Education (Colleges & Universities)
Here's a look at documents from public, private and community colleges in the U.S.
Featured Stories
University of Mississippi: Artificial Intelligence Agents Are Reshaping Sales at a Growing Pace
OXFORD, Mississippi, Jan. 6 -- The University of Mississippi issued the following news:
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Artificial Intelligence Agents Are Reshaping Sales at a Growing Pace
Ole Miss marketing professor explores AI's impact on sales, training and workforce
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The future of sales may no longer hinge on how quickly humans can organize their pitch decks, analyze customer data or respond to shifting buyer preferences.
University of Mississippi marketing professor Gary Hunter's new research suggests it may depend on how effectively organizations learn to work alongside something faster than any human team:
... Show Full Article
OXFORD, Mississippi, Jan. 6 -- The University of Mississippi issued the following news:
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Artificial Intelligence Agents Are Reshaping Sales at a Growing Pace
Ole Miss marketing professor explores AI's impact on sales, training and workforce
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The future of sales may no longer hinge on how quickly humans can organize their pitch decks, analyze customer data or respond to shifting buyer preferences.
University of Mississippi marketing professor Gary Hunter's new research suggests it may depend on how effectively organizations learn to work alongside something faster than any human team:autonomous artificial intelligence agents.
"Agentic AI systems are reaching an imperative level; to maintain competitive stance, most sales organizations have to embrace some form of agentic AI," said Hunter, the FNC Founders Chair in marketing and data analytics and associate professor of marketing.
"Like it or not, it's one of those things that's here to stay"
AI agents are complex and able to identify and qualify potential customers, start conversations, schedule meetings, tailor sales messages, track deals, and even manage follow-ups and renewals. They can do all this while learning and adapting without constant human direction.
Hunter worked with Gabriel Gonzalez, associate professor of marketing at San Diego State University, and Johannes Habel, associate professor of marketing at University of Houston, to explore the rapid tech transformation underway inside sales organizations. Their results are set to publish this month in the Journal of Business Research.
Billions of dollars in potential sales are at stake. Industry estimates suggest the market for autonomous AI agents is on track to grow from $7.6 billion in 2025 to more than $139 billion by 2033.
Traditional, prompt-based AI tools such as ChatGPT and Google Gemini wait for a prompt or automate one-off tasks. Autonomous AI agents perceive their environments, reason through information and act autonomously, even repeating this cycle without human instruction.
The research team found these AI agents are the future of sales. The rapidly developing technology could be one of the most consequential turning points in sales since the widespread adoption of customer relationship management software in the early 2000s, Hunter said.
Customer relationship management systems, such as Sales Force and HubSpot software, help sales teams centrally track who they're talking with, what's been said and next steps. Its emergence reshaped how companies interacted with customers and managed information.
"Agentic AI can now perceive, reason and act across entire workflows, not just discrete tasks," said Kash Afshar, Ole Miss assistant professor of marketing. "This fundamentally reshapes who initiates the sales process.
"In practical terms, this means sales leaders must redesign workflows, sales force structure, control systems and success metrics. The firms that act fastest will gain the advantage. The ones that wait will find their competitors' AI agents working 24/7 while their human teams are still trying to update CRM fields."
Afshar teaches a new course in the School of Business Administration that helps Ole Miss students understand trends, embrace emerging sales technology and develop judgement needed for a field increasingly shaped by automation, data and communication.
According to the study, agentic AI is advancing with unprecedented speed. The whiplash pace creates a widening gap between what the technology can do and what experienced sales leaders feel prepared to manage, the researchers said.
Commercial providers offer AI agents capable of initiating customer outreach, qualifying leads, responding to inquiries and placing phone calls.
"Autonomy is powerful, but it demands human responsibility," Hunter said. "We need guardrails like transparency, disclosure, human oversight and limits on what AI should be allowed to decide on its own.
