Development of a Natural Language Processing-Based Virtual Assistant for Optimizing Academic Services
Fahmy Syahputra, Harvei Desmon Hutahaean, Amirhud Dalimunthe, Saras Pratama

Universitas Negeri Medan

Abstract

The rapid advancement of technology in the field of artificial intelligence has encouraged the development of innovative solutions to improve service quality in higher education. This research focuses on the development of a virtual assistant based on Natural Language Processing (NLP) to optimize academic services. The virtual assistant is designed to facilitate various administrative and academic processes such as course registration, academic information retrieval, and student consultation scheduling. The system integrates NLP techniques for intent recognition, entity extraction, and context management, enabling it to understand and respond to user queries accurately. The development method used follows the agile model with iterative testing to ensure system reliability and user-friendliness. Evaluation results involving 100 students showed a 92% success rate in correctly understanding user queries and a significant reduction in service response time. The findings demonstrate that the NLP-based virtual assistant can enhance efficiency and accessibility in academic services, while also reducing the workload of administrative staff. Future development will focus on expanding the knowledge base and integrating predictive analytics to support academic decision-making.

Keywords: Virtual Assistant, Natural Language Processing, Academic Services, Artificial Intelligence, Educational Technology

Topic: Applied Sciences and Information Technology