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AI
AI: new source of competitiveness
in higher education
Erin Hannan and Shuguang Liu
School of Business, State University of New York at New Paltz,
New Paltz, New York, USA 265
Received 26 March 2021
Revised 2 May 2021
Abstract Accepted 9 July 2021

Purpose – This paper aims to survey the current landscape of artificial intelligence (AI) applications in
higher education institutions (HEIs) and recommend future directions.
Design/methodology/approach – This paper reviews the recent trends, showcases the applications and
provides future directions through a review of current uses of AI in HEIs.
Findings – The results of this study highlight successful applications of AI technologies in three main areas
of college operation: student learning experience; student support; and enrollment management.
Research limitations/implications – This review has important implications for early adopters of AI
by HEIs in providing a competitive advantage. The limitation lies in the scope of the review. It is not
comprehensive and does not cover other areas of college operations.
Originality/value – This is the first review about AI in higher education. It is of value in building future
research and serving as a framework for AI applications in HEI.
Keywords Retention, Recruitment, Predictive analytics, Personalized learning, Chabot
Paper type General review

1. Introduction
The bar for college success is rising, and the landscape of higher education is changing.
With adult learners becoming first-time college students, diversity increasing and remote
learning growing with the COVID-19 pandemic, college administrators are under greater
pressure to effectively compete in the global field of higher education. Colleges and
universities must continuously adapt their operations to attract and retain the best students
and faculty, provide innovative resources, offer personalized learning and remain financially
viable. Amid these challenges, forward-thinking universities can integrate artificial
intelligence (AI) into their operations to set themselves apart from the competition and up
for long-term growth.
In choosing a college, students and parents expect instruction enhanced with technology,
affordable learning options, job opportunities and experiences that magnify student quality
of life. Stonkiene et al. (2015) studied the marketability of HEIs to shape student’s attitudes
based on schools’ ability to monitor their management performance, the environment of
competitors and introduce organizational changes to effectively compete. This paper will
further explore the strategic decisions to implement emerging AI technology that can create
personalized engagement to focus on students individually and provide contextual guidance
in real-time. Institutions already using AI have built it into departments like the interview
admissions process, a teacher assistant chatbot and an advising system that predicts course
Competitiveness Review: An
pass and fail rates. International Business Journal
As examined in a study by Maduro et al. (2017), maintaining identity, image and Vol. 33 No. 2, 2023
pp. 265-279
corporate reputation is vital for the survival and growth of HEIs. This can further be © Emerald Publishing Limited
1059-5422
supported by advancements in design, innovation and technology. DOI 10.1108/CR-03-2021-0045
CR The purpose of this paper is to highlight examples of AI applications in HEIs and
33,2 identify future directions to improve colleges’ competitive advantage. Current uses of AI in
HEIs were reported through an extensive review of reports by HEI institutions themselves
and AI-driven companies partnering with these universities. Research revealed current
trends of higher education AI in learning experiences, as it relates to course management
programs, instruction and student assessment; enrollment management as it relates to
266 success in recruiting, admissions and retention; and student support as it relates to
applications in advising, emotional support and career services. Specific applications of AI
programs in HEIs are showcased through a series of case studies to supply a framework for
future uses of this technology by other HEIs.
The remainder of the paper is organized as follows: Section 2 reviews the current
competitive landscape of the higher education industry and three types of general
applications of AI. The applications of the diverse forms of AI are then explored to showcase
the competitive capabilities of this technology in three main areas of higher education
operations: learning experiences (Section 3), enrollment management (Section 4) and student
support (Section 5). The paper then discusses in Section 6 the deeper divisions brought on by
AI in HEIs due to opportunity disparities for students and the reservations about the
technology, due to concerns of personal privacy violations. Section 7 concludes the paper
with a look at the future of AI technologies yet to be fully explored in higher education.

