University of Pretoria Expands Mental Health Support with Chatbot SCU-B

Enhancing Student Well-Being with SCU-B

To meet the increasing demand for mental health resources, UP's SCU needed a scalable and efficient solution that could provide 24/7 support to students. SCU-B was developed using Google Cloud technologies, including Dialogflow, Google Kubernetes Engine, and Cloud SQL, to create a chatbot capable of offering real-time, personalised assistance. SCU-B allows students to access mental health resources at any time, providing self-help topics and stress management tools tailored to their needs.

The chatbot's AI and natural language understanding capabilities, powered by Dialogflow, enable realistic conversational experiences. Students interact with SCU-B through text commands, receiving relevant resource recommendations and personalised toolkits to address their mental health concerns. The integration of these technologies ensures that SCU-B can deliver meaningful support in a user-friendly and accessible manner.

Rapid and Collaborative Implementation

The collaboration between UP, CloudSmiths, and Digicloud Africa was crucial in bringing SCU-B to life within a few months. The project’s success was driven by the teams’ shared commitment to enhancing student well-being. SCU-B’s mobile-friendly design and cost-effective deployment ensure that students from all backgrounds have equitable access to the support they need, especially during challenging times like the COVID-19 pandemic.

Positive Impact and Future Potential

Since its launch, SCU-B has received positive feedback from students, who appreciate its accessibility and the confidential support it provides. The chatbot has become a valuable resource for the UP community, helping to alleviate the pressures faced by students and offering timely assistance when it is most needed.