Course completion effects differed by subject: reduced DFW in Government and reduced dropping in Microeconomics¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · causal r3 · q3
Currency · newest study 2026 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i? Overall, treated students were not significantly less likely to DFW or drop; in Government treatment reduced DFW by three percentage points relative to 18% of control students, while in Microeconomics it reduced dropping by three percentage points relative to 8% of control students. → Meyer 2026

Evidence¶

Meyer 2026¶

Meyer, Katharine, Lindsay C. Page, Catherine Mata, Eric N. Smith, B. Tyler Walsh, C. Lindsey Fifield, Michelle Tyson, Amy Eremionkhale, Michael Evans, Shelby Frost, and Eye Eoun Jung. (2026). Let's Chat: Leveraging Chatbot Outreach for Improved Course Performance (NBER Working Paper No. 35397). National Bureau of Economic Research. doi:10.3386/w35397. Also released as EdWorkingPaper 22-564, Annenberg Institute at Brown University: https://edworkingpapers.com/ai22-564

q3 · i? · causal · r3

ITT analysis of course completion outcomes (Table 2, panels B and C). Government DFW reduction was driven by a non-significant two-point reduction in D or F grades; Microeconomics showed a three-point drop in course withdrawal relative to 8% of control students.

"In Government (panel B), students assigned to treatment are three percentage points less likely to DFW compared to 18% of control students. This effect on the DFW outcome is primarily driven by a reduction in earning a D or F (where we observe a two percentage point reduction, not statistically significant)."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Chatbot outreach showed suggestive effects on assignment completion in Microeconomics but no effects on assignments in Government — related
• Women assigned to the chatbot in Microeconomics earned final grades seven points higher than control women, with no treatment effects for men — related
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