2. Literature review
2.1 Competitive landscape of higher education institutions
Higher education institutions (HEIs) must constantly implement innovative driven business
strategies to maintain a market position among intense competition driven by government
funding, internationalization and new trends toward a booming online education market.
Current research on the competitiveness of HEIs unveils the uniqueness of this market as
compared to other businesses. In which these institutions serve a traditional societal role to
deliver a professional working class while treating students as consumers with high-quality
services that they pay for (Stonkiene et al., 2015). Recommendations for assessing sources of
competitive advantage by Mainardes et al. (2011) involve the investigation of three key
factors: resources and abilities such as physical infrastructure and technology, external
factors such as government regulation and emerging threats of online colleges and the role
of stakeholders which include faculty, students and society. Changes in information and
communication technology have placed new competitive pressures on HEIs (Maduro et al.,
2017). Yet, there has been little research done on the influence of these specific factors for
competitive analysis. This paper will thoroughly explore the influence of innovative
technology on HEIs. Integration of AI across all business activities will allow schools to stay
ahead of industry trends moving toward greater technological-education integration and
better serve the needs of their stakeholders.
The current model of education is one-size-fits-all. Whether it is teaching in the
traditional classroom setting or online remote education during the recent COVID-19
outbreak, all students receive the same content that is delivered by the same instructor.
Students follow the same pace set by the instructor – when a topic is covered, how much
time is spent on a topic, and when an assignment is due. This model is necessary due to the
lack of resources, including limited instructors that lead to a high student–teacher ratio.
According to the Condition of Education Report (2020) from the National Center for
Education Statistics, the average student to faculty ratio was 14.1 to 1 in fall 2020. In this
fixed and uniformly paced system, some students complain that it is too much too fast, while
others hunger for more. Recent literature on personalized learning (Hughey, 2020) explores
its key purpose to close achievement gaps among students through active engagement AI
forms of teaching. Changes in technology must reflect changes in the current education
model that continues to open doors to transform how students can be taught, assessed and
their success predicted.

2.2 Types of artificial intelligence

There are three types of AI identified by Davenport and Ronanki (2018) used throughout the 267
findings of current and suggested AI uses in higher education: process automation;
cognitive insight; and cognitive engagement. Process automation is the easiest and least
expensive form of AI that automates back-end tasks such as updating records or
administrative filing. This automation can lead to a high return on investment by saving
organizations time and money on repetitive tasks. The second category of AI is cognitive
insight, where computers learn from data in real-time, mimic the human brain by
recognizing patterns and perform predictive analytics. This could be seen in a software
system that predicts which products customers are likely to purchase. Cognitive
engagement, the last category, is mostly seen in the form of chatbots that engage in 24/7
customer support by using natural language processing and machine learning capabilities.
AI across many industries has given businesses a competitive advantage by
streamlining processes, reducing operational costs and improving customer service
experience (Stanley, 2018). AI has disrupted industries such as finance, banking and health
care. It can reveal gaps in business operations that can be filled by innovative technology.
The higher education sector has been slower to adopt AI, but according to the Artificial
Intelligence Market in the US Education Sector report, AI in US education is predicted to
grow by 47.77% from 2018 to 2022 (Technavio, 2019). Research by Bonometti and Bryd
(2009) examined the opportunities for businesses to exploit six types of future technological
advancements like AI, for the ultimate use of improving decision-making for firms’
competitive advantage. This paper will take an industry-specific approach to continue that
analysis of the benefits of adopting AI when it comes to improving operations beyond a
managerial level.

3. Learning experience
The learning experience of a student is formed and impacted by their interaction with course
content. Learning management systems (LMS) stipulates this interaction by selecting and
ordering the topics and the activities including reading, exercises and quizzes. The success
of a learner depends on collaboration among all stakeholders: learners; assistants; and
instructors. The summative assessment of learning outcomes is used to demonstrate
learners’ competency and knowledge mastery.

