How AI can help students through the cost-of-living crisis

UNITED KINGDOM

The landscape of higher education in the United Kingdom is bright in many ways, as indicated by a recent Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) forecast predicting that the total number of university applicants will reach a million by 2030. While this enrolment surge paints a picture of growth, not all is rosy.

One notable concern is the inadequacy of student maintenance loans, which have failed to keep pace with inflation. A recent survey conducted by the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) sheds light on the crisis of affordability in student accommodation. Covering 10 cities in the UK (excluding London), the survey indicates that rental costs now consume nearly the entirety of the average maintenance loan.

HEPI’s 2023 Student Academic Experience Survey delves deeper into the repercussions of this cost-of-living crisis. With over 10,000 student responses, it paints a stark picture of the struggles students face. Half of the respondents report financial difficulties, a quarter regularly go without food, and more than half forego extracurricular activities due to financial constraints.

The data unveils a concerning trend – for the first time on record, more students are engaged in paid employment (55%) than not. This economic necessity negatively impacts academic performance, with half of undergraduates reporting that they missed classes in 2022-23 due to paid work commitments.

Student attrition is a looming threat, and it not only denies individuals the opportunity to pursue their academic interests but also poses a threat to a university’s pre-committed revenue. TechnologyOne’s own research reveals that seven in 10 students have contemplated dropping out of university, with the rising cost of living emerging as a predominant factor in their considerations.

Technology to support the new normal

A high percentage of students juggling work commitments alongside their studies marks a significant shift in the traditional university experience.

This new normal calls for greater flexibility and the recognition of the real-world demands facing students. And this is where smart technology can help. Artificial intelligence stands poised to revolutionise this dynamic by offering innovative solutions to streamline tasks, optimise time management and enhance student outcomes.

AI chatbot Beacon was introduced by Staffordshire University in January 2023, the first digital assistant of its kind to be operating at a UK university. It can answer students’ questions about timetables, societies, council tax, student cards, lecturers and more. It can also provide students with immediate support and reminders.

Another example might be better class scheduling to make it easier for students to work in paid employment around their studies. Smart technology can be fed information about students’ preferred on-campus hours, for example, to help build a tailored timetable that gives them the flexibility they need to hold a part-time job.

Going further, AI could also help students with their finances, predicting how many hours a student needs to work to help repay their loan, all the while balancing their university class commitments, the number of assignments due that month or when exams are taking place.

For universities, AI and smart technology solutions can also provide insights to optimise staffing decisions by analysing large volumes of data to match candidates’ qualifications, experience, availability and skills with the specific requirements of a position, for example.

Supporting student well-being and retention

Understanding the full spectrum of a student’s experience and proactively identifying potential issues is pivotal for universities to minimise attrition and ensure student success.

Proactive universities around the world are increasingly turning to smart technology for solutions to identify and intervene when students face challenges – be it financial or emotional.

Nova Southeastern University in Florida paired its data with an AI programme to improve undergraduate retention by identifying the students who were most likely to leave. This helped the university target and prioritise its retention efforts for the most at-risk students and proactively provide support rather than reaching out when the student has one foot out the door.

In the UK, the University of Lincoln partnered with TechnologyOne to pioneer a new approach to student management and student experience, adopting TechnologyOne’s ground-breaking Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) Student Management System.

The purpose-built platform monitors for indicators such as missing lectures, failing to turn in work and poor grades. It recommends to the student and faculty appropriate resources and-or intervention. By proactively addressing these issues, educators and support staff can intervene and provide timely assistance.

But it is complex. Predicting student attrition draws upon multiple data sources: How many terms is the student enrolled for? Have they transferred to another programme? Have they been given an academic warning for failing grades? Are they missing classes or failing to turn in assignments? Have they sought support services? Are they enrolled fully online?

And in most cases, that data isn’t connected across student-related information systems, such as academic performance, finance or health services. Those gaps between systems limit a university’s ability to spot patterns or risky behaviours that, if caught early, could change the trajectory for that student.

Helping staff proactively identify issues as they occur empowers them to make early interventions or put a plan in action to help keep a student enrolled. Using modern technologies can generate insights and recommend actions – putting the student in touch with support services, creating a list of recommended social clubs or notifying them of upcoming readings and assignments.

As universities adapt to the new normal, they need technology solutions to tailor educational experiences, ease teachers’ workloads, reduce the administrative burden and help managers make decisions. And while AI is a disruptive force, its integration into higher education should be purposeful, addressing real-life challenges – such as the impact of the rising cost of living on students’ well-being.

At TechnologyOne our focus is on ensuring our early work adds value to existing processes, such as those with a high degree of manual intervention where timeliness is critical, for example. The future of higher education lies in harnessing technology to unlock the full potential of every student, ensuring a more engaging and ultimately successful academic journey.

Leo Hanna is executive vice-president at TechnologyOne.