"Sales managers are having to make decisions with limited time and insight. They don't want to get left behind, but they also don't fully know which tools to adopt or how to integrate them."
These AI systems' ability to process new information, update their understanding of a situation and take next steps - sometimes multiple at a time - on their own adds independence that is reshaping the sales funnel, he said.
But the team's findings show that the roadmap from customer awareness to completed purchases has room for AI assistance.
The earliest and latest stages of sales - finding potential customers and managing deals after they close - are especially ripe for AI, which can scan information, spot patterns and respond faster than people.
The middle of the process, where trust is built, deals are negotiated and relationships take shape, still depends heavily on human judgment. For now, that human connection remains hard to automate - though the research suggests even that balance could shift over time.
AI agents are not replacing salespersons; they are transforming and creating new job duties, Afshar said.
"The professionals who thrive will be those who do not fear this shift but embrace it as a chance to elevate their contribution," he said. "In essence, future sellers will manage AI agents the way a senior rep mentors a junior one."
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Original text here: https://olemiss.edu/news/2026/01/artificial-intelligence-agents-are-reshaping-sales-at-a-growing-pace/index.html
University of Iowa College of Liberal Arts and Sciences: Foundational Skills Taught in General Education Rhetoric Course Build Student Confidence and Community
IOWA CITY, Iowa, Jan. 6 -- The University of Iowa College of Liberal Arts and Sciences issued the following news:
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Foundational skills taught in general education rhetoric course build student confidence and community
As one of the first classes required for undergraduate UI students, the general education rhetoric course requirement paves the way for students to enhance important transferable skills.
By Bri Brands
As University of Iowa students begin their college careers, they are tasked with completing several general education courses across a wide range of subjects and disciplines.
... Show Full Article
IOWA CITY, Iowa, Jan. 6 -- The University of Iowa College of Liberal Arts and Sciences issued the following news:
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Foundational skills taught in general education rhetoric course build student confidence and community
As one of the first classes required for undergraduate UI students, the general education rhetoric course requirement paves the way for students to enhance important transferable skills.
By Bri Brands
As University of Iowa students begin their college careers, they are tasked with completing several general education courses across a wide range of subjects and disciplines.
Among these required courses is "Rhetoric: Writing and Communication," a foundational course that enables students to read texts more effectively, write more clearly, enhance communication, and hone critical thinking skills.
Associate Professor Cassandra Bausman said one of the key components of the class is showing students the value of intellectual curiosity.
"Because of their perspectives, opinions, and life experiences, the arguments they make aren't going to sound like anyone else's," she said. "They rise to that challenge every time and produce really cool, individualistic projects, and it's an amazing celebration of all of these people that we get to meet as individuals."
Every semester, Visiting Assistant Professor Elizabeth Crawford witnesses students in her course expanding their way of thinking, which emphasizes the department's mission to emphasize multiple perspectives.
Citing a common course discussion on the discourse in America, Crawford works to teach her students how to think with more nuance.
"They're looking for tools to understand [polarization] and engage with it and contextualize it for themselves," she said. "So, to have those talks with them about how to be nuanced about a situation that our leaders are making polarized is very empowering."
Bausman said the small class sizes are innovative for a university the size of UI--many similar-sized schools are unable to offer individualized attention in general education rhetoric courses.
"Our classes are small so we can get to know our students and the way they think, the way they construct arguments, and their strengths and weaknesses," Bausman said. "In some ways, the course is individualized for each student."
Interim Departmental Executive Officer Cinda Coggins-Mosher recalled being a UI student in the Rhetoric classroom in 1987 and meeting one of her lifelong best friends. Now, as an instructor, she gets to watch students foster similar connections and gain exposure to different worldviews.
"We're initiating students incrementally from where they are to where they need to be for college readiness, and that will carry them throughout the rest of their college career and beyond," Coggins-Mosher said. "It's one of the most important classes that any student could take, because it teaches critical thinking skills that transcend academia."