3.1 Learning management systems

Common LMS such as Blackboard, Canvas, Moodle or Brightspace is used to distribute
learning material and deliver instructional activities. Traditional instruction models
supported by these systems are being altered by AI and greater academic success is seen
from creating a personalized learning experience (Rouhiainen, 2019). AI platforms armed
with cognitive engagement and insight technology can ensure student success in keeping
them on track to meet their requirements by holding them accountable when their instructor
lacks the time for individual student attention.
3.1.1 Adaptive platform. As digital learning advances, in part from increased remote
learning with the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of AI could improve how course content is
delivered to students. HEIs can integrate AI capabilities into their course management
CR systems to create customized lesson plans, tailored tutoring and unique forms of assessment
33,2 (King, 2017). Some of these adaptive systems created by education publishers include
McGraw-Hills’ ALEKS, Pearson’s Revel and Carnegie Learning’s MATHia. AI-enhanced
platforms are breaking the one-size-fits-all teaching model by personalizing tests, quizzes
and practice questions to students’ proficiency. All the while, informing students and
instructors of the topics they are strongest and weakest in. For visually and audibly
268 impaired students, systems such as ALEKS offer accessibility functions such as screen
magnification, a text reader or course material without color. College students learning
remotely without in-person or online synchronous instruction can use AI learning software
to replace the personalized instruction they are missing.
3.1.1.1 Case I. ALEKS for personalized learning. A personalized learning management
system allows students with systemic barriers, such as income or race, equal opportunities
to succeed in their courses. ALEKS is an AI-based assessment tool developed by McGraw-
Hill to track students’ progress throughout a course. McGraw-Hill partnered with Arizona
State University in 2016 to bring ALEKS to College Algebra courses, and by the fall of 2019
pass rates had risen from 57% to 79% (Burke, 2019). The program is also being used at
Clemson University, WA State University, University of Central Oklahoma and Cedar
Valley College. In 2018, Triton Community College in Illinois used ALEKS learning system
to create iLaunch Lab, a program to help bridge the gap between their diverse student
population and excelling in STEM field courses (Perhach, 2018). After a year, math course
pass rates went from 52% using traditional textbooks and digital course models to 61%
using iLaunch Lab. These cases illustrate the benefits of personalized learning pathways so
that no student is left behind, no matter what external barriers to academia they may face.
3.1.2 Tutor platform embedded in learning management systems. HEIs are using AI to
provide quick assistance to struggling students where instructors lack the individual time to help.
Pearson partnered with IBM’s Watson in 2016 to develop an AI tutoring platform to
accompany Pearson’s learning software Revel that can be integrated with course management
systems like Blackboard or Canvas (King, 2017). In Revel, Watson helps students throughout
their course work by communicating with instructors on individual assessments and allows
students to ask questions in real-time (IBM, 2016). AI personal assistants equipped with
machine learning capabilities are currently limited to individualized instruction in science,
technology, engineering and math (STEM) courses but can be advanced to provide more
accurate feedback in qualitative coursework.

3.2 Instructional support

AI disrupts the traditional classroom teaching model by revealing unique ways to instruct
students on an individual basis where a human instructor lacks to fulfill. Cognitive
engagement software in the form of chatbots and virtual reality classrooms gives students
and faculty alike an academic advantage. Automated language processing systems allow
HEIs to teach without barriers to international students and students with disabilities.
3.2.1 Chatbot as the teaching assistant. AI in the classroom is not intended to eliminate
the teacher’s role but to serve as an aid when there is a disconnect between students and their
education. One way that AI can be used as a teaching tool involves using chatbots as a
teaching assistant (TA) in the classroom. Ashok Goel, professor at the Georgia Institute of
Technology, partnered with IBM’s Watson in 2016 to create Jill Watson, the first AI Teaching
Assistant who serves as a 24/7 chatbot for a remote AI-based course in the Computer Science
program (Peterson, 2020). In testing the platform, the identity of Jill Watson as an AI chatbot
was kept secret from students to demonstrate the interpersonal teaching skills the chatbot
possessed (Leopold, 2017). In 2019, the chatbot now works with students in introductory
biology and in-person computer science class. AI chatbots have machine learning capabilities AI
that allow them to continuously improve through performing. Jill Watson was trained
alongside Georgia Tech’s online question and answer support system Piazza and was
programmed with 40,000 questions from two years of computer science course data (Leopold,
2017). HEIs seeking ways to improve instruction without hiring more faculty could turn to
invest in AI chatbots to provide unique academic resources for students that they cannot
receive at every school. 269
3.2.2 Virtual cultural experience. College campuses diversify their student body by
recruiting international students and offering international experiences to students.
Cognitive classrooms can provide a virtual cultural experience, whereas on-campus chatbots
support students in their native language. Microsoft created Azure Cognitive Services,
which consists of machine learning algorithms to assist in speech, visual and audio
automated recognition. This system is available as a plug-in for Microsoft PowerPoint that
translates subtitles during live classroom instruction (McNeill, 2018). Speech recognition
automatically records and transcribes audio, then translates it to text and provides an audio
translation in one’s native language. This system allows instructors to teach their
international students and those with disabilities more confidently, who otherwise might be
unable to keep up with the typical pace of instruction.
3.2.2.1 Case II: cognitive classroom immersion. Unique classroom instruction offers HEIs
a competitive advantage to students who want a highly specialized academic experience.
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) college partnered with IBM in 2017 to implement the
Mandarin Project into Chinese language classes to give students an experiential learning
experience. The system uses virtual reality, an AI-powered assistant and a cloud-based
system to turn a classroom into a 360-degree learning experience where students experience
physically being in China (McKenzie, 2018). In the first cognitive classroom of its kind, this
virtual reality simulation allows students to practice Mandarin by ordering at a restaurant
or taking a Tai Chi class. Non-traditional teaching through AI extends beyond traditional
lecture formats and allows students to apply what they learn to real-world situations.
Watson’s speech recognition capabilities correct pronunciation and vocabulary as students
practice, analyzing pitch and tone to improve students’ ability to speak fluidly. Through
virtual reality simulations and conversing with a chatbot, AI allows students to learn a new
language from an interactive cultural perspective.

