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Digital Transformation

Here you'll find articles exploring digital transformation in higher education.


91% of CISOs Say AI Will Outperform Security Pros

A new survey of CISOs by Bugcrowd indicates AI is already beating security pros in some areas and is expected to take on a larger role in the future.

Transforming Higher Education Financial Aid Through Automation

Technology holds the potential to revolutionize the financial aid process, ultimately bolstering student support — and success.

How Can Schools Manage AI in Admissions?

Many questions remain around the role of artificial intelligence in admissions as schools navigate the balance between innovation and integrity.  

Researchers Provide Breakdown of Generative AI Misuse

In an effort to clarify the potential risks of GenAI and provide "a concrete understanding of how GenAI models are specifically exploited or abused in practice, including the tactics employed to inflict harm," a group of researchers from Google DeepMind, Jigsaw, and Google.org recently published a paper entitled, "Generative AI Misuse: A Taxonomy of Tactics and Insights from Real-World Data."

Amazon Program Offers Free AI Tools to Public Sector Organizations

Amazon Web Services has announced a $50 million fund that will give public sector organizations a chance to tap into its portfolio of cloud-based AI tools.

D2L Introduces AI Product for Learning Content Creation

Learning platform D2L is launching a new AI-powered product, D2L Lumi, designed to help educators create course content, assignments, quizzes, and more.

When Thinking About Data, What Keeps You Up at Night?

The proliferation of technology in education means we have more data about how, what and if students are learning than ever before. The question is, how do we ensure that data gets into the hands of the people who can use it to improve teaching and learning, without invading a student or educator's privacy?

Cloud AI Services Slide Back to Rock Bottom in Gartner 'Hype Cycle'

Cloud AI services have moved from the "slope of enlightenment" to the "trough of disillusionment," according to Gartner's latest report on AI trends.

IBM and Microsoft Partner on Cloud Security

IBM and Microsoft have announced a "strengthened cybersecurity collaboration" aims at fortifying their joint customers' cloud environments.

Bryant University Launches Gen AI Chatbot for Community Engagement

Students, faculty, and staff at Bryant University have a new resource for accessing information, receiving guidance, and keeping up with campus events. The institution recently launched a generative AI chatbot developed in partnership with AI and intelligent automation solution provider alliantDigital.

UIUC Study: AI Agents Can Exploit Cybersecurity Vulnerabilities

In a new study from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), researchers demonstrated that large language model agents can autonomously exploit real-world cybersecurity vulnerabilities, raising critical concerns about the widespread deployment and security of these advanced AI systems.

Building Florida's First AI Degree Program

Miami Dade College recently announced the launch of a new bachelor's degree in applied artificial intelligence — the first such degree in the state of Florida and one of the first in the country. At the heart of MDC's approach is the conviction that education in artificial intelligence is for everyone — people at all levels need understand how to apply AI in their lives and careers.

Copilot Propels Microsoft to Lead Position in Analytics/BI Market

A new Gartner report on the analytics/business intelligence market places Microsoft in the lead position of the field. The Redmond cloud giant stands apart and alone atop the axes for both the ability to execute and completeness of vision in Gartner's latest "Magic Quadrant for Analytics and Business Intelligence Platforms."

Anthropic Announces Claude 3.5 Sonnet, First of Three 3.5 Releases

Anthropic has introduced a new member of its Claude LLM family: Claude 3.5 Sonnet, the first release in the forthcoming Claude 3.5 product line.

CYPHER Learning Debuts AI Accuracy Tool

Generative learning platform CYPHER Learning has introduced AI Crosscheck, an AI-powered accuracy checker that reviews the quality of AI-generated LMS content.

Report: Student Success Staff Tapping into AI Despite Lack of Institutional Support

In a recent survey from education firm EAB, 62% of university student success staff said they believe artificial intelligence can help them identify students in need of support. And 69% said they have used AI in their work over the last year.

AWS Introduces New AI Certifications

Amazon Web Services has launched two new AWS Certifications to provide job-ready skills in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and generative AI.

Microsoft Postpones AI Recall Release

After making Recall opt-in only, Microsoft is putting the brakes on its new AI feature for Windows that was designed to "retrace users' steps."

