Investing in AI not seen as top priority for campus IT leaders

Technology, and its importance in the classroom, have garnered increasing attention at most colleges and universities in recent years, transforming from a helpful learning tool to an indispensable part of higher education infrastructure. That attention has grown in the past year thanks to the explosive growth and public adoption of artificial intelligence tools.

According to Inside Higher Ed’s 2023 Survey of Campus Chief Technology/Information Officers, most respondents reported embryonic use of the technology, if they used it at all. Only 16 per cent of chief information officers (CIOs) described investing in AI as a “high priority” or “essential” for their institution. At least a third of respondents each said they are considering experimenting with artificial intelligence (38 per cent), machine learning (34 per cent) and adaptive learning (34 per cent).

Questions exploring the role and impact of AI were new additions to this year’s survey, which examined the technology and its place within institutions in the US. CIOs answered questions about their institutions’ efforts to use the growing suite of technological tools and capabilities.

Digital transformation remains a challenging area for CIOs, who reported resistance among faculty and staff members and a lack of financial investment. While nearly three-quarters of CIOs (73 per cent) called digital transformation a “high priority” or “essential” for their institution, only about half (51 per cent) said leaders at their institution feel the same way. Also, roughly a quarter (24 per cent) of CIOs said their institutions had “incomplete” or “ineffective” digital transformation goals, and 27 per cent cited a lack of centralised coordination.

In addition to addressing emerging technologies, the survey revisited topics from last year’s inaugural CIO survey. Cybersecurity, a realm of uncertainty a year ago, saw improvements. The proportion of CIOs reporting that they were “moderately,” “very” or “extremely” confident that their institution’s cybersecurity practices could prevent ransomware attacks rose from 73 per cent to 82 per cent.

The survey was conducted in partnership with Hanover Research and released in conjunction with the start of the annual Educause conference. A free webinar on 8 November will discuss the survey’s results. Register here.

AI and emerging technology

Artificial intelligence has pervaded the public consciousness since OpenAI debuted its chatbot ChatGPT in November 2022. AI has been increasingly on the minds of students and employees at higher education institutions ever since.

Despite AI’s seemingly ubiquitous presence in conversation, few academic technology leaders consider it critically important. According to the survey, only 16 per cent of CIOs said investing in AI is a “high priority” or “essential” for their institution. More than two-thirds of respondents (69 per cent) called it a “low to medium” priority.

It could be too early for too much investment in AI, according to Stephen Harmon, executive director of the Centre for 21st Century Universities at the Georgia Institute of Technology.

“The technologies you look at in terms of institutional investment are often too new to merit substantial investment, particularly AI and quantum computing,” he said. “We don’t know where these technologies will end up, so as a CIO, I would be reluctant to invest heavily at a production level.”

He instead suggested experimenting with the technology, which, according to the study, is a common theme among higher education technology officials. The survey found 38 per cent of CIOs are “considering” experimenting with AI, with roughly the same number of respondents (34 per cent) considering machine learning.

There is less interest from CIOs when it comes to quantum computing, the multidisciplinary practice of using quantum mechanics to solve complex problems faster than traditional computers. Nearly two-thirds of CIOs said the technology is not in their short-term plans. But more than one-third of CIOs (34 per cent) of public doctoral institutions said they made “meaningful investments” in quantum computing. Only 6 per cent of private doctoral institutions said the same.

It could take time. Dr Harmon pointed to other technologies, such as immersive learning and virtual reality, that have been in the public eye longer than AI and yet still have not “reached a level of usefulness for an enterprise-wide adoption.”

The survey did reveal larger concerns over the implications of AI. More than one-third of respondents (36 per cent) said they were either “very” or “extremely” concerned about the impact of large language models such as ChatGPT and Bard. Public institutions had slightly more concerns than private institutions– 83 per cent of CIOs at public institutions had “moderate” to “extreme” concerns. More than six in 10 tech leaders at private institutions said they were very or extremely concerned.

Despite these concerns, only 10 per cent of responding CIOs said their institutions have teams to address AI ethics and security, and only 7 per cent have policies in that area.

The limited focus on AI security and ethics is concerning, said Fiona Hollands, senior researcher at Teachers College at Columbia University and founder of EdResearcher. “In a world where committees are rife, establishing oversight committees and drafting policies seems an obvious place to start preparing for the inevitable incursion of AI into many aspects of higher education,” she said.