3.3 Assessment of student performance

AI learning software provides schools the benefits of customized learning, but how the data
collected on students’ work will be assessed and interpreted requires equally advanced data
analytics. When it comes to assessing students, AI can take over time-consuming tasks like
test proctoring and grading that take the focus away from developing the best curriculum
for students. Predictive grading analytics can be implemented to help instructors identify
where students need the most support to graduate or pass a class.
3.3.1 Automated grading. Institutions invest a great deal into course management
systems and learning software platforms like Blackboard, Pearson or McGraw-Hill.
However, this technology cannot be used to its full potential without an equally advanced
data mining system (Baepler and Murdoch, 2010). Automated grading with AI technology
can replace the job of grading for instructors and give them time to focus on the individual
needs of students. An efficient and personalized assessment system can improve retention
rates for HEIs by allowing instructors to intervene sooner and increase the value of each
student to the university.
CR Automated grading systems are often used in the STEM field of quantitative data rather
33,2 than qualitative like a literary essay. Institutions such as Purdue University, OR State
University and New York University are using the AI assessment platform Gradescope to
grade advanced STEM assignments (Dumelle, 2020). Gradescope automatically groups
similar student responses, providing feedback to questions that differ from the correct
answer. A concise data report is given to instructors to then best adjust the curriculum
270 (Klutka et al., 2018). Instead of professors having to spend time grading intricate computer
programming projects, instructors can feed their AI software with an adjustable grading
rubric. The company Pearson has implemented cognitive computing technology into its
digital courses through its Revel learning system, enabling instructors to focus on student
outcomes by using process automation on assignments (McKenzie, 2018). In higher
education, the primary role of AI is to manage routine human tasks like grading so that
quality learning can be the priority.
With AI assessment of students’ homework, quizzes and tests, criticism has arisen due to
limitations in automatic grading of non-STEM courses, such as writing assignments that do
not have a right or wrong answer. However, at the University of Michigan, AI transcends
this limitation with the M-Write system created in 2016 to assist faculty in reading students’
papers with automated processing and an algorithm that identifies poor writing at an
introductory course level (Meltzer, 2017). This system allows for greater individual attention
to students in large classes, where instructors lack time to provide one-on-one assessments.
Institutions that aspire to assess students on the same unique level that they are taught
should expand the use of AI in automatic grading beyond the STEM field. These forms of
assessment demonstrate to students and parents alike a stronger investment by the college
in each student.
3.3.2 Preventing cheating. Online learning in HEIs is becoming the new normal for
students. The Chronicle of Higher Education reported 34% of 3,000 surveyed institutions
are primarily online for the Fall 2020 semester (Elias et al., 2020). While teaching styles in a
COVID-19 world vary by institution type and location, the use of digital technology has long
been ingrained into the college system. With easy access to answers on the internet and
institutions using the same course management systems, issues of plagiarism and cheating
are becoming increasingly relevant (Swauger, 2020). A study by the International Center for
Academic Integrity found that 39% of surveyed non-first-year four-year college students
admitted to cheating on tests, and 62% admitted to cheating on written assignments
(McCabe, 2017). To combat cheating online, cognitive engagement technology in the form of
digital proctors can be used to monitor the behavior of students taking exams outside the
classroom. Cognitive proctoring systems like Proctortrack and ProctorU are integrated with
course management systems such as Moodle, Canvas and Blackboard to help HEIs prevent
cheating. Students verify their identity with these platforms through biometric analysis of
the face, ID and knuckle scans. All the while their behavior is observed throughout the
exam, such as if they leave the computer, try to contact someone online or access another
Web browser (Swauger, 2020). When it comes to high-stake testing, these systems can
combine AI and a human proctor to observe factors a person cannot detect, such as lighting
changes or strange noises, while keeping timestamps of the flagged detections (Swauger,
2020). Advancements can be made in the online learning model to mimic the integrity of a
live teaching experience from anywhere in the world.
3.3.2.1 Case III: online proctoring. Integrity in academics and business faces new
scrutiny as AI raises the standard for performing authentic work remotely. McGraw-
Hill partners with ProctorU and Respondus on the assessment platform ALEKS to
monitor academic integrity and block students from accessing other websites during
exams. To expand AI proctoring beyond the STEM courses they offer, McGraw-Hill AI
(2020) partnered with remote proctoring service Proctorio for their liberal arts course
management system Connect. Proctorio’s AI has similar features to other online
assessment monitors: environment, identity and plagiarism scans. Proctorio uses Zero-
Knowledge Encryption to collect and sort student data to ensure that personal data
remain secure on their servers until used by school officials (Devoy, 2020).

