2025 EDUCAUSE AI Landscape Study | Survey Instrument

Front Matter

Welcome to the EDUCAUSE AI Landscape Survey!

This survey is designed for staff and faculty currently working at an institution of higher education. This survey asks questions about recent advances in artificial intelligence (AI) and how they are impacting higher education. You will be asked about topics such as AI-related strategic planning, policies and procedures, impacts on the workforce, and the future of AI in higher education. Your responses will help leaders at your institution and others understand the AI-related challenges and opportunities that face higher education. There are no right or wrong answers. We would just like you to answer as honestly as you can.

Participation in the survey is completely voluntary. You can choose to exit the survey at any point. The data resulting from this confidential survey will be made available to researchers at EDUCAUSE. You cannot be identified by your non-written survey responses. There are several open-ended questions in this survey. It is best not to include personally identifiable information in these responses. Data will be available to researchers as individual responses and in aggregate formats. Data will be reported, in aggregate, to the general public in the form of public presentations, reports, journal or newspaper articles, and/or in books.

This survey is expected to take approximately 15 minutes to complete. The survey can be completed on a mobile device, but you may have the best survey response experience using a desktop or laptop computer. Please use the survey's navigation buttons below to go backward or forward within the survey. Using your device or browser's navigation buttons might result in lost answers.

Please do not use AI-generated responses for the questions in this survey. We want to hear directly from you in your own words!

Please complete this survey by December 12, 2023.

Survey Questions

Section 0: Demographics

Q1. Which of the following best describes your primary position/role at your institution?

  • Professional/staff
  • Manager
  • Director
  • Faculty
  • Executive leader (president/CEO, VP/AVP, CIO, CAO)
  • I do not currently work at a higher education institution. [exit survey]
  • Other, please specify:

Q2. Which of the following best describes your primary area of responsibility at your institution?

  • Technology (e.g., IT support, enterprise IT, academic technology)
  • Teaching and learning (e.g., academic unit/department, instructional design, student affairs, libraries)
  • Data and analytics (e.g., institutional research, learning analytics)
  • Cybersecurity and data privacy
  • Business and operations (e.g., HR, finance, bursar)
  • Other, please specify:

Q3. How many years have you been in your current role?

  • Less than 1 year
  • 1–2 years
  • 3–5 years
  • 6–9 years
  • 10 years or longer

Section 1: Strategic Planning and Readiness

RQ1: How is AI impacting higher education institutions' strategic planning and goals?

Q4. How would you characterize your institutional leaders' general attitude toward AI?

  • Very cautious
  • Cautious
  • Indifferent
  • Enthusiastic
  • Very enthusiastic
  • A mix of caution and enthusiasm
  • Other, please specify:

Q5. To what extent is your institution focusing on strategy related to each of the following? [Matrix: 10-point scale, 1 = not at all, 10 = completely focused; Don't know]

  • Internal, everyday AI: boosting administrative processes and productivity
  • External, everyday AI: boosting educational experiences and student services
  • Internal, transformative AI: creating new core capabilities
  • External, transformative AI: creating new educational models and programs

Q6. Which of the following best describes your institution's approach to AI-related strategy? Select all that apply.

  • Some units are working on AI-related strategy, and others aren't.
  • Most units are working on AI-related strategy.
  • There are collaborative groups spanning units to work on AI-related strategy.
  • Most of the work on AI-related strategy is led by frontline faculty and staff.
  • Most of the work on AI-related strategy is led by senior leaders.
  • None of the above—nobody is working on AI-related strategy.
  • Other, please specify:
  • Don't know

Q7. [If Q6 = some units] Which units are working on AI-related strategy? [open-ended]

Q8. Which of the following are included in your AI-related strategy? Select all that apply.

  • We are using APIs to connect institutional data to generative AI applications.
  • We are adapting generative AI models for internal use.
  • We are investing in technology infrastructure to run our generative AI models on-premise or as infrastructure as a service (IaaS).
  • We are building an institutional data model to enable planned use cases of generative AI.
  • We are prioritizing staff professional development in cultivating AI skills (over hiring new staff with those skills).
  • We have implemented AI-focused initiatives to improve our institutional use of AI.
  • We have established a senior position or positions specifically for AI management.
  • We provide training for faculty to learn new AI technology and skills.
  • We provide training for staff to learn new AI technology and skills.
  • We provide training for students to learn new AI technology and skills.
  • Other, please specify:
  • Don't know
  • None of the above

Q9. [If Q8 "We are investing in technology infrastructure to run our generative AI models on premise or IaaS." is selected] Please tell us more about why your institution is investing in technology infrastructure to run generative AI models on-premise or as IaaS. [open-ended]

Q10. Which of the following stakeholders, if any, is your institution working with to develop AI-related strategy? Select all that apply.

