The WeNet project, funded by the European Commission and involving 18 sites worldwide, brings together computer scientists, ethicists and social scientists. The project aims to harness technology to capitalise on the diversity of backgrounds, experiences and interests in a community for the benefit of all. In the chat application pilots, members of the student community can interact with each other, asking questions and/or offering answers to questions posed by other users.
Previously, about 50 students used a prototype chatbot app, Ask for Help London, to ask questions about academic work, recommendations for weekend activities, recipes, good reads and much more, and to respond to others’ questions with suggestions and advice. In an exit survey, 80% said it was “useful to reach out to others for help” and 85% that “it was useful to provide help to others”. They summarised their experiences as “fun, easy, entertaining, informative, and sharing”.
Here are a couple of quotes from previous participants:
“It was nice to be able to “talk” with other students —- It made me feel comforted at times knowing there were other students who had the same questions and insecurities as me.”
“In the case of this chatbot, I felt secure because I understood that everyone was from the LSE community”.
Professor George Gaskell and Dr Sally Stares invite you to join the testing of a new version, the we@LSE app, from Wednesday 26th October to Tuesday 15th November 2022. Your participation and feedback will make a vital contribution to the further development of the app. Those who are active with we@LSE over the three weeks and take part in the post-study evaluation will receive £30 as a token of our appreciation.
UPDATE – THE PILOT IS NOW CLOSED
Contact
For any questions, you can reach us at s.r.stares@lse.ac.uk.