Associate Professor Katlyn O'Shaughnessy said many Rhetoric students expect the class to be similar to high school English courses, but are often surprised by readings, subject matter, or class discussions.
"We get a lot of evaluations that are like: 'I thought this was going to be a follow-up to my other English classes, but I actually got to read and research and think about a lot of things that I really care about and develop stronger critical thinking skills in the process,'" O'Shaughnessy said.
When students step into the Rhetoric classroom, often fresh out of high school, they're still used to being passive students, Bausman said. They are taught to receive knowledge and be sponges.
"In Rhetoric, they can be empowered to produce their own knowledge and really understand and celebrate the fact that they have existing literacies that they're bringing into the classroom that can have some serious academic weight," Bausman said.
As the UI prepares to offer the undergraduate Certificate in Artificial Intelligence in fall 2026, Rhetoric faculty are beginning to work on new innovations to incorporate into their own course curricula.
Most recently, faculty elected to add an artificial intelligence (AI) literacy component to their overall media and information literacy unit.
While the component is a work in progress, O'Shaughnessy said they are trying to keep up with the times and include discussions about AI ethics in coursework.
"That's an important part of what we do, in general, to prepare students for the real world--we're constantly trying to innovate," she said.
Crawford said the component isn't teaching students how to use AI; rather, it is about discussing its implications on cognitive development and the environment.
"Students are hungry for that information and they're concerned," she said. "They're worried about how it's affecting their learning and their critical thinking skills."
Although the department continues to adjust to whatever comes their way, they plan to always maintain their core values.
"A binding community value of our department is that we are able to engage in friendship and community around our shared love of teaching," O'Shaughnessy said.
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Original text here: https://clas.uiowa.edu/news/2026/01/foundational-skills-taught-general-education-rhetoric-course-build-student-confidence
Texas Lutheran University: Supporting the Change - Big Dog Endowment Philanthropitch 2025
SEGUIN, Texas, Jan. 6 -- Texas Lutheran University issued the following news:
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Supporting the Change: Big Dog Endowment Philanthropitch 2025
There are many worthy causes in this world. And there are many deserving organizations driven not by profit, but rather by the conviction that when people join together to address the needs of others, they can affect real change and work toward a better world.
And every year, TLU's Big Dog Endowment distributes a percentage of its funds to one of these worthy causes. The question is, how to pick which one?
That's where Philantropitch comes in. This
... Show Full Article
SEGUIN, Texas, Jan. 6 -- Texas Lutheran University issued the following news:
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Supporting the Change: Big Dog Endowment Philanthropitch 2025
There are many worthy causes in this world. And there are many deserving organizations driven not by profit, but rather by the conviction that when people join together to address the needs of others, they can affect real change and work toward a better world.
And every year, TLU's Big Dog Endowment distributes a percentage of its funds to one of these worthy causes. The question is, how to pick which one?
That's where Philantropitch comes in. Thisfall, students from the Big Dog Endowment program joined together behind one mission: to make a real, positive change in the world.
Here's how it works: Participants are divided into three teams, with each group researching an area of need they feel passionate about and selecting a nonprofit that addresses that need--knowing that one lucky group will earn a $25,000 grant to be awarded to their chosen cause.
Throughout the semester, students from a range of majors dig deep, learning from business professors about financials, nonprofit impact, and what it truly takes to lead with purpose.
Different backgrounds. Different academic paths. But one shared commitment: to help change the world for the better.
This year on December 5, the teams presented their proposals to an elite panel of judges, before an audience of students, faculty, and colleagues, showcasing their conviction, hard work, and vision for the local community. Although only one group could win the grant, each team presented with heart, evident in the passion of their presentations.