  • Consultants
  • Professional associations
  • Think tanks
  • Corporations
  • Donors
  • Alumni
  • Peer-institution consortia/networks
  • Other, please specify:
  • None—we are not working with any third parties to develop AI-related strategy.
  • Don't know

Q11. To what extent do you agree with the following statements about your institution? [Likert matrix: Strongly Disagree, Disagree, Neutral, Agree, Strongly Agree, Don't know]

  • We view AI as an investment rather than as an added cost.
  • We view AI as a strategic priority.
  • We have appropriate policies and guidelines in place to enable ethical and effective decision-making about AI use.
  • We have an effective, established mechanism in place for AI governance (responsible for policy, quality, etc.).
  • We have the appropriate technology in place to ensure the privacy and security of data used for AI.
  • Most of our AI technology is supported through a centralized system.
  • IT leaders consider AI technology as mission critical in terms of the support provided.
  • Providing AI support is straining our IT resources and staff.
  • We have adequate resources and knowledge to effectively provide support for students with disabilities to use AI tools.
  • We have adequate resources and knowledge to effectively provide support for faculty and staff with disabilities to use AI tools.
  • Our faculty's interest in incorporating AI into teaching is on the rise.
  • Our faculty have autonomy to choose which AI technologies are used in their courses.
  • We have instituted sufficient and effectual analytics to ensure that AI use is aligned with our strategic goals.
  • Our AI services, programs, and technologies are scalable; we will be able to handle a growing number of AI applications in the coming years.
  • Our AI services, programs, and technologies are adaptable; we will be able to accommodate new uses of AI applications in the coming years.

Q12. Which of the following stakeholders, if any, is your institution working with to share the cost of AI investments? Select all that apply.

  • Foundations
  • Government funding agencies
  • Corporations
  • Donors
  • Alumni
  • Other institutions
  • Other, please specify:
  • I don't know.
  • We are not working with anyone to share the cost of AI investments.

RQ2: Which institutional stakeholders are responsible for AI-related strategy and operations, and what are their specific responsibilities?

Q13. To what extent are stakeholders in each of the following functional areas responsible for AI-related strategy at your institution? [Matrix: To a great extent, Somewhat, Very little, Not at all; Don't know]

  • Technology
  • Teaching and learning
  • Research
  • Data and analytics
  • Cybersecurity and data privacy
  • Business and operations
  • Others not listed

Q14. [If Q13 "Others not listed" is at least very little] What other stakeholder groups are responsible for AI-related strategy at your institution? [open-ended]

Q15. Have you personally been given any responsibilities related to AI strategy?

  • No
  • Yes

Q16. [If yes] Please describe the specific responsibilities you have been given related to AI strategy. [open-ended]

RQ3: What factors are influencing institutional stakeholders' approach to AI-related strategy?

Q17. What are the primary motivators, if any, for AI-related strategic planning at your institution? Select up to five (5).

  • Faculty enthusiasm for AI
  • Alumni interest in AI
  • Institutional leadership interest in AI
  • Board of directors/trustees interest in AI
  • The rise of student use of AI in their courses
  • Concern about "falling behind" in adopting these technologies
  • Risks of inappropriate uses of these technologies
  • Other, please specify:

Q18. What are the primary goals, if any, for AI-related strategic planning at your institution? Select up to five (5).

  • Explore new methods of teaching and learning
  • Prepare students for the future workforce
  • Pursue potential future alternative revenue streams
  • Transform research
  • Attract new faculty
  • Improve higher education for the greater good
  • Maintain our institution's overall reputation
  • Build our institution's overall reputation
  • Differentiate our institution from competitors
  • Maintain our institution's reputation in specific academic area(s)
  • Build our institution's reputation in specific academic area(s)
  • Attract students to our degree-granting programs
  • Other, please specify:

Section 2: Policies and Procedures

RQ4: What policies and procedures are institutional leaders adopting or modifying with regard to AI?

Q19. How, if at all, have policies at your institution been impacted by AI?

  • They have not been impacted by AI. [skip Q20-24]
  • Existing policies are being revised.
  • New policies are being created.
  • Existing policies are being revised AND new policies are being created.
  • Don't know [skip Q20-24]

Q20. What types of policies have already been impacted or will soon be impacted by AI? [Matrix: Already impacted, Will soon be impacted, Don't know]

  • Technology
  • Teaching and learning
  • Research
  • Data and analytics
  • Cybersecurity and data privacy
  • Business and operations
  • Others not listed

Q21. [If Q20 "Others not listed" is already impacted or soon impacted] What other types of policies have already been impacted or will soon be impacted by your institution's AI-related strategy? [open-ended]

Q22. How would you characterize the general orientation of the policies that have been revised or created in response to AI?

  • Extremely restrictive
  • Somewhat restrictive
  • Neutral
  • Somewhat permissive
  • Extremely permissive
  • Don't know

Q23. [If Q22 = extremely restrictive] Please describe how the AI-related policies at your institution are extremely restrictive. [open-ended]

Q24. [If Q22 = extremely permissive] Please describe how the AI-related policies at your institution are extremely permissive. [open-ended]

Q25. To what extent is AI impacting each of the following teaching and learning elements at your institution? [Matrix: To a great extent, Somewhat, Very little, Not at all; Don't know]

  • Assessment
  • Coursework such as homework and projects
  • Lab work
  • Curriculum design such as writing learning objectives
  • Digital literacy training
  • Supplemental student services such as tutoring
  • Academic administrative tasks such as grading
  • Nonacademic administrative tasks such as writing letters of recommendation
  • Quality assurance on academic courses
  • Others not listed

Q26. [If Q25 others not listed is selected.] What other elements of teaching and learning have already been impacted or will soon be impacted by your institution's AI-related strategy? [open-ended]

Q27. To what extent, if at all, is your institution preparing data to be AI-ready (i.e., secure, accurate, enriched)?

