A private messaging software developer is launching a chatbot to help those affected by the postponement of in-person teaching following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Rakuten Viber, which claims to have 98% penetration in Ukraine, has developed a ‘teach the teachers’ chatbot to provide free courses to help educators deal with the exponential growth in demand for distance learning.
Formulated in partnership with Ukrainian educational studio, EdEra, Viber’s free course will consist of 10 modules with topics including:
- How to organise homework via Viber
- How to keep attendance records and monitor learning
- How to motivate students to engage during distance learning
- How to organise a chat with students and parents
Rakuten Viber said that its research in the country determined that the use of group chats among Ukrainians under the age of 18 almost quadruples when school returns in September, compared to usage over summer. This trend continues annually, regardless of whether the students are being taught remotely or in-person.
“It’s difficult to provide education when everyone is isolated, as we saw throughout Covid and now continuing within Ukraine,” said Ofir Eyal, CEO of Rakuten Viber.
“We want to help kids continue their learning through these difficult times and to help teachers – who are in their third year of remote teaching – find better and smoother processes to maximize productivity.”
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