Systematic and Bibliometric Review on the Impact of Chatbots in Higher Education.

Abstract

In recent years, the use of chatbots in higher education has grown significantly, driven by advances in artificial intelligence and its ability to optimize teaching and learning processes. This paper presents a systematic literature review aimed at identifying the main trends, approaches, and findings related to the use of chatbots in higher education. An exhaustive search was conducted across five highly reputable academic databases (Scopus, EBSCOhost, ScienceDirect, Taylor & Francis Online, and ARDI), yielding an initial total of 42,188 documents. After applying strict inclusion and exclusion criteria, 69 scientific papers were selected for detailed analysis. The findings reveal that the most widely used programming language in the development of educational chatbots is R (45.2%), followed by Python and Java (22.5% each). In addition, 66.6% of the analyzed papers were published in Q1 journals, reflecting high-quality academic output in this field. These results confirm the growing interest in the application of chatbots in higher education and open new lines of research focused on pedagogical integration, assessment of academic impact, and the enhancement of personalized learning through conversational artificial intelligence.