4. Recruitment, admissions and retention

271
AI is infiltrating colleges globally to fix the challenges HEIs face. Even though colleges
teach, house and support digital natives, the field of higher education falls behind other
industries in adapting to technological advancements. Section 4 will discuss the use of AI on
college campuses in recruitment, admissions and retention to enhance the college experience
for students while saving institutions time, money and advancing their competitive
advantage.

4.1 Chatbot in recruitment

In looking at the effects of COVID-19 on college enrollment in fall 2020, first-time student
enrollment decreased by 13% from 2019 among four-year and two-year colleges, with the
hardest hit system being public two-year community colleges declining nearly 19 times
(Sedmak, 2020). Meanwhile, graduate studies enrollment has increased across public and
private colleges (Sedmak, 2020). Institutions have an opportunity to use AI technology to
enhance their value to those who are unsure if college is the right next step for them. Despite
the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on student enrollment, the phenomenon of declining
enrollment between high school graduation and the start of the fall semester, also known as
the summer melt, is not new to HEIs. Colleges like Georgia State University are using
chatbots to improve these recruitment challenges. Chatbots on college campuses can be
accessible to students 24/7 to serve as customer support systems to answer incoming
students’ questions about the school, from their enrollment process to finances. These digital
natives may prefer to chat with a college chatbot online rather than pick up the phone and
call the financial aid office themselves. AI can be used to combat larger challenges facing
HEIs, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and its financial toll on students that impact
recruitment.
4.1.1 Case IV: combating the summer melt at Georgia State University. Georgia State
University partnered with the AI education company Admit Hub in 2015 to introduce the
school’s first AI chatbot Pounce (Page and Gehlbach, 2018). The purpose of the chatbot was
to try and reduce the summer melt affecting first-year enrollment rates, mainly among
minority students and financially unstable students. In its three-month trial in 2016, Pounce
handled more than 200,000 student questions, with a majority from first generation, Federal
Pell Grant and racial minority students (Jackson, 2019). The chatbot can not only provide
students with general information but promotes events such as the university career fair,
which showed a 30% increase in attendance with the use of Pounce in 2018.

4.2 Unbiased admissions

When it comes to relying on an automatic system to enhance any process, the quality of the
data collected is key to the success of the operation. The traditional college admissions
process is deeply ingrained in HEIs, where admissions are largely determined by set
universal factors and characteristics. This includes GPA, standardized test scores, personal
references and the applicant’s highlighted characteristics. Socioeconomic and demographic
factors are considered of race, gender, ethnicity, religion and income level (Pangburn, 2019).
CR Inequalities arise when admission counselors carry inherited biases into an enrollment
33,2 process that relies on subjective decision-making. AI programs like Salesforce’s Education
Cloud are helping diversify student bodies by targeting admissions to a student’s location,
income level, intended coursework and frequency of communication with school
representatives. Cognitive AI is replacing the in-person interview process that often harms
students who face prejudice from admissions counselors. When it comes to reviewing
272 applications or interviewing students, process automation scans can look for signs of biases
preventing a student’s admission for reasons such as their race. HEIs can better detect
which qualities applicants possess that align with the school by using predictive analytics to
determine a student’s success rate, based on previously admitted student performance. The
college admissions process has always been a subjective experience because it is based on
human opinion over data analytics. However, by disregarding the human element of reading
a student’s application, colleges risk further limiting their application pool to students who
do not fall into the algorithm definition of a perfect candidate. AI technology can enhance
existing operations, but it cannot fix the institutional problems in higher education.
4.2.1 Case V: unbiased admissions at Taylor University. Taylor University in Indiana is
using AI software to widen its applicant pool and create a fairer admissions process, free of
racial or gender prejudice. In 2011, the school signed a contract with Salesforce’s Education
Cloud to collect prospective student data with the highest academic success rates and
interest in attending the school. This would help increase enrollment and decreasing
recruitment costs through a selective process of the most committed students. Education
Cloud creates pop-up alerts for data points that might be biased, such as zip codes or last
names that can reveal information about a student’s socioeconomic background or ethnicity.
Data is collected from enrollment applications of students’ history and associations with
admissions counselors to flag any possible nepotism. Since implementing the AI system,
Taylor University reported its largest incoming class in 2015. However, critics of AI warn of
the dangers when programming machines to hold the same biases as their human creators
(Pangburn, 2019).

