Streamlining Advising with Zoom AI Companion

Academic advising is a cornerstone of student success, but it includes often time-intensive documentation responsibilities that are essential for maintaining accurate student records. At the University of Utah, Ashley Glenn, Director of Campus Advising Solutions, is leading an initiative to use AI to make advising more efficient, consistent, and student-focused.

Introducing Advising Standards for AI in Zoom
Ashley collaborated with Jim Agutter, Senior Associate Dean of Faculty Success & Academic Innovation, and Liz Leckie, Chair of the Academic Advising Standards Council (AASC), to develop formal standards for using the Zoom AI Companion to summarize academic advising meetings. These standards were reviewed by Allyson Hicks, Director, of University Regulations Office, and Christopher Stout, Associate General Counsel, to refine language and ensure the guidelines are clear, practical, and aligned with the University’s commitment to promote proactive academic advising while maintaining the highest standards of data protection and student privacy.

Following review by University Regulations and General Counsel, the standards were approved by the Academic Advising Standards Council on November 21st. They outline best practices and expectations for incorporating AI-generated advising summaries into official advising records in Navigate. The goal is to reduce the time advisors spend on important post-appointment documentation while ensuring accurate, FERPA-compliant records that strengthen continuity of care across advising interactions.

How It Works
After obtaining explicit verbal consent from the student, advisors can opt to use Zoom’s AI Companion during virtual appointments. Students also retain the ability to request that AI Companion be stopped at any point during the appointment. The AI Companion then transcribes the conversation and produces a summary of key topics discussed, recommendations, deadlines, action items, and decisions made during the advising session. While the AI Companion is a powerful tool, it is not perfect. Advisors remain responsible for reviewing and editing the summary to ensure accuracy and add any missing information before saving it as the official appointment note in Navigate. This workflow creates a more consistent and reliable advising record for both students and advisors, improving the quality of appointment history while freeing advisors to focus on meaningful engagement during appointments.

Training and Implementation
This initiative is new, and outcomes are still being measured. Advisors will receive training on the standards during the Campuswide Advisor Development Series in February, hosted by Campus Advising Solutions. Training will cover the consent process, technical aspects of using AI Companion, data privacy considerations, and integration with Navigate. Because the process requires consent from both advisors and students, adoption will vary across virtual appointments.

Why It Matters
By creating efficiencies in administrative tasks and streamlining documentation, advisors can devote more time to building relationships, supporting student decision-making, and engaging in proactive academic planning conversations. For students, this means clearer, more accurate advising records — and a stronger foundation for ongoing academic success.

   For more information, contact: aglenn@advising.utah.edu