Exploring the Potential of Chatbots to Provide Mental Well-being Support for Computer Science Students

Abstract

Computer Science students are affected by a number of stressors, such as competition, which make it difficult for them to manage their mental well-being and mood. Students are often reluctant to use existing resources for support because they are difficult to access or perceived as ineffective. Conversational agents have shown potential to provide accessible and effective support to improve well-being. In this work, we explore the problem space to identify contexts in which chatbots could be beneficial for students and investigate how different types of chatbot could supplement existing resources provided by universities.