Client
Dundalk Institute of Technology
Technology
Azure OpenAI services, Azure AI Search and Azure AI Document Intelligence
Dundalk Institute of Technology (DkIT) is the leading higher education institute of the North-East and cross-border region. Established in 1971, DkIT provides full-time and part-time undergraduate and postgraduate programmes to approximately 6,000 students in four academic schools: Business & Humanities, Engineering, Health and Science and Informatics and Creative Arts.
The problem
As part of the N-TUTORR programme – a national initiative to transform learning, teaching, and assessment across the Technological Higher Education Sector – DkIT sought to enhance the online support available to students 24/7 via the Student Support Hub on the virtual learning environment. This hub complements and extends the in-person supports available to students. The goal of this project was to enhance responsiveness and interactivity by introducing an AI-driven chatbot to directly answer questions. Following initial scoping of the project, it was decided the chatbot project would focus on answering student queries about academic integrity.
The solution
Micromail were identified as the service provider, with Ergo and Analytics Engines, Ergo’s partner and a leading provider of AI and data-driven solutions, supporting this body of work. With DkIT partners, the companies held weekly collaborative meetings to refine and clarify the requirements for the chatbot. These regular meetings also ensured steady progress and rapid feedback cycles. Based on this collaborative process, a Statement of Work was developed outlining the design, implementation, and testing phases of the new solution.
The chatbot was built on Azure OpenAI services, Azure AI Search and Azure AI Document Intelligence. It enables students to ask natural-language questions and receive accurate answers drawn from DkIT’s existing knowledge base on academic integrity, including guides, policies, and support tools. The Chatbot utilises semantic search technology to understand a broader range of student questions, minimising the need for manual management of question/answer pairs.
From a DkIT perspective, it was clear that Security, Data Protection and Privacy were paramount for this project. The new solution, which is positioned within the Institution’s virtual learning environment (VLE), is resistant to prompt injections and does not capture user details, ensuring the highest standards of privacy and security.
In September 2024, the chatbot underwent user acceptance testing with DkIT staff and students. Following positive feedback and a smooth testing phase, the chatbot was successfully launched on the DkIT student VLE portal. Students reported that the chatbot was intuitive and easy to use.
“As part of the National Technological University Transformation and Resilience project (N-TUTORR), Dundalk Institute of Technology was able to explore the development of an academic integrity chatbot to embed into our online student support hub on our Virtual Learning Environment (VLE).Ergo, in collaboration with their partner Analytics Engines, worked with us to scope the project and developed an excellent solution by leveraging Microsoft’s AI technology. The result is a reliable chatbot that is able to answer student queries about academic integrity in real time, 24/7, with answers based on our own guidance and resources. This has helped to extend the functionality of the virtual student support hub and the academic integrity support available to students at all times.“
Dr Moira Maguire, Acting Head of School of Health & Science at DkIT
“While working with the Micromail, Ergo and Analytics Engines team, we consistently valued their eye for detail, technical expertise, and client-focused support. A key factor in the project’s success was the dedicated project management team that ensured steady progress and clear communication throughout. The project was very much a collaborative effort, resulting in the successful delivery of an interactive, and AI-driven, chatbot to support our students in the important area of academic integrity – a key priority in Higher Education”.
Dr. Ronan Bree, DkIT N-TUTORR Institute Lead
The benefits
The chatbot initiative contributes to DkIT’s strategic goal to enhance the student experience and support all our students to achieve their potential.
Summary
DkIT partnered with Micromail, Ergo and Analytics Engines to co-design and implement an AI-driven chatbot leveraging Azure OpenAI Services, Azure AI Search, and Azure AI Document Intelligence. The chatbot enables students to access information, guidance, and support relating to academic integrity. The solution was developed with a strong focus on privacy, security, and accessibility, ensuring that user data is protected and that the Chatbot is resistant to prompt injection attacks.
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