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Identifying where AI can add value while preserving a human touch in critical moments is a key challenge for student services. UNSW had developed an Academic Success Monitor tool to identify students at risk of failing early and wanted to refine how the AI should engage with staff and students, and which expert support services to offer. By uncovering critical insights and framing a clear design direction, we helped UNSW develop an award-winning service that has delivered measurable improvements in student engagement and intervention outcomes.
AI should be used to enhance, not replace critical human based interventions and services. UNSW had promising early results from the pilot of its Academic Success Monitor, but wanted to understand when and how to engage more deeply with students at varying degrees of risk. The solution needed to effectively dovetail with academic staff intervention and an array of student support services.
Sandbox was tasked with simplifying UNSW's approach, providing focus on key areas of impact and the refining the design required to drive results.
Sandbox facilitated a collaboration between the project team and university support services – to better understand the types of student personas they see, the language they use and how they adapt student communication in response to different levels of risk. The UNSW design team were able to use this information and feed it into the AI model. The goal was to systematise the approach and improve student awareness of relevant support pathways, from self-help options through to expert-led support services.
Through further prototyping and testing with UNSW students and staff we unpacked and re-articulated the key sources of value for all of the stakeholders. This helped UNSW to zero in on the most impactful use cases and features for the next stage of design development.
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Sandbox helped UNSW to reframe their project, focusing on the right areas with the right design to ensure success. UNSW's Academic Success Monitor has led to significant measurable improvements for students and staff including;
Learn more about UNSW's initiative at UNSW's eLearning channel