  • We are not and will not be doing this.
  • We are not doing this, but we will be.
  • We have begun preparing data, but we are in early stages.
  • We have begun preparing data, but we are not finished.
  • We have made our data fully AI-ready.
  • Don't know

RQ5: What cybersecurity and data privacy issues are institutional leaders grappling with in response to recent advances in AI tools?

Q28. What are the  AI-related cybersecurity and privacy concerns being discussed at your institution right now? Select all that apply.

  • Ethical data governance
  • Unified data governance
  • Data security
  • Impacts of biases in data
  • Impacts of algorithmic biases
  • Quality of existing data (e.g., completeness, accuracy)
  • Student opt-in/opt-out
  • Faculty and staff opt-in/opt-out
  • Compliance with local (e.g., state) regulations
  • Compliance with federal regulations
  • Compliance with international regulations
  • Other, please specify:

Q29. To what extent are your institution's cybersecurity and privacy policies adequate to address AI-specific risks?

  • Not at all adequate
  • Somewhat adequate
  • Adequate
  • Don't know

Q30. Does your institution have any AI-related acceptable use policies (AUP) (i.e., a policy describing which uses of AI are allowed and which are prohibited)?

  • No
  • Yes
  • Don't know

Section 3: Workforce

RQ6: How are recent advancements in AI technology impacting the structure of the higher education workforce?

Q31. Are you aware of any existing leadership positions (e.g., executives, managers, directors) at your institution that have been formally restructured or redesigned to accommodate AI-related needs?

  • No
  • Yes

Q32. [If yes] Please describe how existing leadership positions at your institution have been formally restructured or redesigned to accommodate AI-related needs. [open-ended]

Q33. Are you aware of any new leadership positions (e.g., executives, managers, directors) at your institution that have been created specifically to support AI-related needs?

  • No
  • Yes

Q34. [If yes] Please describe the new leadership positions at your institution that have been created specifically to support AI-related needs. [open-ended]

Q35. Are you aware of any existing non-leadership positions (e.g., faculty, frontline staff) at your institution that have been formally restructured or redesigned to accommodate AI-related needs?

  • No
  • Yes

Q36. [If yes] Please describe how existing non-leadership positions at your institution have been formally restructured or redesigned to accommodate AI-related needs. [open-ended]

Q37. Are you aware of any new non-leadership positions (e.g., faculty, frontline staff) at your institution that have been created specifically to support AI-related needs?

  • No
  • Yes

Q38. Please describe the new non-leadership positions at your institution that have been created specifically to support AI-related needs. [open-ended]

RQ7: What risks and opportunities do stakeholders identify regarding the use of AI tools in higher education?

Higher education stakeholders have not reached consensus on appropriate use of AI technologies in higher education. For these two questions, please provide your professional, individual opinion.

Q39. What are "appropriate" uses for AI technologies in higher education? [open-ended]

Q40. What are "inappropriate" uses for AI technologies in higher education? [open-ended]

Q41. What are the greatest opportunities associated with using AI technologies to improve higher education? [open-ended]

Q42. What are the greatest risks associated with using AI technologies to improve higher education? [open-ended]

Example of question format showing 5 radio buttons between the two statements so you can indicate your answer.

Q43. For each pair of statements, indicate the direction you anticipate higher education will lean over the next two years.

  • Assessments are less meaningful. // Assessments are more meaningful.
  • Academic dishonesty has decreased. // Academic dishonesty has increased.
  • AI outputs are less biased. // AI outputs are more biased.
  • AI tools impede accessibility for students with disabilities. // AI tools improve accessibility for students with disabilities.
  • AI tools narrow access to higher education. // AI tools broaden access to higher education.
  • AI tools reduce workloads. // AI tools increase workloads.
  • AI tools are used less for learning analytics. // AI tools are used more for learning analytics.
  • Faculty and staff think critically about AI tools. // Faculty and staff trust AI tools too much.
  • Students think critically about AI tools. // Students trust AI tools too much.

Section 5: Institutional Demographics

Q44. What is the faculty, staff, and student FTE size of your institution?

  • Less than 2,000
  • 2,000–3,999
  • 4,000–7,999
  • 8,000–14,999
  • 15,000+
  • Don't know

Q45. What type of institution do you represent? (Respondents from outside the United States, please select the type that is closest to your type of institution.)

  • Two-year college
  • Private bachelor's
  • Public bachelor's
  • Private master's
  • Public master's
  • Private doctoral
  • Public doctoral
  • Other, please specify:
  • Don't know

Q46. Is your college or university a Minority Serving Institution? Minority Serving Institutions include Historically Black Colleges or Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs), Tribal Colleges or Universities (TCUs), and Asian American and Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AAPISIs).

  • No
  • Yes
  • Don't know