As described in a playbook on building AI-capable institutions published today by the nonprofit advocacy group Complete College America, the University of Louisiana system, University of Massachusetts Lowell and Arizona State University (ASU) all demonstrate how targeted, scalable initiatives can address institutional needs without massive overhauls. Each institution took a different route, from microcredentials for students to small grants for faculty to campuswide challenges for innovation.
AI MICROCREDENTIALS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
Faced with the challenge of preparing a broad student population for a rapidly evolving workforce, the University of Louisiana system developed a self-paced AI literacy microcredential accessible to its over 82,000 students and faculty. Led by the University of New Orleans, the 16-hour course introduces fundamental concepts through modules without placing focus on one specific tool. It includes content on digital literacy and data privacy and offers a completion badge for users to display on LinkedIn.
The program was built using internal faculty expertise, funded by a state grant and designed to scale across the nine universities in the system.
FACULTY MINI GRANTS AT UMASS LOWELL
Another case study showed even institutionwide initiatives can be small scale. The AI Faculty Mini-Grant 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 supporting student collaboration.
The playbook from Complete College America said faculty across all five colleges participated, embedding AI in a variety of disciplines, including humanities, social sciences and the arts.
From the challenge, UMass learned that implementing AI in smaller classes and later in the semester was most effective. The playbook recommended creating cross-departmental innovation labs and creating a listserv for interested faculty to continue encouraging AI experimentation.
“Having a supportive community of colleagues readily accessible encourages experimentation and helps educators build confidence in adopting new approaches,” the playbook said.
STUDENT AND FACULTY PROJECTS AT ASU
ASU took the institutionwide challenge a step 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, along with support from ASU’s IT and instructional design teams.
Students and faculty submitted more than 175 proposals in less than two weeks, exploring a broad variety of uses, according to an announcement last year. One proposal used the ChatGPT Edu license to tailor GPTs to different instructional practices and student personas, aiming to ensure inclusiveness and data security. Another approved proposal used AI to assist with academic writing. On the business side, campus organizations like the ASU Police Department used the licenses to improve operations and spend less time on paperwork. Feedback from the campus community throughout the challenge also helped university leaders identify where to invest next.
“Collecting and analyzing data from AI projects helped ASU refine its AI strategy and identify areas where AI can have the greatest impact,” the playbook said.
The challenge also helped identify scalable tools like MyAI Builder, a collaboration with industry models that allows users to build custom chatbots. They found that education leads to better solutions.
“ASU found that the quality of proposals improved as participants became more familiar with AI’s capabilities and limitations,” the playbook said. “Institutions should be open to evolving challenge criteria and providing ongoing support to participants.”
To help institutions replicate and adapt these efforts, Complete College America published a toolkit of resources alongside the case studies. These include an AI literacy brainstorming tool, a reading list, templates for mini-grant proposals and a faculty fellow job description.
