Saint Louis University (SLU) is set to install more than 2,300 Echo Dots before classes start later this month, the school announced.
Powered by Alexa for Business, the Echo Dots will be placed in every student residence hall room or student apartment on campus. This will be the first time that a school has placed the device, powered by Amazon Alexa, in every student living space.
In a statement, SLU said the Echo Dots that will be distributed are customized to address students' questions specific to the university. According to SLU, the device is designed to answer more than 100 school-related questions. Among the questions are "what time does the library close tonight?" or "where is the registrar's office?"
According to David Hakanson, SLU's vice president and CIO, the students whom the university attracts are highly driven to achieve success in and out of the classroom. Hakanson said the device can help students save valuable minutes that they can use to focus on their education rather than spend it on searching for information they need online.
The Echo Dot can enlighten students on questions about Billiken athletics' games, concerts, major speakers on campus, student events and organizations, service and mission opportunities, and other aspects of student life. Best of all, the Amazon Alexa-enabled device will be made available to students at no cost.
Echo Dot Could Enhance Connectivity
What excites Kent Porterfield, Ed.D., the university's vice president for student development, about the Echo Dot is the enhanced connectivity that it brings to the campus community. Porterfield believes that the students could learn and benefit more from their experience at SLU through connectivity.
Before distributing the Echo Dot, the university launched a pilot program where they placed the smart speakers in every residence hall rooms last spring. The pilot program received a positive response from students, inspiring the university to push through with its roll out.
Katlyn Martin, president of SLU's Student Government Association, described the program as innovative, as it provides students with another means to find things on campus and interact with fellow students.
Amazon Proud To Be Working With SLU
The skills installed on SLU's Echo Dots were developed by n-Powered, an Alexa skill development firm, and will be hosted Amazon Web Services. Through Alexa for Business, the university can set up and manage the devices and enroll new users.
Andrew Ko, director of education at AWS, said the company is proud to work with SLU in providing students with quick access to important information. Also, Ko said the devices will help students feel more comfortable and confident around campus and in the classroom.