4.3 Targeted retention

The current landscape of recruiting and admitting college students is facing new challenges
in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. There is uncertainty about how higher
education can serve students digitally while keeping up retention rates and maintaining the
quality of education. Retention can be defined as the percentage of full-time, first-year
students that will continue their enrollment to the following academic year. The primary
reason students stop their education or transfer schools is due to financial hardships in
affording college, academic rigor, or school-personal life imbalance. According to the
Persistence and Retention Report (2019), 73.8% of first-time students in fall 2017 continued
college through the next academic year, while only 61.7% remained at the same college for
that consecutive year. HEIs can use AI to find innovative ways to maintain their retention
rates at their school despite these challenges. At Georgia State University, an AI system
predicts which current students will struggle in their classes before they fail or drop out by
analyzing the past grades of students who have failed the same introductory class (Lynch,
2019). The GPS Advising program (Graduation Progression Success) uses predictive
analytics to track students’ progress with 800 different types of behavior and academic
choices that correlate to a student dropping out and within 48 h a faculty member will reach
out to that student (Bannan, 2019). HEIs can implement similar systems to deal with
declining retention rates and determine why students chose to change schools or stop their
education altogether. High retention rates not only give schools a competitive advantage in
being able to maintain students but it increases profitability. Georgia State University AI
accredits the impact of this program to revenue increase by $3.18m and improved
graduation rates of students by 7%, especially among African American students. As
COVID-19 changes the landscape of higher education, AI can help solve the bigger issues
HEIs face that affect both students and administrators.
4.3.1 Case VI: predictive analytics for retention at the University of Oklahoma.
Institutions must demonstrate to students in the first year of college that they can foster
positive learning and life experience. At the University of Oklahoma, 86.1% of first-year 273
students returned for their second year in the fall of 2015 (Hathaway, 2017). The university
partnered with IBM to develop a predictive analytics AI system like the one created by
Georgia State University to better understand the factors that make a student transfer or
leave their college. This system is designed to target first-year students’ milestones
academically and personally, to provide faster intervention before a student leaves school
(Hathaway, 2017). IBM’s Watson helps the school analyze students’ needs individually,
using testing data from high school, GPA and predicting students’ success before they even
begin their first semester (Hathaway, 2017). This includes collecting data from a student’s
college essay that would suggest tutoring, advising or financial aid counseling is needed for
them to succeed. After using this AI, first-year retention rates increased to 92.1% in the fall
of 2017 (Lynch, 2019). Tracking a student’s academic success can help identify high-risk
students, but the use of AI to provide emotional support throughout a student’s college
experience should be further explored.

5. Advising, emotional support and career services

The newfound independence that comes with pursuing a college degree does not mean
students do not need support to succeed and feel valued by their chosen institution. HEIs are
finding ways to uniquely incorporate AI to improve support for students from academic
advising, emotional support and career guidance. Graduation rates, retention and
postgraduate success can increase by improving these additional services for students. The
following section will explore how HEIs are using AI to improve these areas of support for
their students while increasing their value proposition to those looking to attend their
university.

5.1 Advanced advising

While the central focus of AI in higher education lies in enhancing the student learning
experience, external factors like advising can make or break that learning experience.
Students face advising and scheduling challenges of graduation requirements, class
availability and a shortage of advisor staffing. Chatbots and AI software can augment
administrative office staff while fitting into students’ busy schedules by providing 24/7
support. Stellic is an automated college advising platform created by Carnegie Mellon
University graduates in 2015, with a personalized schedule and degree plan that predicts
students at risk of not achieving their graduation requirements (Schwartz, 2019). Stellic
analyzes course information, requirements and past student schedules to create a
personalized system for students. They currently partner with schools like Tufts University
and Elon University as their main academic advising system (Mattera, 2018). The goal of
this form of predictive analytics is to help college students register for classes by knowing
what courses they need to take and saving time from attending an in-person appointment.
5.1.1 Case VII: advancing academic advising through Stellic at Elon University. Elon
University partnered with the advising AI platform Stellic after advisors struggled with
their old scheduling software that ignored implementing study abroad, internships and
CR other non-traditional accredited courses in students’ degree plans (Gardner, 2018). Through
33,2 Stellic, advisors and faculty receive notifications if students are at risk of not finishing their
course requirements so that they can best assist them via face-to-face intervention
(Schwartz, 2019). AI can serve as a middleman between students and faculty, especially in
institutions short-staffed for advisors. Although AI has proven useful for scheduling,
administrators and staff might be hesitant to accept technological advancements for fear
274 that computers will replace their jobs. Students at Elon University still need to get written
permission from advisors for class registration after working with Stellic (Gardner, 2018).
To alleviate concern for advisors losing their jobs to chatbots, these systems can be
implemented after workday hours to provide 24/7 support services for administrators as
much as students.

