Universities today have the technological capabilities to better understand their students, enabling them to provide targeted support and improve student outcomes. The insights that can be drawn from student data – especially using the power of AI – offer educators and professional staff valuable guidance on how to enhance the student experience.
During a THE webinar hosted in partnership with Salesforce, Martin Bean, CEO of the Bean Centre and former vice-chancellor of the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, discussed how technology has already transformed student support. “Instead of us being reactive and waiting for something to go wrong, we can get ahead of the game in supporting our students,” said Bean. “Technology allows us to be proactive and improve student retention and success rates.”
Bean added that AI-powered engagement tools have ushered in an era of personalised higher education, tailored student communications and interactive systems offering round-the-clock support. He cautioned that universities must consider the pressures that students face. “It’s impossible to think about the student in isolation because it’s just not the way life works,” said Bean. “I often used to debate that there wasn’t any such thing as a full-time student. They’ve all got complicated lives – carer responsibilities, part-time jobs, all sorts of other things.”
As universities face the challenge of catering to increasingly diverse student cohorts, technology can unlock the campus for everyone. “We have so many different services that it can be overwhelming for people to try and find their way through. Finding technology that can do that is important,” said Robina Xavier, deputy vice-chancellor and vice-president of academic at Queensland University of Technology.
Xavier said that digital support is an efficiency win for staff and helps to improve the student journey. The more the university knows about a student’s circumstances, the better placed its staff are to support them.
Just as AI has evolved, so has the conversation around it, said Michael Perry, regional director of education for APAC at Salesforce. “We are starting to see these technologies being deployed right now, such as a conversational assistant that delivers answers in a natural language,” said Perry. The challenge from a technology perspective is to harmonise student data, converting silos into integrated data sets using a system that safeguards privacy.
Reimagining the fundamentals of student success – especially in an era when lifelong learning will be vital – is where the demand for big ideas remains. Xavier said that higher education needs to think seriously about what student success will look like in the future and how technology can support it. Irrespective of how education and technology are configured, the university experience is fundamentally about personal development, and the student must be at the heart of it.
The panel:
- Martin Bean, CEO, the Bean Centre and former vice-chancellor, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology
- Eliza Compton, deputy editor, THE Campus (chair)
- Michael Perry, regional director of education for APAC, Salesforce
- Robina Xavier, deputy vice-chancellor and vice-president of academic, Queensland University of Technology
Watch the webinar on demand above or on the THE Connect YouTube channel.
Find out more about Salesforce.
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