Case Study: Strayer University improves student support with Google for Education

Using machine learning to transform online education and improve student outcomes

Strayer University, a pioneer in online education serving mostly non-traditional students, needed a better way to support more than 48,000 learners who often study after hours and require fast, flexible help. To address this challenge, the university worked with Google for Education using Google Cloud Platform and Dialogflow to build a virtual assistant named Irving.

With Google for Education’s solution, Irving learned to answer student questions in real time, redirect off-topic conversations to live agents, and provide 24/7 support. Since launch, it has handled more than 163,697 interactions with over 20,000 unique students, correctly understanding student messages 72% of the time and managing 74% of live chat volume, allowing staff to focus on more complex student needs.

Strayer University

Joe Schaefer

Chief Technology and Innovation Officer