Empathetic Intelligent Virtual Assistant to Support Distance Learning: Systematic Review

Distance learning as a modality has been growing for some time, however it received a significant boost from 2020. As teachers' activities have increased, Intelligent Virtual Assistants (IVAs) have helped to cope with the high workload and volume of requests. However, IVAs that include modules on empathy and teaching personalization are scarce. In the current work, we intend to map, through a systematic literature review, the level of maturity of the IVAs and how they can include empathy and personalization to improve results in conversations. The study considers a systematic review methodology that analyzes a series of works involving the use of IVAs and empathetic modules, and the platforms, resources, and functionalities available. We demonstrate the relevance of the topic in the scientific area, the diversity of countries involved, and the limitations and challenges that still need to be discussed.