The use of new technologies such as messaging applications and chatbots in higher education is rapidly growing in Western countries. This entails a careful consideration of the potential opportunities and/or challenges of adopting these tools. Hence, a comprehensive examination of the teachers' opinions and needs in this discipline can shed light on the effective ways of enhancing students' learning and boosting their progress. In this contribution, we have surveyed the opinions of instructors based in Spain (mainly) and Spanish-speaking countries. Specifically, we aimed to collect teachers' feedback about their opinions regarding the introduction of the messaging platforms and chatbots in their classes, understand their needs and to collect information about the various educational use cases where these tools are valuable. In addition, an analysis of how and when teachers' opinions towards the use of these tools can vary across gender, experience, and their discipline of specialization is presented. The key findings of this study highlight the factors that can contribute to the advancement of the adoption of messaging platforms and Chabots in higher education institutions to achieve the desired learning outcomes.

Resumen. En este artículo se describe una investigación educativa en la que se estudia cómo afecta el confinamiento a alumnos, padres y profesores de secundaria, bachillerato y formación profesional. Dicho confinamiento surgió para evitar la propagación de la pandemia originada por la enfermedad COVID-19 y provocó que los alumnos y docentes se viesen obligados a tener clases online. Esto ha supuesto grandes retos y dificultades que han afectado a su estrés, motivación y aprendizaje. Se ha realizado un análisis sobre cómo se está llevando a cabo la docencia virtual y se ha comprobado que no ha tenido una organización eficiente, por lo que se ha elaborado una propuesta de mejora para situaciones similares futuras.

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PurposeThe aim of this research is to assess the influence of the underlying service quality variable, usually related to university students' perception of the educational experience. Another aspect analysed in this work is the development of a procedure to determine which variables are more significant to assess students' satisfaction.Design/methodology/approachIn order to achieve both goals, a twofold methodology was approached. In the first phase of research, an assessment of the service quality was performed with data gathered from 580 students in a process involving the adaptation of the SERVQUAL scale through a multi-objective optimization methodology. In the second phase of research, results obtained from students were compared with those obtained from the teaching staff at the university.FindingsResults from the analysis revealed the most significant service quality dimensions from the students' viewpoint according to the scores that they provided. Comparison of the results with the teaching staff showed noticeable differences when assessing academic quality.Originality/valueSignificant conclusions can be drawn from the theoretical review of the empirical evidences obtained through this study helping with the practical design and implementation of quality strategies in higher education especially in regard to university education.

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