Embry-Riddle’s IT Team Earns Coveted Industry Distinction

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University has been honored as a PeopleSoft Feature Innovator for revolutionizing student engagement and support through the strategic deployment of an advanced Oracle Digital Assistant (ODA), or chatbot.

Dubbed “Ace,” the chatbot “has been seamlessly integrated across Embry-Riddle’s diverse campus environments,” said Srilakshmi Ramachandra, senior director for Product Management and Strategy at Oracle Corporation, maker of PeopleSoft, an e-business software product.

The innovation at Embry-Riddle exemplifies Embry-Riddle’s “commitment to leveraging cutting-edge technology to enrich their students’ academic journey and operational efficiency,” Ramachandra added.

To implement the Ace chatbot, the university partnered with a firm called Gideon Taylor, which specializes in business process optimization, reported Embry-Riddle Vice President and Chief Information Officer Becky Vasquez.

Ace was deployed in 2021 to enhance service to students at Embry-Riddle’s Daytona Beach, Florida; Prescott, Arizona; and Worldwide campuses. “Our goal was to provide information to students in a highly engaging, timely and efficient manner,” Vasquez noted. “Many thanks to all who worked to make this advancement possible.”

Vasquez added that the university’s Web Strategy team, and in particular Executive Director of Web Strategy Amanda Murawski and Senior Chatbot Specialist Renee Peter, were key to the project’s success.

In 2023 alone, the Embry-Riddle Ace chatbot has generated nearly 9,000 student inquiries, Vasquez reported. Plans are underway to expand Ace’s capabilities in 2024, aiming to support additional personas and further enhance the university's support