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Saint Louis University is bringing technology to its students more than ever before. Ahead of the fall semester, the university announced it will be placing Amazon Echo Dot devices, powered by Alexa for Business, in every student residence hall room or student apartment on campus.
The project, appropriately known as the SLU Alexa Project, will use have more than 2,300 Echo Dots in place by the start of classes.
It will mark the first time a college will equip every student living space with an Alexa device.
“The students we attract are highly driven to achieve success in and out of the classroom,” said David Hakanson, SLU’s vice president and CIO. “Every minute we can save our students from having to search for the information they need online is another minute that they can spend focused on what matters most: their education.”
Saint Louis University will also have its own Alexa skill which can do the following:
- Billiken athletics’ games
- Concerts
- Major speakers on campus
- Student events and organizations
- Service and mission opportunities
- Other aspects of student life
Last spring, a pilot program with Alexa devices was tested in residence hall rooms and it was an overwhelming success. As a result, every living space will now be equipped with the technology.
“I think it’s really innovative,” added Katlyn Martin, president of SLU’s Student Government Association. “By interacting with technology in a cool way, our students will have another resource to find things to do on campus, to meet other people and to take advantage of the holistic Jesuit education that Saint Louis University offers.”
For anyone who has privacy concerns, have no fear. Because the devices are through Alexa for Business, there will be no devices tied to specific accounts and no personal information will be collected.
