Students are surrounded by support resources - academic coaching, tutoring, mental health services, career guidance - yet most never use them.
In this episode of Inside the Learning Experience, host Betheny Gross sits down with WGU Labs researchers Stephanie Reeves and Youngki Hong to unpack why this gap exists and how AI-powered tools could help close it.
Drawing on large-scale surveys, student interviews, and early user testing, the conversation explores:
- Why students often don’t seek help, even when they need it
- How early challenges impact belonging and long-term success
- What students want (and don’t want) from AI-powered support
- The promise—and limits—of chatbots for academic, motivational, and emotional support
- How personalization and proactive outreach could transform the student experience
Rather than focusing on technology for technology’s sake, this episode centers student voices and asks a critical question: How can AI be designed to support learning in ways that feel human, equitable, and genuinely helpful?
