Western Governors University partners with Aera Technology to enhance student support with AI-driven Decision Intelligence

Western Governors University has partnered with Aera Technology to introduce a Decision Intelligence ecosystem to enhance student support through personalised learning. 

This collaboration leverages the Aera Decision Cloud platform to help the university improve course completion rates and close equity gaps among its diverse student population.

As the largest nonprofit, competency-based online higher education institution in the United States, WGU serves approximately 176,000 students, 74% of whom come from underserved populations. These students often face challenges such as financial difficulties, time management issues, and competing life responsibilities, which can hinder their academic progress.

The Decision Intelligence ecosystem provided by Aera Technology will enable WGU to offer targeted support to students by predicting outcomes early in their educational journeys. By using decision modelling and AI, the platform will help faculty identify students who are struggling and determine the most effective interventions to keep them on track.

Joe Dery, Vice President and Dean at WGU’s School of Technology, stated:

"I am genuinely excited about bringing Decision Intelligence capabilities to higher education. We can now bring decision modelling together with a digitised map of the student journey, and the right AI techniques to predict outcomes early, guiding faculty interventions at an individual level to maximise student success. 

“This is a big step forward in using AI to improve outcomes, while keeping human decision-making at the forefront."

WGU’s decision to implement this technology is driven by the need to address the factors contributing to student attrition. According to the university’s data, while tuition costs are a significant reason for students leaving college, other factors such as a decline in motivation and shifting focus, also play crucial roles. Providing timely, personalised interventions is key to improving student outcomes, particularly for those who have struggled academically.

“Aera's leadership in Decision Intelligence provides the decision ecosystem capability we need to reinvigorate the promise of higher education,” said Jennie Sanders, Vice President of Instruction, Western Governors University.

"There are many projects focused on using AI in higher education, but we are focused on something more fundamental — empowering better decision-making at the individual level to drive completion, return, and equitable outcomes for our students at scale."

The Aera Decision Cloud platform will assist WGU faculty in engaging with students at critical points in their education by automating recommended actions based on real-time data. This approach is expected to enhance the university's ability to support students effectively, thereby increasing course completion rates and overall graduation outcomes.

"There are many projects focused on using AI in higher education, but we are focused on something more fundamental — empowering better decision-making at the individual level to drive completion, return, and equitable outcomes for our students at scale," said Jennie Sanders, Vice President of Instruction at WGU.

Aera Technology CEO Fred Laluyaux commented on the broader impact of this collaboration:

“We are proud to enable market-changing AI innovation that drives human success in higher education. Collaborating with the Western Governors University team, we are demonstrating the amazing power of Decision Intelligence and its ability to enable meaningful student and instructor outcomes and achieve new milestones for AI and human teams.”