Humanizing EdTech for the Student Experience

The more AI and other emerging technologies are part of the learning experience, the more faculty need to focus on humanizing the student. Human connection enhances the overall student experience, and technology can play a pivotal role in that by facilitating personalized learning, social learning, mental health support, and accessibility and inclusion.

Elements of Humanizing Edtech in Higher Education was the subject of a recent panel at WCET’s virtual summit, featuring Emilie Cook, Senior Manager of Content, Community, and Digital Engagement at Every Learner Everywhere, Joe Rendon, AI Analyst at Fort Lewis College, and Janelle Elias, Vice President of Strategy and Academic Affairs at Rio Salado College. The three panelists shared practical ideas and resources for institutions and individual instructors on using technology to build connections with students.

“We know when students feel seen, they feel valued, they feel heard, they are more likely to engage in the learning process,” Cook said to kick off the panel. “They’re more likely to take risks, and they’re more likely to persist in the face of challenges. When we look at humanizing these students and their experience, this approach not only enhances their academic experience, it contributes to their overall growth and development.”

Cook outlined how evidence shows that student-centered approaches when implementing digital learning technologies are effective at humanizing students and improving student outcomes. That includes, helping students recognize themselves in the curriculum, inviting them to contribute, creating an environment that makes them feel welcome to contribute, and sharing and being transparent as a faculty member.

“Focusing on sharing and being transparent as a faculty member are really small ways that make a big difference in the classroom that allow the students to feel that relationship in the classroom,” she said.

How edtech effects students and faculty

According to the Listening to Learners report from Tyton Partners, students’ needs aren’t being fully met in several key areas, including their basic needs, psychological needs, and self-fulfillment, said Cook. Digital tools help address these gaps by:

• Increasing student engagement
• Strengthening connections between instructors and students
• Building a greater sense of agency in the student
• Narrowing student success gaps

For Rio Salado College, education technology has always been a critical tool to serve over 40,000 students, half of whom are in more than 700 online, asynchronous courses. The college uses a predictive analytics tool, RioPACT, to understand student progress and to support persistence by creating tailored learning experiences for students.

But while technology can increase connectivity between students and faculty, it doesn’t do so automatically. In 2023, Rio Salado partnered with the College Innovation Network to conduct a survey of faculty attitudes toward the current state of edtech.

“It was really interesting to hear from the voice of our faculty about how they perceive the value of edtech,” Elias said. “They feel like they’re far away from the decision making.”

Of faculty members surveyed, 83 percent said they believe there is value in edtech, but almost one third reported a lack of trust in available products’ effectiveness. In addition, nearly 80 percent of faculty reported feeling like they are “always on the job,” leading to technology fatigue, burnout, and lower job satisfaction.

Fulfilling needs

“We don’t just adopt any technology solution without being really clear [about] the problem we’re trying to solve,” said Elias.

Elias and her Rio Salado colleagues implement a four-step process to find targeted, effective digital solutions:

1. Identify the need
2. Find a solution
3. Design the space
4. Measure the impact

One example of a targeted digital tool that fulfills a specific need is RioConnect, a peer-to-peer social network focused on fostering student belonging. On RioConnect, student participation is purely social, designed to help students build a sense of community. For online learners, digital interactions and community can be especially critical in meeting students’ psychological needs.

For faculty members, digital tools can also be highly effective when targeted toward a specific purpose. For example, Rendon said Fort Lewis college has been piloting three AI chatbots across three different college functions—advising, tutoring, and admissions. The chatbots are tailored for each kind of engagement with students and have the dual benefit of reducing faculty workload and enabling personalized student support.

“It’s a complement to human interaction, not a replacement,” Rendon said.

Different students have varying needs and preferences, so Rio Salado found a different way to fulfill a distinct niche for their learners by offering open Zoom sessions.

“Not every student is comfortable with the chatbots we offer or the call center service we also provide, so we have open office hours where they know they can come and have a human interaction,” Elias said.

Designing with (not just for) students

Centering students in the technology discussion is one way to make the digital tools they interact with more effective. Rio Salado formed a Student Digital Experience Committee that focuses on connecting technology with student success. The committee incentivizes learners to participate in focus groups. Admin and faculty sometimes miss the things that seem obvious to students, making the student feedback sessions invaluable, said Elias.

Rio Salado also invests in an Innovation Think Tank that allows anyone inside (or outside) the institution to submit an idea on how the school can improve, creating a dynamic and inclusive approach to finding and incorporating new ideas.

To prioritize humanizing students while implementing digital solutions, Elias recommends inviting early adopters to participate in the proof of concept. Student voice and faculty buy-in, she said, are two of the most important factors in finding the right solution.