Dartmouth College is transforming student wellness support with the launch of Evergreen, an AI-driven platform that provides personalized behavioral health coaching while complementing traditional counseling services. Developed through a unique student-faculty collaboration, this innovative approach represents a significant shift from crisis intervention to continuous, proactive mental health support.
Evergreen AI Platform Design and Development
The Evergreen platform functions as a campus-native digital assistant that analyzes individual student patterns to deliver timely, conversational suggestions. Unlike traditional mental health apps, Evergreen was conceived and built by the Dartmouth student community it serves, with more than 130 undergraduates contributing to tone, content, and user interaction design.
“Our approach recognizes that moving fast and breaking things doesn’t work with student wellness,” explained Nicholas Jacobson, an associate professor leading the research. “We need scientifically developed, rigorously tested interventions that actually help students navigate the complexities of college life.”
How the AI Wellness Technology Works
Evergreen integrates multiple data sources to provide personalized support:
- Academic schedules and activity patterns
- Voluntarily shared biometric data including sleep and heart rate
- User-reported mood and stress levels
- Historical response data to improve future interactions
The system’s current chatbot technology draws from over 100,000 hours of expert-reviewed therapeutic interactions, providing a foundation grounded in behavioral science rather than corporate algorithms. As additional coverage of AI innovation demonstrates, this approach represents the cutting edge of educational technology development.
Research-Backed Implementation Strategy
Dartmouth is implementing Evergreen through a carefully structured research protocol that will span several years. The rollout includes:
- Initial chatbot launch in December
- Randomized controlled trials beginning next year
- Fully generative version testing in 2026
- Large-scale trials planned for 2027
This methodical approach ensures that the platform’s impact on mental health outcomes is properly measured and validated. As related analysis of technology implementation shows, proper testing protocols are essential for successful educational technology adoption.
Student-Centered Design Philosophy
What makes Evergreen particularly innovative is its development process. Unlike commercially developed wellness apps that are adapted for campus use, Evergreen was built from the ground up by the Dartmouth community. This peer-to-peer approach aims to create a tool that feels authentic and relatable to students.
“Colleges and universities exist to prepare students to be resilient in a world that is becoming more complex by the day,” said Dartmouth President Sian Leah Beilock. “Evergreen represents students harnessing the power of artificial intelligence to create personalized behavioral health tools for their peers.”
Future of AI in Educational Wellness
The adaptive design of Evergreen allows researchers to continuously refine the platform based on student outcomes and feedback. The system will evolve through experiments on engagement strategies, communication tone, and intervention timing, with each iteration contributing to the scientific understanding of effective digital wellness support.
This development aligns with broader trends in educational AI integration, though Evergreen’s specific focus on student-developed wellness technology represents a unique approach. The platform’s success could influence how educational institutions worldwide approach mental health support in the digital age.