The survey does show a discrepancy between investment and broader use of AI. While most CIOs report not making large investments in AI, four in 10 stated that their institution is in the beginning(38 per cent) or advanced (2 per cent) stages of using generative AI technology for instructional purposes. Nearly the same number of CIOs (37 per cent) said their institution is in the beginning stages of using generative AI for “simple administrative tasks.” Roughly a quarter (28 per cent) of CIOs said their institution is in the beginning or advanced stages of using generative AI for research assistance.

Cybersecurity

While the very new concerns over AI remain largely unaddressed, CIOs said their institutions are investing heavily in cybersecurity.

Higher education has come under fire in the past year after repeated hacks and data breaches and institutions paying large, undisclosed sums in ransom demands. Many of the hacks were spurred by the MOVEit breach – in May, a ransomware group claimed it stole data by breaching MOVEit, a software product used for file transfers, and security experts estimate the information of millions of people may have been affected.

Of the surveyed CIOs, 82 per cent said they are “moderately to extremely confident” their institution’s practices can prevent ransomware attacks. That is on par with 2022’s responses, when 51 per cent said they were “moderately” confident, 20 per cent said they were “very” confident and 2 per cent said “extremely” confident.

The most-used cybersecurity offerings are multifactor authentication for all employee accounts, with 93 per cent of respondents requiring it. Similarly important to CIOs, 92 per cent reported updating their software within the past year to help with cybersecurity practices. Most respondents (83 per cent) also said they required cybersecurity training for full-time administrative staff.

Fewer campus technology leaders took other cybersecurity measures. Only 34 per cent said they had archived all data in the past 12 months to help cyber practices, and just a quarter of respondents (25 per cent) had employed a “white-hat” hacker to flag vulnerabilities in the systems.

More than two-thirds (69 per cent) of CIOs said they had a chief or senior technology officer primarily responsible for overseeing cybersecurity. Having a dedicated cybersecurity leader was an exception compared with other digital areas. According to the survey, fewer CIOs indicated they had an officer overseeing privacy (36 per cent), online education (28 per cent) or innovation (23 per cent).

Online learning and infrastructure

Online learning and its needed infrastructure, once a unique offering for institutions, have become a mainstay of higher education. According to the survey, 83 per cent of CIOs said their ability to offer high-quality hybrid courses has increased since the pandemic, with 71 per cent agreeing that their online offerings have significantly improved. That same number (71 per cent) said their institutions will sustain the ability to offer high-quality online courses.

While 84 per cent of CIOs say their institution provides the technical support needed for creating and teaching online courses, many said institutions are not rewarding technology-minded faculty. Fewer than half of the institutions (49 per cent) provide additional compensation for the development of online courses. When it comes to tenure and promotion decisions, only 42 per cent of institutions consider experience teaching with technology. And only four in 10 CIOs (37 per cent) say institutions reward faculty and staff for contributions made to digital pedagogy.

However, most CIOs are satisfied with the technology infrastructure itself. Nearly every respondent (92 per cent) rated their Wi-Fi and wireless networks as “good” or “excellent.” Nearly as many (89 per cent) said their learning management system was also “good” or “excellent.” A little over half of institutions (61 per cent) had centralised data warehouses to store data.

When it came to other infrastructure, though, satisfaction slipped. Just 33 per cent rated mobile apps and services for students, faculty and staff “good,” with 54 per cent stating they were “fair” or “poor.” More than three in five (62 per cent) rated IT training for students as “fair” or “poor.” IT training for faculty had only slightly better numbers, with 47 per cent rating it “fair” or “poor.”

The majority of CIOs (68 per cent) said their institution makes data analytics a priority, and 69 per cent said the institutions use the data effectively to inform important decisions.

“It does make one wonder how important decisions are made if they are not data-informed,” EdResearcher’s Dr Hollands said.

Digital transformation

There is a heavy focus on digital transformation within institutions. The survey did not provide a definition of “digital transformation,” a trendy phrase with broad potential definitions. Educause defines it as “a series of deep and coordinated culture, workforce and technology shifts that enable new educational and operating models and transform an institution’s operations, strategic directions, and value proposition.” The Science and Information Organization states that it is an “organisational change realised by means of digital technologies and business models with the aim to improve”.

Of the CIO respondents, 73 per cent said they personally believe digital transformation is an “essential” or “high” priority for their institution.

Nearly four in five of respondents (78 per cent) said their institutions are focusing on using digital transformation efforts for student success, citing it as a “high” or “essential” priority. That work is visible as universities adopt a range of tactics, from telehealth partnerships to boost mental health to using third-party vendors to engage remote learners.

Three-quarters of CIOs said using student data for better learning or retention insights is a “high” or “essential” priority, and 64 per cent view it as a “high” or “essential” priority for teaching and learning.

