DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION OF A CHATBOT APPLICATION FOR STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES IN THE UNIVERSITY OF ILORIN, ILORIN

Here is the abstract from the document: This project details the development and deployment of an AI-based chatbot application designed to enhance student support services at the University of Ilorin. The system employs advanced Natural Language Processing (NLP) models specifically OpenAI’s GPT and Google’s BERT to understand user intent, perform context-aware query handling, and generate dynamic, human-like responses. The chatbot architecture integrates a Flask-based backend with Firebase Authentication and Firestore for secure session handling and real-time data synchronization. A React frontend ensures responsive user interaction, while PostgreSQL and Pinecone vector databases enable efficient retrieval of structured and semantic query data. The chatbot addresses common academic and administrative queries such as course registration, clearance procedures, campus navigation, and policy interpretation. The development process follows a hybrid Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC), combining the Waterfall and Prototyping models to support both structured deployment and iterative refinement based on user feedback. Performance evaluation through unit, integration, and user acceptance testing yielded a response accuracy of over 90% for FAQ-type queries and over 80% for open-ended inputs. Scalability and concurrency tests confirmed system reliability under high user loads. This project demonstrates the viability of intelligent virtual assistants in streamlining university support services and provides a blueprint for AI integration in higher education administration, particularly within resource-constrained environments.