Orchestrating AI Change with an AI Maestro

As AI is integrated across institutional systems, leading organizations will need an individual who can master the art of applying the technology to accelerate performance while maintaining harmony in the enterprise.

Raspberry Pi Debuts AI Kit

Raspberry Pi's commercial site has announced a new Raspberry Pi AI Kit, available for $70.

Report: Only Half of Ransomware-Compromised Data Will Be Recovered

Organizations are vulnerable to substantial data loss and negative business impact from a ransomware attack, according to a report from Veeam Software.

Microsoft Will Disable Default 'Recall' Feature Due to Security Concerns

Microsoft's controversial new Recall feature (currently in preview) will not be activated by default for Windows users, the company announced.

Apple Jumps into Gen AI Race with 'Apple Intelligence,' ChatGPT Integration

Apple has unveiled "Apple Intelligence," a comprehensive software update across its devices, including iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia, aiming to provide users with a personalized version of generative AI (GenAI).

Element451 Launches AI Chatbot for College Websites

CRM software provider Element451 recently launched an AI-powered chatbot designed to help students navigate college websites.

AI: Familiar Territory or Alien World?

Sometimes we feel right at home with AI; sometimes it seems like an alien world. Here, Mark Frydenberg shares some practical advice to help educators find familiar ground as they guide their institutions through AI's disruptive technology changes.

Industry Leaders Weigh in on How Generative AI Will Revolutionize Education

In a panel discussion at the GenAI Summit 2024 in San Francisco, experts in artificial intelligence and education explored the transformative potential of generative AI in reshaping the classroom of the future.

Global Gen AI Community Calls for Open Source AGI

The GenAI Summit 2024 kicked off in San Francisco with a keynoter declaring that artificial general intelligence (AGI) should belong to the community as open source technology.

Report: AI Skills Boost Wages for Some, Redefine In-Demand Occupations

Artificial intelligence is providing a boon for many occupations, with AI skills often bumping up paychecks, according to the PwC 2024 AI Jobs Barometer report, analyzing over half a billion job ads to reveal the transformative impact of AI on job growth, skills demand, wage premiums and productivity across various sectors.

Tech Giants Agree to Put Limits on Gen AI Systems

Sixteen generative AI leaders — including OpenAI, Microsoft, Google and Anthropic — have agreed to pull the plug on their own AI technologies if they're deemed too dangerous.

Tapping into AI Across Every Part of the University

Touro University has embarked on a system-wide initiative to incorporate artificial intelligence into all of its programs — not only in teaching and learning, but also across research, operations, and policy. We spoke with Dr. Shlomo Argamon, Touro's recently appointed associate provost for AI, about his role, the importance of AI in higher education, how to prepare students for the new world of AI in the workforce, and more.

New Microsoft Copilot+ PCs Are Designed for Advanced AI

Microsoft has released a new line of AI-optimized Windows PCs, known as Copilot+ PCs, that the company claims are the fastest and most intelligent Windows PCs ever created.

Salesforce Education Cloud Gets Higher Ed AI Tools

CRM giant Salesforce recently unveiled new features coming to its Education Cloud platform aimed at streamlining common tasks for educators and students.

Western Governors University Provides AI Writing Assistance to All Students and Faculty

Western Governors University has announced a partnership with AI writing assistance provider Grammarly, providing access to Grammarly's real-time writing support services — and new Writing Score API — to all faculty and students.

Eureka College Expands Apogee Partnership to Include Suite of Managed Services

Eureka College has expanded its five-year technology partnership with Apogee to include Apogee Managed Campus, a suite of managed network, security, cloud, professional, and IT services, according to a news release. The college previously implemented Apogee ResNet and Apogee Managed Network Services in 2019.

Internet2's CLASS: Helping Researchers Move Forward with the Cloud

CT asks Amanda Tan, the research engagement program manager for Internet2’s Cloud Learning & Skills Sessions program, how CLASS helps the research and education community learn to navigate the quickly changing cloud knowledge base.

Instructure, Internet2 Launch New Data Governance Advisory Council

Learning platform Instructure is working with Internet2 to address the data management and archiving needs of higher education institutions through the formation of a new Data Governance Advisory Council.