According to the survey, more public institutions (85 per cent) prioritise utilising data to boost student success as a “high” or “essential” priority, compared with 70 per cent in private institutions.

Despite the heavy focus and perceived necessity, 60 per cent of CIOs said their institution has not set specific goals for digital transformation. Of the CIOs who said their institutions did have goals, most (77 per cent) added that it would take one to three years to accomplish the “most pressing” ones.

“It was disappointing to see that not a single respondent indicated their institution has already completed the digital transformation projects it considered most important and that 60 per cent reported their institution has not set specific goals for digital transformation,” Dr Hollands said. “The main problem may lie with the incentive structure for those who control [higher education institutions]. Faculty members, who often hold the balance of power, are under pressure to earn tenure, publish, and raise research funding and therefore may not prioritise efficiency of institutional operations or changes to the status quo.”

Some of the roadblocks, respondents said, are the lack of funds available, coupled with resistance from faculty and staff. There was also the issue of “lack of centralised coordination,” with 27 per cent of respondents citing it as an issue and 24 per cent saying goals were “incomplete or ineffective.”

Despite 30 per cent of CIOs believing digital transformation is essential for their institution, the same respondents said only 15 per cent of leaders at their institutions hold the same belief. Those numbers held largely steady across both private and public institutions.

Georgia Tech’s Dr Harmon was unsurprised at the digital transformation findings. “Senior leadership may rightly be more concerned with other things than digital transformation, particularly if they are at institutions that are facing declining enrolments,” he said.

“I think we are beginning to see a division among [higher education] institutions between those that are growing and those that are not,” he said. “Growing, or at least stable, institutions have more capacity for infrastructure and innovation advancement, and the gap between those that are able to invest in these ways and those that are not may be widening.”

Staffing and remote work

Organisations in the technology sector have long touted their flexible work environments and high salaries, making it tough for higher education institutions to compete when hiring and retaining employees, according to the technology leaders surveyed.

Salary is the top concern when it comes to hiring, with 91 per cent of CIOs stating it is the number one issue when it comes to recruiting, and keeping, employees. More flexible remote work policies at other organisations also make it harder to compete, according to 55 per cent of CIOs.

The capability for remote work in higher education is there; 75 per cent of respondents stated they “strongly agree” their institutions have the tech to make flexible or remote work viable. The expectation of flexibility has increased post-pandemic, according to respondents, with 86 per cent stating employees expect more flexibility in working when and where they want.

However, only 41 per cent of CIOs said their institutions have policies that encourage remote or flexible work, which could lead to problems with hiring or keeping employees.

Budgets

Unlike the sweeping cuts that many colleges and universities seem to be experiencing, most CIOs (62 per cent) report that their institutions did not cut back on the central IT budget during the 2022–23 year. And 47 per cent of respondents had a budget between $1 million and $5 million.

About half (49 per cent) of respondents said their 2023–24 central IT budget should stay the same as the prior academic year, 23 per cent expected their budget to be somewhat higher, and the remaining 23 per cent expected it to be somewhat lower.

The money is, in part, being put to good use, according to the respondents. Roughly three in five (61 per cent) of the CIOs surveyed said their institution’s investment in services and IT resources in on-campus teaching and instruction are “very” or “extremely” effective. About the same amount (57 per cent) said the IT resources are being used effectively in student recruitment, with 54 per cent saying the same for IT resources in student financial assistance.

When it comes to IT resources in other uses, the satisfaction begins to dip. One-third of respondents positively viewed investment in IT resources for learning/managerial analytics, 29 per cent viewed it positively for IT resource use in faculty research and scholarship, and only 22 per cent were happy with IT resource use in alumni engagement and activities.

However, public institution CIOs rate the investment in IT resources pertaining to learning and managerial analytics more positively than their private institution counterparts do, with 42 per cent calling it “very” or “extremely” effective, compared with 23 per cent of those at private institutions.

Worth noting

• Nearly half (48 per cent) of CIOs agree that senior administrators at their institution treat the central technology unit more like a utility than a strategic partner, a slight decrease from the 52 per cent who somewhat or strongly agreed with that sentiment in 2022.
• Nearly two-thirds of CIOs are in the president’s cabinet, similar to 2022, and 94 per cent said they expect to remain in the cabinet. Of the CIOs in those positions, 71 per cent were added to the cabinet before 2020.
• More CIOs from public institutions (35 per cent) than those from private institutions (12 per cent) indicate that more than 100 employees are managed by their institution’s central IT department.​

This is an edited version of a story that first appeared on Inside Higher Ed.