Case Study: University of Pretoria improves student mental health support with Google Cloud Platform and DotModus

Chatbot Boosts Student Wellbeing at University of Pretoria

The University of Pretoria worked with Google for Education to address growing student mental health needs by providing 24/7 access to primary care resources. Using Google Cloud Platform tools, the university set out to supplement traditional counseling with a confidential, interactive way for students to explore self-help topics and get support when needed.

Google for Education helped implement the SCU-B chatbot, built with tools including Dialogflow, GKE, Cloud SQL, AppEngine, and Cloud Scheduler. The solution gives students personalized support, helps manage anxiety and depression, and generates anonymized usage reports that help university caregivers better understand student mental health needs, all while improving accessible access for all students.

University of Pretoria

Wimpie Beeken

Senior IT Project Manager in the ICT Capability Development Management Team