This year's teams' chosen causes were Texas Gun Sense, whose mission it is to prevent gun violence and other gun tragedies in Texas through education, partnerships, and policy change; Oxford House, a nonprofit that offers shared residences where people in recovery from drug and alcohol addiction can live together and support each other in a drug and alcohol-free environment; and the Guadalupe County Children's Advocacy Center, dedicated to providing a warm, homelike environment for neglected or abused children.
"Being a part of the Philanthropitch as a both a student and a staff member was incredible--an experience that pushed me at work, expanded my knowledge of nonprofits, and showed me the passion students bring to real world change," said sophomore Social Innovation and Social Entrepreneurship (SISE) major and TLU Special Events and Digital Marketing Manager Karina Garner, whose group presented the case for the advocacy center.
After all of the presentations by the students and deliberations by the judges, Oxford House was awarded the grant money. In years past, funds have been granted to organizations like Habitat for Humanity, Save the Children, UNICEF, and the American Red Cross.
"The overwhelming success of the Philanthropitch confirmed that wise and analytical decisions help direct charitable dollars in a highly efficient manner," said TLU Professor Dave Sather, founder of Big Dog Endowment and Bulldog Investment Company. "The financial efficiency of a great charity versus an average one is estimated at a hundred times greater impact. The TLU students' analysis assures that these charitable dollars will be used in the highest and best manner making a significant impact. Furthermore, the fact that these presentations were delivered by college students gives me hope for the future."
And that's what Philanthropitch is all about, really: Hope. Doing the research to figure out where charitable dollars can have the most profound impact--identifying need and then being able to make a case for a cause. A tremendous amount of work, yes--but in the end, this is a way to affect actual change and learn a lot in the process. And a better world awaits.
Special thanks to judges Dave Sather, philanthropist and CEO/founder of Sather Financial Group; Dr. Judy Hoffman, emerita professor, grant specialist, and co-founder of the TLU SISE Program; James Lee, CEO/co-founder of Bella Groves; Tess Coody-Anders, founder of Pecantown Books and Brews; Dr. Amanda Avila Kaminski, TLU SISE Program Director; and Dr. Efrain Medina, TLU assistant professor of management.
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Original text here: https://www.tlu.edu/news/supporting-the-change-big-dog-endowment-philanthropitch-2025
SUNY Geneseo Expands Teacher Professional Development Days
GENESEO, New York, Jan. 6 -- The State University of New York's Geneseo Campus issued the following news:
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SUNY Geneseo Expands Teacher Professional Development Days
SUNY Geneseo has recently expanded professional development opportunities for local K-12 teachers. The annual Teachers' Day events have drawn participants from Albany to Buffalo for faculty-led workshops on both content and pedagogy, both what to teach and how to teach it.
"The history department has been doing this for more than 10 years now," says Kathleen Mapes, professor and chair in history. "It's an opportunity for us
... Show Full Article
GENESEO, New York, Jan. 6 -- The State University of New York's Geneseo Campus issued the following news:
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SUNY Geneseo Expands Teacher Professional Development Days
SUNY Geneseo has recently expanded professional development opportunities for local K-12 teachers. The annual Teachers' Day events have drawn participants from Albany to Buffalo for faculty-led workshops on both content and pedagogy, both what to teach and how to teach it.
"The history department has been doing this for more than 10 years now," says Kathleen Mapes, professor and chair in history. "It's an opportunity for usto make connections with local teachers." Geneseo history professors present reviews of scholarly trends in US and global history.
The physics, English, and math departments also offer annual Teachers' Days, and other departments plan to add workshops in the future.
"The Teachers' Day is a great chance to exchange ideas and network," says Savi Iyer, professor and chair in physics and astronomy. "Many of our alums come back as teachers."
Fully half of the 80 attendees at last year's English Teachers' Day were alums, confirmed Alice Rutkowski, professor and chair in English and creative writing. This year's workshops in English will cover subjects such as writing creative nonfiction and teaching poetry.
Feedback for Geneseo's previous Teachers' Days has praised the new material for their classrooms, the collaboration with other professionals, and the opportunity to think more deeply about their chosen subjects.
