Northumbria University

Pioneering AI Support in Higher Education: Northumbria University’s Norman Service Ember Initiative

For more than 18 years, Norman Managed Services (known simply as "Norman"), which is part of Northumbria University, has become a valued partner to over 40 universities in the UK and internationally. Operating 24/7/365, Norman provides critical support to an estimated one million service users plus worldwide, offering assistance for everything from technical troubleshooting to routine inquiries. This firm commitment to dependable, around-the-clock assistance has established Norman as an essential resource in the sector.

Now, Norman is taking its support capabilities to a new level with the introduction of Ember, an AI-driven service built using Microsoft technology. Ember builds on over 18 years of expertise in higher education support, combined with a bold vision to make assistance more accessible, personalised, and responsive. Using cutting-edge AI, Ember aims to transform how support is delivered by turning vast knowledge resources into intuitive, conversational responses that will engage users in real time.

Milestones and Road to Launch

Norman’s team is on track to launch Ember ahead of the 2025/26 academic year. The team has been making significant progress, securing agreement with Microsoft to integrate advanced neural voice technology and designing workflows to maximise user satisfaction and elevate the overall experience. Alongside this, they have been building Ember’s technical infrastructure - establishing essential capabilities such as greeting users, managing fallback responses, and implementing interruption controls to create a seamless, intuitive interaction.

Additionally, Norman’s team has invested in specialised training through the Conversation Design Institute, equipping staff to create static content and pre-defined storylines within Ember, refining the conversational flow without depending solely on Generative AI. By merging innovative technology with thoughtful conversational design, Norman is aiming to carefully perfect the user experience.

Combining Conversational AI and Pre-Built Stories

While AI powers much of Ember’s conversational abilities, Norman’s design philosophy underscores the importance of curated, structured responses. By combining conversational AI with pre-built stories, Ember will offer users clear, structured guidance while allowing the AI to intuitively guide them to relevant content. This balanced approach brings together the adaptability of AI-driven interactions with the consistency of static, human-designed content - a valuable blend for delivering complex support, which might otherwise feel overwhelming in a purely AI-led conversation.

Increasing Inclusivity Through Advanced Voice Recognition

A key focus for Ember is to build an inclusive support experience that overcomes the challenges of voice recognition across the UK’s rich diversity of dialects - a frequent pain point for users. One promising approach is exploring OpenAI’s Whisper model through Azure AI Speech to deliver a voice recognition experience that feels natural, accurate, and inclusive, fostering smooth interactions regardless of the user’s accent. This commitment to accessibility lies at the heart of Ember’s mission, as Norman aims to provide genuinely equitable support for all.

Building on Microsoft’s AI and Infrastructure

Ember’s architecture is powered by a robust suite of Microsoft technologies, designed to deliver agility and scalability. Norman leverages Copilot Studio alongside serverless components such as Azure Functions and Azure Cosmos DB to ensure a responsive, adaptable framework. At the heart of Ember’s AI capabilities is OpenAI’s GPT-4 model, accessed via Azure OpenAI Service, enabling real-time transformation of internal knowledge into dynamic, conversational responses.

Future Plans for Avatars

As part of its longer-term vision, Norman is exploring the integration of avatar-based support, with a rollout anticipated for 2026. This initiative aims to create a more engaging, recognisable interface for users, strengthening brand identity by modelling the avatar after a real-life university staff member. To balance familiarity with transparency, Norman plans to incorporate clear indicators that Ember’s avatar is a digital assistant, building trust and allowing users to opt out of the avatar experience if they prefer.

Balancing AI Efficiency with Human Support

Norman recognises that while AI is powerful, it cannot fully replicate the nuance and empathy of human agents, especially in sensitive scenarios. Ember’s design incorporates this understanding, featuring automated triggers and a carefully structured architecture that smoothly transitions users to human support when required. This approach aims to ensure that users receive the right balance of AI efficiency and human empathy.