War of the Hybrid Worlds 2024: Going Where We've Never Gone Before

The global pandemic thrust online teaching to the forefront. Online enrollments rose while campus enrollments declined. Is face-to-face teaching doomed? Will virtual campuses be the norm? Is there no middle ground?

Google Introduces New LearnLM Models for Students, Gemini Features for Education

Google is fine-tuning its various generative AI technologies to meet the needs of educators, the company revealed at its Google I/O conference.

Future of Privacy Forum Joins SafeInsights Education Research Project

The Future of Privacy Forum (FPF) is partnering with OpenStax, the Rice University-based publisher of free, open educational resources, as part of the National Science Foundation-funded SafeInsights project.

Penn State Joins AI Accelerator Program

Pennsylvania State University has joined the BrainChip University AI Accelerator Program, an initiative from AI processor technology provider BrainChip that offers platforms and guidance to students in higher education AI engineering programs.

Google Announces a Host of AI Updates

Artificial intelligence took the lion's share of the spotlight at the recent 2024 Google I/O developer conference.

OpenAI Rolls Out Next Evolution of ChatGPT, Able to Accept or Output Any Combination of Text, Audio, or Image

OpenAI is introducing a new iteration of its flagship GPT-4 large multimodal language model.

Educause Adds Honorary AI Category to Horizon Report

For the first time, Educause's Teaching and Learning Horizon Report has added a separate category for artificial intelligence in its list of the top trends shaping the future of teaching and learning in higher education.

The EdTech Navigator: A Strategic Planning Framework for New Learning Spaces

Addressing the challenges of new learning spaces requires a new strategic approach to innovative planning, stakeholder engagement, continuous professional development, and a commitment to ongoing evaluation and adjustment.

Microsoft Invests in AI Datacenter, Higher Ed Partnerships in Wisconsin

Microsoft is investing more than $3 billion in a new AI and cloud datacenter in southeast Wisconsin, an initiative paired with two higher education partnerships aimed at fostering workforce training.

Element451 Introduces Gen AI Assistants for Higher Education

Higher education student engagement platform Element451 has introduced two new tools to its AI-powered system: Bolt AI Assistants and Bolt Discovery.

Turnitin: More than Half of Students Continue to Use AI to Write Papers

Since its launch in April 2023, Turnitin's AI writing detection tool has reviewed over 200 million papers, with data showing that more than half of students continue to use AI to write their papers.

Top 10 Tips to Optimize Your Microsoft 365 Storage

As Microsoft transitions from unlimited storage for education customers to a maximum of 100TB of free storage across OneDrive, SharePoint, and Exchange, here are 10 ways to manage your storage more efficiently and keep storage costs in check.

Snowflake Intros New Open Source Large Language Model Optimized for the Enterprise

Data-as-a-service provider Snowflake has introduced Arctic, a new large language model (LLM) based on a unique Mixture-of-Experts (MoE) architecture optimized for complex enterprise workloads.

NIST Launches Generative AI Testing Program

The National Institute of Standards and Technology is taking incremental steps toward establishing a more standardized national approach to AI safety.

ASU Awarded $3.75 Million to Advance Generative AI in Flexible Learning On the Go

Arizona State University (ASU) has been awarded a $3.75 million, three-year, renewable grant from the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) to enhance an audio-based app by using generative AI to give college students advanced use of learning materials and activities "for the modern, mobile learner," according to a news release.

Two New Partnerships Between U.S. and Japanese Universities Will Focus on AI Research

To coincide with the recent visit of Japanese Prime Minister Kishido Fumio to the United States, the Department of Commerce announced two new interdisciplinary, collaborative partnerships, focusing on AI research, between American and Japanese universities at a signing ceremony in Washington, D.C.

Amazon Rolls Out 'Q' Enterprise AI Assistant

Amazon Q — the company's answer to cloud rival Microsoft's "Copilot" AI — is now available for commercial use.

Inside Arizona State University's OpenAI Partnership

In January, Arizona State University announced a major partnership with OpenAI to explore the potential of ChatGPT in education. We caught up with ASU CIO Lev Gonick to find out more about that collaboration, how the university is approaching the use of generative AI across campus, and what the key takeaways have been so far.