5.2 Emotional support

Focusing on student success in school-life balance throughout one’s college career can help
increase retention, graduation rates and students’ connection to their school. Advisors,
professors and administrators are unable to closely monitor the emotional well-being of all
students. Some HEIs mainly focus on the first-year student experience to maintain their
enrollment after a challenging transitional year. However, this can neglect returning
students that may suffer from a lack of support (Tyson, 2014). Implementing AI can better
track student progress across all grade levels to identify the students in most need of help
before they stop their education. In 2016, student information system campus management
created the AI chatbot RENEE (Retain, Engage Notify and Enablement Engine) as a feature
of their CRM system CampusNexus Engage, which runs on Microsoft Azure technology.
The chatbot surveys students’ well-being, acts as an academic advisor and measures the
milestones students are hitting emotionally and academically (Blackwood, 2019). By
collecting personal student data, institutions can make a predictive model that identifies
when administrators should intervene to help individual students (Baepler and Murdoch,
2010). Students connected with the chatbot RENEE will be directed to in-person help,
depending on the topic of conversation (King, 2017). Predictive analytics can reveal
meaningful trends in student engagement and retention when applied to student life beyond
just academic performance. When provided with reliable and efficient 24/7 support, students
are more likely to seek out the resources they need to stay and succeed in college.
5.2.1 Case VIII: student support with chatbot Watson at Deakin University. Deakin
University in Victoria, Australia, partnered with IBM’s chatbot Watson in 2015 to help new
students adjust to college life. Watson provides customized information and services based
on an individual’s location and cultural background, specifically to eliminate language
barriers for international students through automatic language processing (Deakin
University, 2015). By analyzing the Deakin University website, this chatbot offers answers
via text or online for financial aid, health and wellness, career counseling and academic help.
Each response from Watson is accompanied by a confidence rating to transparently convey
the accuracy of the system’s answers (Deakin University, 2015). What began as a tool to help
students navigate their new college campus has demonstrated the potential of AI to improve
communication between students and their school. AI software allows students to use this
service 24/7 because it continuously learns and improves over time. Students have come to
expect an array of advanced digital platforms to meet their needs beyond academics.

5.3 Career services

The outcome students hope to receive from a college degree is career-ready skills that secure
a place in their desired work industry. The support that HEIs offer when it comes to
preparing students for the world post-graduation can be enhanced by AI. Students and AI
employers are using “career GPS” platforms like MARi to improve engagement and
cultivate more future-focused students (King, 2017). These AI systems can collect data on
students’ skills and experiences to produce a summary report of areas that a student needs
improvement in based on their career goals. Career resource centers are an integral part of
HEIs that constantly seek new ways to prepare students for the workforce (Fadulu, 2018).
AI-supported career services platform could be more effective at reaching students who are
wary of in-person networking or job advice opportunities. IBM also created its own AI 275
career guide for employees in 2018, the Watson Career Coach, to increase employee
engagement by offering employees support to build upon their skills, receive career
guidance and track their progress within the company (Chadwick, 2018). Industry standards
are adopting AI to improve their work culture and increase employee engagement. HEIs are
slower than corporate businesses to fully integrate AI, which may adversely affect students’
opportunities by failing to prepare them with the resources to enter the professional world
besides having a diploma.
5.3.1 Case IX: personal career GPS. MARi is an AI software system that matches
students’ experiences and traits to certain career paths or academic goals while providing
suggestions for skills they need to improve and possible actions to achieve those goals.
Through data analysis of existing course management systems, student performance can be
predicted, based on current academic and work experience. Carnegie Mellon University,
George Mason University, the Ohio State University and Virginia Tech are among the
universities that are research partners with MARi to implement its technology in schools
and businesses. By providing career services in a unique and easily accessible digital
format, students are encouraged to continuously think about their career goals throughout
their entire time in college.