SUNY Geneseo is recognized by the New York State Education Department's Office of Teaching Initiatives as an approved sponsor of CTLE for Professional Classroom Teachers, School Leaders and Level III Teaching Assistants.
Register for SUNY Geneseo Teachers' Days (https://experience.geneseo.edu/catalog?pagename=1727787112h6Kz3)
- Robyn Rime, Senior Writer and Editor, (585) 245-5529, rime@geneseo.edu
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Original text here: https://www.geneseo.edu/news/suny-geneseo-expands-teacher-professional-development-days
N.C. State: Researchers Develop Guidelines for Diagnosing, Monitoring Canine Cognitive Decline
RALEIGH, North Carolina, Jan. 6 (TNSjou) -- North Carolina State University issued the following news release:
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Researchers Develop Guidelines for Diagnosing, Monitoring Canine Cognitive Decline
An international working group of canine cognition experts has released a set of guidelines for veterinarians to use in diagnosing and monitoring canine cognitive dysfunction syndrome (CCDS), or canine dementia. The guidelines offer a standard definition of the condition as well as practical diagnostic criteria and are meant to aid both clinicians and researchers in helping senior dogs with cognitive
... Show Full Article
RALEIGH, North Carolina, Jan. 6 (TNSjou) -- North Carolina State University issued the following news release:
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Researchers Develop Guidelines for Diagnosing, Monitoring Canine Cognitive Decline
An international working group of canine cognition experts has released a set of guidelines for veterinarians to use in diagnosing and monitoring canine cognitive dysfunction syndrome (CCDS), or canine dementia. The guidelines offer a standard definition of the condition as well as practical diagnostic criteria and are meant to aid both clinicians and researchers in helping senior dogs with cognitiveissues.
"We are seeing CCDS diagnoses with increasing frequency, but there isn't a standardized method for the diagnosis," says Natasha Olby, Dr. Kady M. Gjessing and Rahna M. Davidson Distinguished Chair in Gerontology at North Carolina State University. "We wanted to propose that standardized method as a starting point that can be built upon over time." Olby is the leader of the working group and corresponding author of the work.
Similar to Alzheimer's disease in humans, CCDS is defined as a chronic, progressive, age-associated neurodegenerative syndrome, characterized by cognitive and behavioral changes. These changes can include things like altered activity levels, sleep disruption, anxiety, house soiling, and learning and memory impairment.
"The good news here is that there is increased interest in finding treatments for CCDS," Olby adds. "But in order to develop those treatments we must first be sure there's an agreed upon definition of the condition."
The group created a diagnostic flowchart to help veterinarians establish a diagnosis with two different levels of certainty, and they proposed three definitions of severity, ranging from mild to debilitating impairment.
The group recommends that veterinarians start monitoring dogs for cognitive changes via routine senior dog surveys when dogs are about 7 years old.
If behavioral abnormalities are reported by the caregiver, follow-up with a CCDS scale - a more detailed questionnaire - is recommended with ongoing monitoring every six months. Beginning at age 10 years, use of a CCDS scale every 6 months is recommended for all dogs.
The next steps are to rule out other ailments through physical and neurological exams, including brain imaging if possible.
The researchers hope providing a workable definition of CCDS and its diagnostic criteria will pave the way toward improved diagnostics and therapeutics.
"I selected the participants in this working group from experts in field who are either actively working on CCDS or who historically have set the standards - from those who first defined it to those who translated it into clinical practice," Olby says. "We recognize that this document is just the start of the process, but it was developed as a working live document that can be added to over time as our understanding improves."
The work appears in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association and was supported in part by the American Kennel Club's Canine Health Foundation (grant #03440).
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Note to editors: An abstract follows.
