Higher Ed Is Thinking Too Small about AI

Most schools survived the pandemic but they are far from thriving.

Higher ed must think bigger about artificial intelligence if its going to get on solid footing.

The value of a college education is in doubt, and the enrollment cliff is here.

Schools need a culture of AI and top talent that wants to stick around.

They need to operationalize AI — from the cafeteria to the c-suite. (And yes, successful institutions of learning will increasingly have CEOs.)

Beating Back Burnout with AI

Take the example of admissions and enrollment management.

As the Chronicle of Higher Ed reported earlier this year, turnover of admissions staff is “acute – and comes with higher stakes.”

Many young professionals are leaving the field due to low pay, long hours, and a lack of support and training. They say the focus on admissions metrics and the pressure to meet institutional goals can detract from the purpose that drew them to higher ed.

Two-thirds of higher-ed full-time staff typically work more hours each week than what is considered full-time, according to CUPA-HR.

If you’ve ever been part of an admissions event, you know how all-consuming it can be. And when it’s over, everyone’s just glad it’s over. There’s no way to measure if the effort (emotional as well as physical and mental) was worth it.

And that’s during “normal” times.

Since the pandemic, nearly three-fourths of staff have taken on additional responsibilities.

It’s no wonder that employees cite burnout as a reason they left higher ed or are thinking about leaving.

And let’s be clear: burnout is a sign that something’s amiss with an organization, not its employees.

Social psychologists have found that pervasive burnout indicates that, among other things, roles aren’t clear, communication is poor, and expectations are unreasonable.

The productivity-boosting potential of AI makes it a natural partner in the race to retain and attract dedicated employees.

In the case of admissions, for instance, gains come from AI that automates the marketing, planning, technical setup, and other aspects of bringing in a class.

Intelligent CRMs and AI Chatbots are Productivity Powerhouses

Intelligent customer relationship management (CRM) systems, for example, predict what type of message (the channel and content) will move a prospective student towards enrolling. With built-in generative AI, such software can even produce personalized emails and text messages.

Intelligent CRMs draw on millions of micro-interactions from other students’ admissions journeys. They remove the gut instincts and anecdotal evidence that still drive so much of communication plans.

AI chatbots are unleashing a sea change in the customer service type of work admissions departments often handle. AI chatbots are trained on a school’s knowledge base (similar to an institutional Wikipedia) or standalone documents. When a student or parent asks a question, the bot provides an accurate answer in a conversational tone.

That means a human admissions advisor or a prospect doesn’t need to wade through web page after web page to find information with low confidence it’s correct.

AI chatbots can also handle thousands of questions at a time. No human-only team could realistically do that.

When adopting AI chatbots and other AI-fueled technology, it’s important to let your school community know that humans aren’t going anywhere.

The key to fostering a culture and practice of AI is balancing productivity gains while strengthening a healthy, supportive workplace.

AI, after all, is meant to let us be more human.

For more surprising ways AI can remake institutions of higher education, take a look at our just-released Definitive Guide to AI in Higher Ed. It’s packed with examples and practical ideas.