Abstract

The research focused on the implementation of a platform for the improvement of digital connectivity mediated by intelligent conversational agents. The research sought to mitigate aspects related to the technological gap, which became more evident with the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic, exposing the deficiencies of internet connectivity in some countries. In some regions of Latin America, in particular, there is a lack of internet access. Therefore, the implementation of a platform was proposed in which technologies converge to optimize the use of internet resources, integrating didactic and pedagogical aspects, generating an added value with the incorporation of an intelligent conversational agent as a means of effective communication between students and teachers. In the technological aspects, a focused mapping was carried out to identify the appropriate technologies to implement the platform. In terms of didactics, we worked with the ASSURE instructional design employing a cognitivist approach. Methodologically, a mixed-research approach was carried out; with the application of perception surveys to teachers and students belonging to secondary education institutions in Colombia, the validation of the platform was carried out through the expert judgment technique. The results show that the asynchronous platform mediated by intelligent conversational agents was positively evaluated by students and teachers. In terms of technology, the experts rated the aspects that integrate it with 87 percent; in terms of didactics and pedagogy, the results were “Excellent,” with 67 percent, and “Good,” with 33 percent.