"The CCDS Working Group Guidelines for Diagnosis and Monitoring of Canine Cognitive Dysfunction Syndrome"
DOI: 10.2460/javma.25.10.0668
Authors: Natasha Olby, Margaret Gruen, North Carolina State University; Joseph A. Araujo, Transpharmation Canada, LTD; Phillipa Johnson, Cornell University; Eniko Kubinyi, ELTE Eotvos Lorand University, Budapest Hungary; Gary Landsberg, Veterinary Behaviour Consultant, Richmond Hill, ON, Canada; Caitlin S. Latimer, University of Washington, Seattle; Stephanie McGrath, Julie A. Moreno, Colorado State University; Brennen McKenzie, Loyal Animal Health, Inc.; Monica Tarantino, Senior Dog Veterinary Society, Alexandria, VA; Holger Volk, University of Veterinary Medicine, Hannover, Germany
Published: Dec. 24, 2025 in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association
Abstract:
Canine cognitive dysfunction syndrome (CCDS) is diagnosed with increasing frequency, yet standardized diagnostic guidelines are lacking. The CCDS Working Group, an international group combining experts in the field and primary care veterinarians, proposes a definition of the syndrome and practical diagnostic criteria designed to aid clinicians and researchers alike. CCDS is defined as a chronic, progressive, age-associated neurodegenerative syndrome, characterized by cognitive and behavioral changes that affect daily life to varying degrees. These changes affect the behavioral domains of disorientation, social interaction, sleep disruption, house soiling, learning and memory, activity changes, and anxiety (DISHAA). We propose three severity stages. In mild CCDS, signs are subtle, of low frequency or severity with preserved function. With progression, behavioral changes become more apparent and impactful, requiring management adjustments. In severe CCDS, debilitating deficits are overt, significantly impairing basic functions and necessitating comprehensive support. Two diagnostic levels are proposed. Level 1 is based on consistent history of progressive DISHAA signs, identification of alternate causes through physical, orthopedic and neurological examination and laboratory work, either normal neurological examination or evidence of symmetrical, diffuse forebrain dysfunction, and persistence of signs following management of relevant comorbidities. Level 2 includes a brain MRI showing cortical atrophy with cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) cell counts within normal limits. Definitive post-mortem histopathological confirmation rests on cortical atrophy, amyloid deposition, myelin loss, neuroinflammation, and amyloid angiopathy. Future priorities include the development of blood biomarkers and cognitive testing batteries for routine clinical settings, both of which will refine diagnostic accuracy and therapeutic monitoring.
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Original text here: https://news.ncsu.edu/2026/01/researchers-develop-guidelines-for-diagnosing-monitoring-canine-cognitive-decline/
Missouri State-West Plains: Giant Map of Missouri Brought Hands-on Learning Experience
WEST PLAINS, Missouri, Jan. 6 -- Missouri State University's West Plains Campus issued the following news release:
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Giant Map of Missouri brought hands-on learning experience
Geography Awareness Week also included student presentations on diverse topics such as AI and its impact on the environment, food insecurity in the Ozarks, wildlife in the Ozarks, deforestation in southeast Asia, among others.
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Students, faculty and staff celebrated Geography Awareness week Nov. 17-21, which included geographical issues, both local and global and introduced students to career paths in geography,
... Show Full Article
WEST PLAINS, Missouri, Jan. 6 -- Missouri State University's West Plains Campus issued the following news release:
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Giant Map of Missouri brought hands-on learning experience
Geography Awareness Week also included student presentations on diverse topics such as AI and its impact on the environment, food insecurity in the Ozarks, wildlife in the Ozarks, deforestation in southeast Asia, among others.
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Students, faculty and staff celebrated Geography Awareness week Nov. 17-21, which included geographical issues, both local and global and introduced students to career paths in geography,geographic information systems, urban planning, disaster management, and environmental science.
