Education

The future of student support: How artificial intelligence is transforming colleges and universities

A few years back, students were found rushing from pillar to post looking for the right colleges or universities offering their choice of subjects. Then would begin the rush to and fro looking for the different departments, to understand the form filling and other formalities. However, technology has massively cut short the ordeal for the students of today, because they have the help of artificial intelligence powered chatbots to understand the curricula of the different colleges and universities. In fact all information about the subjects their combinations and fee structure is all available on the college and university websites. Machine learning has made it even easier to find the information required for the admission application process.

Brief overview of the impact of artificial intelligence on student support

This kind of easy availability of information due to artificial intelligence used in different ways from finding the right colleges and universities to even finding the curricula of the subjects taught in different educational institutes, makes it very easy to choose the right institute. This takes a lot of load off the shoulders of the students and their parents. And where earlier the process of applying for admission to an institute used to be a tedious and tiring and not to mention complicated process, nowadays it has become simple and easy. This in turn enhances the student’s experience and reduces a lot of hassles for them.

The best part is that if you are not in the same city, you can easily apply for admission on the website which almost always carries an online form. In fact you can even scan your examination result sheets and other documents and send it across to the institute. In fact the students can apply to more than one instituted and ensure their chances of getting admission in any one of the institutes that they want entrance into.

Improved accessibility to information and support

At the same time it also ensures that you do not make a mix up in understanding the right procedure for application to a specific university that you have chosen. In fact artificial intelligence provides improved accessibility to information and support. This is because the artificial intelligence powered chatbots provide answers to all simple queries and if the question has a complicated answer then the chatbot will route the inquiry to the right department which will provide the right answer to the student through email or sometimes even a phone call.

What is the importance of simplifying the student experience?

The main importance of simplifying the student experience in the college hunt and also the different information about it is that the students consider the college or university student friendly. They understand that an educational institute that takes care of the comfort of its future students will definitely take care of them when they join the institute. Such a student centric approach will immediately make the institute popular and more students will want to join it. The use of artificial intelligence and chatbots allows you to develop a personalized and proactive approach to student queries. The chatbots can be made to use the name of the student or provide information about the subjects that they are looking for.

What is artificial intelligence and how it is being used in higher education?

AI is the latest and most popular technology which not just educational institutes but several businesses are using. Artificial intelligence is the science of making a machine (computer) simulate the actions and behavior of the human brain. Of course, there is still a long way to go till the machines can completely take over the tasks done by humans. However, even in the current scenario it is playing an important role in the educational sector along with other industries. This is because it makes many tasks easier, like sifting through applications and choosing the right students. At the same time, it also provides the required information to the students which makes it less expensive that it would be to appoint a human resource.

Applications of artificial intelligence in higher education, including chatbots, virtual assistants and predictive analytics

In the education industry, AI is used right from the beginning of the chatbots helping in the admission process to the virtual assistants that sometimes provide online an introduction to the different subjects and the students can use this information to choose the subject that they would prefer. On the other hand there is predictive analysis which provides the educational institute a chance to use data analysis machine learning, artificial intelligence and statistical models. It also helps the students in resolving the issues and questions they face in online sessions and class materials. It also helps in gaining immediate feedback and the students can also study remotely with the help of this technology.

Current trends and innovations in the use of AI in terms of chatbots majorly – in higher education

Initially chatbots were mainly used in the different industries to provide customer support of a basic kind. However, as the artificial intelligence technology developed, chatbots started doing more complex tasks. They became useful in all industries including the education industry. One of the main reasons that chatbots could be seen everywhere was the pandemic, when work and education went online with a vehemence. The chatbots that earlier used to provide answers to simple questions, now took the help of machine learning and they started engaging students in human like conversations and also provided them with in depth information about the different subjects taught in the institute and also the required credentials for admission in the specific institute.

How Artificial intelligence is transforming student support?

Improved accessibility to information and support for students

As we have seen above the most important benefit of the use of artificial intelligence in the education industry has been the easier access to information. They no longer need to run from pillar to post and chase officials in order to obtain information about the subjects taught, the requisite of credentials for admission in a particular stream and much more.

Increased efficiency in answering common questions

If you look at it answering simple every day question put forward by a large number of students can be a tedious and annoyingly repetitive task for any human being. Instead, it a chatbot answers these questions it will do it freshly every time, no matter how many times the question has been put to it. At the same time it also provides accurate answers because the chatbot chooses the right questions from the answer pool available to it.

Enhanced personalization and proactive support

AI can personalize the common conversation between a student and a chatbot. The student will get a feel of chatting with a human even if they know that they are talking to a chatbot. At the same time, with the help of machine learning, the chatbots can provide information based on the students’ earlier questions.

Potential to improve academic performance and retention

As we have discussed above the academic performance of students can be improved with the help of AI powered chatbots when they help in solving queries that students have related to the course material and also the usefulness in improving the online learning experience.

Examples of successful AI implementations in universities and colleges

Artificial usage in educational institutes became very popular during the pandemic. There are successful cases like Loyola University of Chicago used the chatbot LUie which was piloted to provide students answers to questions which earlier needed a phone call. Then there is the example of Georgia State University used chatbots to address the issue of students who were accepted but did not enroll. Arizona State University also uses its campus chatbot named Sunny to keep the students updated on news of the pandemic initially and now other matters on the campus.

Challenges and considerations for implementing artificial intelligence in higher education

The main concern for universities and colleges to implement AI in their everyday working is the cost. However, there are a few companies like Botspice that provide reasonably priced and completely customized solutions for the chatbot or other AI requirements of education institute. Botspice has created a niche for itself in a short time and also has experience in the education industry. The simple but effective chatbots created by Botspice can be very useful in small to mid-size institutes providing higher educations in all the areas we have already discussed.

Ensuring AI responses are accurate and unbiased

Chatbots get information from a database which is created by humans and then they go on learning as they are put to use more and more. It is important to keep a check so that your AI response does not provide incorrect or biased information.

Data privacy and security concerns

Botspice is one company that gives a lot of important to data privacy and security concerns. This is because white collar crime is on the rise and data is one of the most valuable resources of any organization including educational institutes.

Final summary

As we have seen above Artificial Intelligence with chatbots and the other tools is here to stay and make things easier not just for the education industry but also others. AI reduces the cost of employing human resources where a machine can handle the task. Hence more and more organizations are opting for AI powered tools.

Sharad Agarwal

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Sharad Agarwal

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