to communicate with the students who are provided with reasonable accommodations to support their studies and to take classes remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic. Almost all of the respondents requested an easy way to communicate with the faculty members via the LINE Social Networking Service (SNS),. We propose the use of an AI chatbot using LINE as a learning support plan for emergency situations such as COVID-19 and disasters.