How Ivy and Ocelot from Gravyty are Helping Community Colleges Move from FAQs to Full-Lifecycle Engagement
In an era of shrinking resources and rising student expectations, California Community Colleges are increasingly turning to technology to enhance student support. The recent merger of Ocelot, Ivy.ai, and Gravyty has created a unified, full-lifecycle platform for student engagement, and San Diego Mesa Community College (Mesa College) serves as a powerful case study for its impact. By leveraging this new generative AI platform, Mesa College transformed its student support model, demonstrating how a centralized AI assistant can improve student success and operational efficiency.
From Dispersed to Unified: A Holistic Approach
Mesa College’s journey began with a common challenge: a limited, decentralized chatbot that couldn’t keep up with student and staff needs. The college recognized the need for a more comprehensive solution that could provide accurate, timely information across all departments. By adopting the new Ivy and Ocelot platform from Gravyty, Mesa College consolidated its knowledge into a single, campus-wide “big brain” resource.
This move transformed student support. The AI assistant now correctly answers approximately 80% of student questions, far surpassing the capabilities of the previous system. The platform’s generative AI enables natural, human-like conversations, guiding students through complex tasks and seamlessly escalating to staff support when needed. This eliminated the need for manual updates to massive FAQ libraries, as the system learns, adapts, and improves over time, ensuring students always get the most accurate and timely information.
Proven Impact on Students and Staff
The benefits of this shift were significant for both students and staff. For students, many of whom are first-generation, the AI assistant provides 24/7 access to critical information, even late at night or during peak enrollment periods. This timely support reduces frustration and helps students navigate the complexities of college life.
For the college’s team, the new system has fostered cross-departmental collaboration and preserved institutional knowledge. By centralizing information, the AI assistant acts as a powerful support tool for staff training, ensuring that all teams have access to the same up-to-date information. Mesa College’s success demonstrates that AI technology can be a vital resource for colleges striving to do more with less resource strain.
With hundreds of community colleges already leveraging AI, Mesa College’s case study shows the clear benefits of a next-generation solution for full-lifecycle student engagement. It highlights a seamless evolution with more power, more personalization, and less maintenance, setting a new standard for student support in higher education.
If you are interested in learning more about leveraging the FoundationCCC’s agreement, please contact cbcontracts@foundationccc.org. You can also join an upcoming live demo to explore how AI engagement can support every step of your students’ journey.
