New research led by the University of Pittsburgh’s Lindsay Page finds that nudging – through the use of artificially intelligent chatbots – can offer a significant boost to certain college outreach and engagement efforts.

In their study of a unique chatbot system used by Georgia State University, researchers identified the conditions under which nudging was most effective, and the outreach efforts that benefitted most.

Page joins CPRE Knowledge Hub managing editor Keith Heumiller to discuss the study, and some implications for colleges and universities hoping to maintain engagement with students in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.


Page, Lindsay C. , Jeonghyun Lee, and Hunter Gehlbach. (). “Conditions under which college students can be responsive to nudging” (EdWorkingPaper: -242). Retrieved from Annenberg Institute at Brown University.