Toward a Human-Centered Digital Ecosystem: NJIT
Grush: What are some of the basics, say for designing human-centered digital services for students that will support the advisory process?
Wozencroft: Administrators and advisors should be able to offer digital services that help a student prepare a class schedule and register easily, using all the data at our fingertips to monitor the student's progress toward their goals.
An example I always like to give is, imagine if you, as a student had a virtual AI assistant for student success that you could meet with at your leisure, online and virtually. You could talk through your goals with the AI assistant as the next semester is approaching, getting relevant information specifically tailored to you, such as, "Here's the latest on your map for the courses you need," or "Here are some suggestions, and answers to questions you may have." You might be considering a change of major or adding on a minor. You can run as many what-if scenarios as you want! You will be well-prepared for your next in-person conversation with your [human] advisor. If you only have 30 mins to meet with your advisor, let's make that the most meaningful 30 minutes imaginable.
So, when I talk about human-centered, it's really not about the actual technologies behind the scenes, it's about how we're employing them for the benefit of users — faculty, researchers, staff, students, and all our constituents. And if they're not using the systems and services in place, I'd say, in the old classic motto of IT, "You can build the best IT implementation in the world but if it's not used, what's the point?"
So, when I talk about human-centered, it's really not about the actual technologies behind the scenes, it's about how we're employing them for the benefit of users.
Grush: You've just mentioned some good use examples, especially in the area of student services. But many of the same objectives were proposed in light of ERP systems even a couple decades ago. What's different now?
Wozencroft: ERP has been a compelling market to follow and one that I have spent much of my career focused on. When you think of the purpose of an ERP, it serves as our central command system, much like the central nervous system. In the past we used to think of it as a silo, however today we need to recognize the importance of data that lives outside of the ERP, much like how the human body is connected. As we look at newer generations of ERPs, two advances are really helping us become more agile — the native cloud offering, which allows us to stop focusing on the tech and focus on the true business value; and artificial intelligence, which is going to help us move far beyond basic transactions and free up teams to focus on driving better value add services.
While we're accomplishing that, we need to remember other systems and data that have impact. Thinking about student success, the ERP is our pilot to help a learner chart a path to graduation, certificate achievement, and so forth. However that is one small fraction of their story — let's not shelve their admissions data, rather, let's use it to help chart a better path to success. And what can we tell from our campus infrastructure: Are they on campus often? How are they doing according to LMS data, and the like? When we combine all data sources, we can make much better decisions and recommendations. ERP is now just a fraction of that ability.
Grush: What else is coming up in NJIT's 2030 strategic plan, that could be supported with a human-centered digital ecosystem?
Wozencroft: Another part of a human-centered digital ecosystem that we're looking at in the 2030 plan is a challenge in the polytechnic space: How do we ensure that we're teaching the ethics and philosophical issues that prepare our learners for the digital transformation we expect to see?