Hi, I’m “Bot”: Centering First -Generation Student Success

with Chatbot Technology

Dr. Cynthia L. AlvarezAssistant Director, Student Success

California State University Office of the Chancellor

Mitzy GonzálezAssistant Director & University Innovation Alliance Fellow

University of Central Florida

Learning Objectives

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● Understand strategies and key learnings to foster collaboration through student success initiatives

● Understand a chatbot project launch, start to finish

● Understand common challenges and strategies faced by academic and student affairs colleagues at institutions across the country

Presentation Outline

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● Chatbots 101

● Process of Developing & Launching a Chatbot Campus-Wide

● Creating a Chatbot with a First-Gen & Transfer Student Focus

● Open Discussion/Questions

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Common Areas for Chatbots in

Higher Ed5

● Admissions

● IT Help Desk

● Advising

● Financial Aid

● Career Services

● Library Services

● Alumni Relations

● Classroom environment

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Stages of Chatbot Deployment

Identifying Pur pose & Goal

of Your Chat bot

“What is the

issue you are attempting to

address?

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A chatbot is great for.. 9

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Increasing student knowledge and awareness of a particular topic, to which the result is the removal of

a barrier for student success

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Increasing student knowledge and awareness of a particular topic, to which the result is the removal of

a barrier for student success

&

Supporting the navigation of the institution for new students, specifically first generation and transfer

students

Ask yourselves...

● Target demographic

● Key roadblock

● Key stakeholders

● Current data

● Text (SMS) vs. Web vs. Facebook?

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What do your students need?

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● Talk to the staff of the programs/centers there first gen and transfer students have high-touch with

● Create focus groups at important times of the year (orientation/middle of first term/enrollment passes) and ask them for their questions at that time

● Create an open-source document for your student leaders to add continuously (tap your advisory groups!)

Building Your Campus Cor e

Team

Aligning needs, purpose, and audience

“Which campus stakeholders

should you involve and at what time in the process?

What perspectives, interests, priorities, and concerns will

they bring as it relates to the chatbot?

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Campus Stakeholder Engagement

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● The diversity of your team’s roles will result in questions and considerations that may help inform the selection of your focus area and vendor.

● Participation by each team member will likely vary throughout each stage. However, maintaining an open line of communication with all parties will increase success as you work through this change initiative.

● Think through what areas on campus could potentially solve a problem with the use of a chatbot and include them in the conversation. How will their partnership/support help advance and sustain this solution?

Campus Stakeholder Engagement

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● Do you have an identified project manager? They should have some technological understanding to be able to communicate to non-tech stakeholders.

● Start communication with your IT team, Procurement Office, and General Counsel early. Establish those relationships early on and ensure they are aware of the project. Make sure you ask what information they will need from the vendor in order to prevent future delays.

● In summary, invest in building your team. Each phase requires a different level of work. As your bot grows, you will likely need more dedicated staff (ideally FTE whose main focus is the bot).

Finding the Ri ght Fi t : How

t o Vet

Before contacting vendors...

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● Identify the problem you want to solve

● Identify your timeline

● Select your Core Work Group

● Talk to peer institutions

● Develop a list of your “must-haves” and the “would-be-nice” for your ideal chatbot

● Contact your procurement services office

“It’s on our roadmap.”

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Potential Pitfalls:Thi ngs t o Keep i n

Mi nd

Things to Consider

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Are there already existing chatbots on your campus within individual units? Existing “live chat” features on campus through other vendors may conflict with chatbot branding, make sure you align and have a communication strategy.

Know the funding expectations and limitations for cost before moving past the exploration phase. Chatbots are not a low-cost solution.

Do you have a defined timeline for rollout? Is that timeline realistic? You may want to consider a soft rollout period of “hypercare” before an official launch.

Do you have staff to not only launch but provide continued support for your technology and act as a connector with the vendor? Technology is not a silver bullet, you in-house need human support.

Things to Consider

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Consider starting with a small number of students and then scale up. The bot’s knowledgebase/brain takes time to develop and it is not student-facing ready right away. If you launch too soon and the student’s interactions with the bot are not accurate it could decrease students confidence in the bot.

Ensure the staff within the department where the bot will “live” are involved and kept up to date on the status of the project. Ultimately, the front-line staff will be the ones to hear from students when they are happy or frustrated with the technology.

While vendors are experts in their solution, they are not experts on your local context/institution and the students you serve. The learning and sharing should go both ways!

Take thorough notes during the vendor demonstrations.This will allow you to reflect back on promises made by vendors and follow-up with clarifying questions, if needed.

Designing Your Know l edge Base w i t h a

Fi r st - Gen & Tr ansf er Under gr ad Focus

Mind the Jargon!

Registrar? Reimbursement? Dean? RA?

● Define the terms that are specific to higher education

Ensure your navigational options are well-defined

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Equip your students’ support system!

Can you extend access to parent(s) and family?

● If so, consider multi-language abilities for your chatbot

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UCF’s Chatbot

Deployment Timeline

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What additional thoughts were sparked for you?

What additional questions do you still have?

What is something new you learned?

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Open Discussion

& Questions

Thank you!

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Dr. Cynthia L. Alvarez: calvarez@calstate.edu

Mitzy Gonzalez: mitzy.gonzalez@ucf.edu