During the event, MSU-WP hosted a 17x21-square-foot map of Missouri in Hass-Darr Hall. The map, owned by the Missouri Geographic Alliance at the University of Missouri-Columbia, is regularly loaned to educators and nonprofit organizations. Dr. Rajiv Thakur, Professor of Geography, noted the map has visited MSU-WP previously in 2017 and 2019.
The event also welcomed 26 eighth grade and 17 third-grade students from Howell Valley R-I School District. Eighth-grade teacher Chad Dixon used the map to explore Civil War sites and geographic features, while third-grade teacher Kim Rogers engaged her students through scavenger hunts focused on location identification and map-reading skills.
Geography Awareness Week also included student presentations on diverse topics such as AI and its impact on the environment, food insecurity in the Ozarks, wildlife in the Ozarks, deforestation in southeast Asia, among others.
For more information about this and future geography events, contact Dr. Rajiv Thakur at RajivThakur@MissouriState.edu or 417-255-7288.
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Original text here: https://news.wp.missouristate.edu/2026/01/05/giant-map-of-missouri-brought-hands-on-learning-experience/
Anglia Ruskin University: Human Connection Key to a Successful Holiday Rental
CAMBRIDGE, England, Jan. 6 (TNSjou) -- Anglia Ruskin University issued the following news:
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Human connection key to a successful holiday rental
New research finds emotional warmth drives people to make repeat bookings
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New research has revealed that striking up a connection with the property host is the factor that drives repeat bookings on holiday accommodation platforms such as Airbnb.
The study, carried out by universities in the UK and Iran and to be published in the February 2026 edition of International Journal of Hospitality Management, suggests that quality and value of accommodation
... Show Full Article
CAMBRIDGE, England, Jan. 6 (TNSjou) -- Anglia Ruskin University issued the following news:
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Human connection key to a successful holiday rental
New research finds emotional warmth drives people to make repeat bookings
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New research has revealed that striking up a connection with the property host is the factor that drives repeat bookings on holiday accommodation platforms such as Airbnb.
The study, carried out by universities in the UK and Iran and to be published in the February 2026 edition of International Journal of Hospitality Management, suggests that quality and value of accommodationalso play a part in guest satisfaction, but personal connection is key to people deciding to stay again.
The research analysed hundreds of online guest reviews and conducted in-depth interviews to understand what shapes guests' evaluations of their stays in what is known as "peer-to-peer accommodation".
Conducted over six years, the study shows that guests assess their stays using emotional cues such as warmth, atmosphere, and aesthetics; and cognitive cues such as cleanliness, safety, and convenience.
The study found that warmth, friendliness and a sense of belonging, or the "homely" side of the experience, strengthen guest loyalty, making them more likely to return to the same host. However, these feelings alone didn't necessarily make guests more likely to recommend the property to others.
In contrast, affective and intellectual experiences - the enjoyment and perceived value of the stay - were stronger predictors of recommendations and positive reviews.
The research also examined how the quality of booking websites, such as Airbnb's platform, influences guest behaviour. Although the website didn't change how guests felt about the property itself, a well-designed and trustworthy site directly boosted guest loyalty and word-of-mouth.
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"Guests think carefully about both emotional and practical aspects before booking. Hosts who focus only on one side - either charm or functionality - may be missing the bigger picture.
"Platforms like Airbnb thrive when they're designed for trust. Guests return to sites that are clear, reliable and easy to use. But it's not just about tech, it's about people. The most memorable stays come from warmth, authenticity and genuine local connection.
"By encouraging friendly, personal communication between hosts and guests, and balancing smart technology with a human touch, platforms can create experiences that feel less transactional and more meaningful."
- Co-author Nektarios Tzempelikos, Professor of Marketing at Anglia Ruskin University (ARU)
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The study was carried out by researchers from Brunel University, University of Bradford, Newcastle University, Anglia Ruskin University and the University of Tehran.
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Original text here: https://www.aru.ac.uk/news/human-connection-key-to-a-successful-holiday-rental