6. Discussion
HEIs are realizing that a digital-first strategy provides new competitive advantages.
Advanced technologies like chatbots and virtual reality will soon be the norm for staff and
students in their academics and careers. The next stage of furthering AI integration in HEIs
is not without concerns, which have left humans fearful of what it means for a superhuman
machine to be at the core of how their businesses function.
A close evaluation of student progress in test monitoring, emotional support and
academic progress provides an enriching college experience that is hyper-focused on each
student. However, schools must determine where to draw the line between personally
helping students and invading their privacy in the process of having greater hands-on
support. When collecting student data, personal information can be easily obtained, whether
it be from a college admissions interview or webcam monitoring footage when a student
takes an exam at home. Faculty and students alike might be worried about where this
information is stored and who has access to it, particularly when HEIs rely on third-party AI
platforms. The virtual test proctoring service Proctortrack stores student data up to
180 days after a test. After a cybersecurity breach with its program in 2020, Western
University students in Ontario, Canada, are demanding their school suspend services with
the platform (Rivers, 2020). Online monitoring platforms raise new concerns of the negative
impacts on students who cannot work in an optimal quiet environment for the system, such
as students with disabilities or with children at home.
Equal access to technology and digital educational resources are limited depending on
the institution and its ability to invest in the latest technology for its students. Due to the
COVID-19 pandemic, HEIs across the globe have switched to an online learning format,
CR which presents new challenges to students without access to the internet or technology to
33,2 succeed in their courses remotely. However, the digital divide in HEIs is not a new
phenomenon and the opportunity disparities based on which school a student attends are
widened with the integration of AI. Its implications for college students can lead to greater
inequalities outside of a four-year education, resulting in deeper socioeconomic divisions.
Colleges and universities in low-income communities or two-year colleges with a limited
276 budget do not have the same resources to invest in costly AI. Not only do these students
miss out on more personalized education, but they can fall behind in the digital literacy of
their peers who use professional-level software and routinely interact with AI systems.

7. Future directions
Personalized education means meeting students where they are during the day (or night),
cultivating a sense of belonging and communicating personalized messages on the channels
they prefer. A successful institution will view the student experience as a lifelong journey
that begins during the recruitment and admissions phase, extends through their time at the
institution and continues into their careers or post-graduate education. Staying connected
throughout this lifelong journey requires technology and data to coordinate across
departments – admissions, career services, health services and inside the classroom.
Institutions that fail to integrate all aspects of the college system pose a risk as they seek to
increase enrollment, engage students and maintain competitiveness in the field of higher
education.
Personalizing a curriculum for every student’s needs is not viable today, but it will be
with help of the AI-powered machines. What has been seen in the integration of process
automation, predictive analytics and chatbots across varying components of the college
system is only the beginning. In the future, a machine using computer vision technology
reads students’ facial expressions to determine whether they comprehend the lesson. With a
360-degree view of every student, institutions can gain proactive insights and personalize
the student experience at scale, boosting student and institution success. The instructor
would be able to adjust the pace of delivery, transforming from an instructor-centric
learning experience to a student-centric.
Advancements in natural-language understanding and machine learning have enabled
chatbots to gradually evolve into Intelligent Virtual Assistants (IVA). A few companies use
IVAs enriched with the deep domain knowledge to fully understand a customer’s intent and
preferences, comprehensively fulfill their needs and improve their performance over time by
learning from every interaction. While the implementation of IVA in HEIs is very limited,
the AI Teaching Assistant at Georgia Institute of Technology glimpses the future of
classrooms that one day could be entirely run by the technology without human
intervention. With help from IVA, professors would refocus their attention to create a strong
curriculum that can further be personalized and assessed through AI.
AI is not always about automation; it is also about redesigning workflow to create new
opportunities and improve the process. For example, an advising program in the not-so-
distant future would offer automated academic advising with the guidance of human
advisors. For each student, the program creates a customized study plan (updated each
semester), selects course schedules, checks student attendance and flags deficiencies.
Advisors, in turn, would serve as career and academic coaches, who have more time to
investigate the causes of poor performance rather than spend time interpreting the data
themselves. This new brand of advising reduces costs, improves satisfaction and enables
advisors to take on higher-value activities.
 Besides functions relating to students, AI could be used to improve efficiency in other AI
areas of college campuses. However, the expansion of AI to college administrative
departments has yet to be fully explored. One can envision 24-h service chatbots that have
the capabilities to run offices from the health and counseling center to the bursar’s office.
Moving toward an automated, self-managing and self-improving system across college
departments can turn big data into valuable, actionable insights.
277
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Corresponding author
Shuguang Liu can be contacted at: liush@newpaltz.edu

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