Purpose This study aims to increase language learning (L2) output by incorporating a digital storytelling chatbot system (known as a “storybot”) that focused interactions on a narrative. This study also sought to investigate student perceptions of these storybot interactions and improve on poor perception rates from previous studies. Design/methodology/approach This one-sample exploratory study was of student-storybot participation rates and student perceptions towards a storybot activity designed to increase L2 output. A combination of storybot participation analytics and survey analysis of student perception was carried out. Findings The use of storybots in the L2 class resulted in mixed participation rates. Students read nine times more than they wrote, indicating a high degree of reading comprehension necessary for storybot interaction. Survey results revealed that students believed storybots helped them meet their L2 goals, were relevant to their L2 and were easy to navigate. Research limitations/implications Interactions were through text messaging so no impact on speech or pronunciation could be observed. Further, the context was within a single university class in South Korea, restricting the generalization of findings to outside regions or with younger learners. Finally, while storybots proved to be valuable reading comprehension activities, the next step in this line of chatbot research should incorporate more writing prompts. Practical implications Storybots revealed explicit benefits to reading comprehension, as measured by cohesion between storybot delivered comprehension questions and student responses. Moreover, storybots can be used as examples for students in their own story creation, classroom forms to collect relevant student information regarding learning objectives and platforms for class quizzes. Social implications Storybots scaffold students through conversations, which abide by socio-pragmatic norms, providing models for L2 learners to incorporate in real-world text-based communication. Additionally, a wide range of idiomatic expressions is contextualized in comprehensible interactions that students can learn from the storybot then practice with friends. Originality/value This study contributes to the growing research on the use of chatbots for second L2 and offers specific insight into the use of narrative storybots as a means to increase L2 output and potentially benefit L2 reading comprehension.

Purpose This study aims to better understand the relationship between peer feedback in the context of online collaborative note-taking and how comments impacted student performance and understanding. Design/methodology/approach This one sample investigation was of graduate students participating in an academic writing class working collaboratively online. Data was gathered on student feedback during note-taking activity to test for its effects on student performance and understanding. Findings The use of peer comments in online note-taking was found to impact student quiz scores and academic writing skills positively. However, no significance was found between comments and the completeness of their notes taken, suggesting its limits to promote deeper understanding. Research limitations/implications The level and detail about the comments made and how accurately they recall the important details from the video lectures is not known. The average number of comments made weekly by each group was also low. Practical implications Designers and teachers using online collaborative activities could benefit by understanding the nature in which peer comments can enhance student learning, bearing in mind the need for explicit guidance in how to comment and at what level of knowledge their comments should target. Social implications Online collaboration, peer editing and commenting is widely used by educators and the public. A better understanding of how these elements operate might improve the quality of knowledge artefacts such as academic writing and research notes. Originality/value Existing literature focuses mainly on peer feedback on writing or other artefacts; this paper seeks to find out more about the impact of comments in particular on collaborative note-taking.

Students have become more concerned about their university selection and are more demanding of the universities they chose. In this highly competitive environment, universities need to understand these expectations. This study examines how undergraduate students perceived the service quality in their higher education institution. To answer that question, a questionnaire was developed and was distributed amongst tourism and hospitality students in Thailand. A variety of statistical techniques was used to analyze the 208 eligible responses. The results revealed that year of study is a significant factor on students reported levels of service quality, whereas gender and nationality were not. This study emphasizes the need to consider the student’s year of study (e.g., age) when policymakers and educators evaluate students’ needs in undergraduate tourism education. The article concludes by presenting implications for educators, policymakers, and education researchers.

Purpose Online learning and the use of technology-based learning management systems (LMS) are on the rise in higher education. The purpose of this study is to explore how the frequent use of these LMS mediates the relationship between three types of learner interactions and student outcomes. Design/methodology/approach This was an exploratory study using surveys that collected information on students’ use of LMS, their interactions and student outcomes. The participants of this study consisted of 362 undergraduate students from a South Korean University who were taking online classes as part of their degree. Findings The findings support existing research that increased learner interactions have positive effects on learning outcomes. However, some of the positive effects were reduced when considering the effect of higher levels of LMS use. In particular, learner-to-learner interactions. Research limitations/implications This information will enable educators to identify, measure and evaluate their online courses and consider how to integrate LMS use effectively. Results imply that focus may need to be on how learner to learner interactions can be best supported through the application of LMS. Practical implications This information will enable educators to identify, measure and evaluate their online courses and consider how to integrate LMS use effectively. Social implications Learner-to-learner interaction through social networking platforms may be more beneficial in socially constructing knowledge than formalizing interaction through LMS. Originality/value This study contributes to the field of online learning by suggesting that the importance of some types of learner interactions may be overestimated in relation to the importance of LMS use.

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