Across three distinct institutions, a common set of strategies is emerging around implementing AI in higher education: starting small, focusing on literacy, empowering faculty, and prioritizing equal access.
As described in a game book on Creating AI-Capable Institutions, released today by the nonprofit advocacy group Complete College America, the University of Louisiana System, the University of Massachusetts Lowell, and Arizona State University (ASU), all demonstrate how targeted, scalable initiatives can meet institutional needs without massive overhauls. Each institution has taken a different path, from microcredentials for students to small grants for faculty to campus-wide innovation challenges.
AI MICROCREDENTIALS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
Faced with the challenge of preparing a large student population for a rapidly changing workforce, the University of Louisiana System developed a self-paced AI literacy microcredential available to its more than 82,000 students and faculty. Led by the University of New Orleans, the 16-hour course introduces fundamental concepts through modules without focusing on any specific tool. It includes content on digital literacy and data privacy and offers a completion badge that users can display on LinkedIn.
The program was built using internal faculty expertise, funded by a state grant, and designed to expand to all nine universities in the system.
MINI FACULTY GRANTS TO UMASS LOWELL
Another case study showed that even institution-wide initiatives can be small-scale. The AI Faculty Minigrant Program, launched at UMass Lowell in spring 2024, awarded $1,000 to 35 faculty members to experiment with generative AI in their teaching, with an additional $500 to support student collaboration. A shared Microsoft Teams site, workshops and a professor provided expertise and support for these projects.
The Complete College America handbook says faculty from all five colleges participated, integrating AI into a variety of disciplines, including the humanities, social sciences, and arts.
Through this challenge, UMass learned that implementing AI in smaller classes and later in the semester was most effective. The handbook recommends creating cross-departmental innovation labs and creating a mailing list for interested faculty to continue encouraging AI experimentation.
“Having a supportive community of easily accessible colleagues encourages experimentation and helps educators build confidence in adopting new approaches,” the manual states.
STUDENT AND TEACHER PROJECTS AT ASU
ASU took the institution-wide challenge even further by inviting staff and student researchers, in addition to faculty, to propose AI pilot projects. Winners received access to ChatGPT Edu licenses for four months, as well as support from ASU’s IT and instructional design teams.
Students and faculty submitted more than 175 proposals in less than two weeks, exploring a wide variety of uses, according to a announcement last year. One proposal used the ChatGPT Edu license to adapt GPTs to different teaching practices and student personalities, with the aim of ensuring inclusiveness and data security. Another proposal approved used AI to help with academic writing. On the business side, campus organizations like the ASU Police Department have used the licenses to improve their operations and spend less time on paperwork. Feedback from the campus community throughout the challenge also helped university leaders determine where to invest next.
“Collecting and analyzing data from AI projects has helped ASU refine its AI strategy and identify areas where AI can have the greatest impact,” the handbook states.
The challenge also made it possible to identify scalable tools such as My AI generatora collaboration with industry models that allows users to create personalized chatbots. They discovered that education leads to better solutions.
“ASU found that the quality of proposals improved as participants became more familiar with the capabilities and limitations of AI,” the manual states. “Institutions should be open to evolving challenge criteria and provide ongoing support to participants.”
To help institutions replicate and adapt these efforts, Complete College America has published a toolkit of resources alongside the case studies. These include an AI literacy brainstorming tool, a reading list, mini-grant proposal templates, and a faculty job description.