Meet Swoop the Eagle ‘Bot

Enhancing EWU’s Student Support Through Real-Time Communication

Swoop is EWU’s behaviorally smart AI chatbot powered by EdSights, designed to improve how we engage with undergraduate students throughout the academic year. By sending short, targeted text messages, Swoop gathers real-time insights about students’ academic experience, financial concerns, sense of belonging, and overall well-being. These insights enable our teams across campus to respond earlier and more effectively when a student may need support, and elevate the student’s voice by ensuring their feedback and lived experiences guide our next steps.

Swoop also serves as a 24/7 information resource, giving students the ability to ask questions and seek guidance at any time, day or night. Whether a student has a quick question about registration, financial aid, campus resources, or needs to self-disclose personal or academic challenges, Swoop provides immediate, personalized responses. This constant availability empowers students to access support on their own schedule, reducing the pressure on staff to respond to routine inquiries and saving valuable staff hours.

What Swoop Does

Swoop communicates directly with students through text, helping them access information and support related to:

Academic success (advising, tutoring, study strategies)
Financial matters (FAFSA, financial aid, billing, scholarships)
Student life and engagement (campus services, events, involvement)
Well-being and basic needs (counseling, community resources, personal concerns)

In addition to responding to student-initiated questions 24/7, Swoop periodically initiates check-ins to understand emerging issues. This allows EWU to identify trends, tailor outreach strategies, and strengthen student persistence efforts.

How Swoop Supports EWU’s Work

Swoop enhances our student success ecosystem by:

Providing early alerts when students express academic, financial, or personal challenges.
Offering real-time student sentiment and feedback that informs program planning across departments.
Delivering immediate answers to common student questions, reducing staff email volume and improving response times.
Supporting advisors, success coaches, financial aid, housing, and other units by connecting students to services faster.
Helping students stay on track, remain engaged, and feel more connected to EWU.

Swoop’s Impact So Far

96% Opt-In Rate
96% of students on the platform are opted in to receive texts from Swoop.
53% Student Engagement
Over half of students (53%) are actively texting and engaging with Swoop.
20,050 Student Messages Exchanged
Students have sent 20,050 replies and messages back to Swoop in the last 12 months, reflecting strong two-way engagement and ongoing conversation with the chatbot.

Swoop-Generated Cases & Staff Outreach

Swoop’s check-ins and two-way conversations have triggered hundreds of actionable alerts, prompting teams across campus to connect directly with students who may need support. Since launch in Winter 2023, EWU staff have opened and followed up on:

271 Financial Follow-Up Cases – Support for aid, billing, FAFSA, emergency aid, and financial stressors
207 Academic Follow-Up Cases – Outreach related to course performance, advising needs, or class concerns
125 Wellness Follow-Up Cases – Well-being concerns, stress, mental health, belonging, and basic needs
26 Engagement Follow-Up Cases – Campus involvement, isolation, and connection-related outreach

These alerts reflect real student challenges, identified early through Swoop’s behaviorally informed communication. Each case represents proactive outreach completed by EWU staff to ensure students do not fall through the cracks.

Getting Students Connected

All new undergraduate students receive an introductory message from Swoop at the beginning of their EWU journey. Students can then ask Swoop questions at any time or reply to periodic check-ins throughout the year. Participation is free, confidential, and used solely to enhance EWU’s ability to provide timely, student-centered support.

Swoop is a key contributor to EWU’s commitment to improving retention, strengthening student belonging, and ensuring every Eagle has access to the resources they need to succeed.