Student Outcomes & AI Search: What You Need to Know

Overview

When you upload student outcomes data to your VCC platform, that data becomes part of the knowledge base that powers AI Search. This means students, alumni, and other platform visitors can ask natural-language questions and receive answers drawn directly from your institution's own outcomes data — not generic information from the web.

This connection makes AI Search significantly more valuable: instead of general career guidance, students get institution-specific insights that reflect real outcomes from graduates who came before them.

Example Questions AI Search Can Answer

Once your outcomes data is uploaded, AI Search can respond to questions like:

• "How much money can I make if I major in English?"
• "What do biology graduates from this school do after graduation?"
• "Which major has the highest employment rate?"
• "What are the top employers for business majors here?"
• "Where do most graduates live after finishing their degree?"
• "Do most graduates need a second degree to get a job in their field?"

Here is a library of sample questions that can be used for various stakeholder types for reference when using AI search and hoping for outcomes-infused answers.

How It Works

• You upload your data. Your First Destination Survey (FDS) data is uploaded via Analyze > Student Outcomes > Upload Data.
• AI Search indexes it. The platform automatically makes your outcomes data available to AI Search as part of your institution's knowledge base.
• Students ask questions. When a student asks an outcomes-related question, AI Search draws from your uploaded data to generate a response.
• Answers are institution-specific. Responses reflect your graduates' actual outcomes — salary data, employment rates, top employers, and more.

What Data Is Used?

AI Search draws from any outcomes data you have uploaded that meets the minimum threshold:

• At least 5 data points per major are required before outcomes data for that major surfaces in AI Search responses.
• This threshold protects student privacy by ensuring responses are never based on a sample small enough that individual students could be identified.

Controlling What Appears in AI Search

You can manage whether your outcomes data appears in AI Search from the Data Exclusion tab within Student Outcomes.

Include Student Outcomes results in AI Search: This setting is enabled by default. If you turn it off, your outcomes data will not be used in AI Search responses. AI Search will still function and surface other content from your platform.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need the ODV module for my outcomes data to appear in AI Search?

No. Any customer who uploads outcomes data will have that data available to AI Search, regardless of whether they have the ODV module. The ODV module is required to display outcomes data publicly on your platform and embed your data on institutional webpages — but the AI Search integration is available to all customers.

Will AI Search show charts or visualizations from my outcomes data?

No. AI Search delivers outcomes information in written, conversational responses — not charts. If you want students to explore interactive charts and visualizations, the ODV module makes your full outcomes page publicly available with filtering and visualization tools.

How often does AI Search update when I upload new data?

AI Search will reflect newly uploaded outcomes data after the platform has indexed your file. This typically happens shortly after a successful upload.

What if I do not want my outcomes data showing in AI Search?

You can turn off outcomes data in AI Search entirely using the setting in the Data Exclusion tab. If you have the ODV module, you also have additional controls to exclude specific majors or class years.