Data Literacy, AI Democratization Top Trends in Data & AI/Analytics for 2024

Democratization of AI, the need for data literacy, and more are key themes in two new survey-based reports from a cloud giant and a research firm.

Linux Foundation Launches New Open Source AI & Data Platform to Democratize Gen AI Tech

In an effort to "democratize" AI tech, the Linux Foundation has launched a new open source AI/data platform in partnership with Intel, Anyscale, Cloudera, Datastax, Domino Data Lab, Hugging Face and other industry players.

Industry Leading Academia in AI Research

Skyrocketing costs of training AI foundation models have made it difficult for academia and government to keep up with industry in AI research and development, according to the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HAI).

Immersive Learning: The Next Frontier of Higher Education

As students develop skills to succeed in the workforce, technologies such as artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and augmented reality are providing a priceless opportunity to learn by doing.

Udacity Unveils 'Discovering Ethical AI' Course

Online education company Udacity has announced a new course, "Discovering Ethical AI" in response to recent federal guidelines for guardrails for the safe and ethical use of artificial intelligence, according to a company blog post.

Coursera Co-founder Andrew Ng Joins Amazon Board of Directors

Amazon has recruited Coursera co-founder and renowned AI researcher Andrew Ng to its executive board.

Global Digital Education Council Established

Ed tech accelerator SuperCharger Ventures and over a dozen global universities have established the Digital Education Council (DEC) to address ed tech issues worldwide, including the impact of AI on education and work.

Kogod Business School Infuses Curriculum and Operations with AI Instruction

The Kogod School of Business at American University in Washington, DC, has announced its curriculum and day-to-day operations will feature artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to ensure that existing and new students and staff will have the training they need to remain current in job skills required for this rapidly advancing technology.

Security Professionals Express Cautious Optimism About AI

A new report on the state of AI and security indicates that security pros are cautiously optimistic about AI's potential to enhance threat detection and response.

Report: AI Adoption Hindered by Data Quality

Study "found that nearly every organization experiences challenges when implementing artificial intelligence (AI), with the top challenge being issues with data quality."

OpenAI Testing AI-Generated Voice Mimicry in Limited Private Preview

OpenAI is testing a new AI-based voice technology in an effort to explore its capabilities while keeping it out of the hands of potential bad actors.

Microsoft, Nvidia Expand Global AI Footprint

Microsoft and Nvidia are expanding their AI presence in a widening swath of the globe, with the goal of increasing datacenter power, as well as courting local talent and mindshare.

Toward a Human-Centered Digital Ecosystem: NJIT

The New Jersey Institute of Technology just published its 2030 strategic plan, outlining human-centered technology strategies that will build NJIT's unique values into its broader digital transformation.

AWS Plans to Lay Off Hundreds of Tech, Sales, and Marketing Staff

Amazon Web Services has confirmed to multiple outlets that it plans to lay off hundreds of staff in an effort to "streamline."

U.S. and U.K. to Collaborate on AI Safety Testing Frameworks

The United States and United Kingdom governments have announced a joint effort to establish AI safety testing standards and protocols.

Top Actions to Achieve a Future of Unified Data Models in Higher Ed

To help colleges and universities envision a better future of data analytics in higher education and provide practical steps to get there, Educause has released a new "Action Plan" for achieving unified data models across the institution.

Michigan's Wayne County Community College District Offers Free Tech Courses, Broadband Access, and Devices in a Pilot Program

Wayne County Community College District (WCCCD) in Michigan has received a grant from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration's CMC (Connecting Minority Communities) Pilot program to give students and county residents served by the college free courses, broadband access, and devices to promote digital literacy and inclusion for careers in the tech industry.

Microsoft to Roll Out Copilot Enhancements for Teams

Microsoft is enhancing how users interact directly with Copilot in Microsoft Teams with a handful of new and optimized features.

AWS Completes Investment in Claude AI Maker Anthropic

Amazon Web Services has completed its promised $4 billion investment in generative AI company Anthropic.

Report: AI/ML Tool Usage Skyrockets Across Industry Sectors

Enterprises must both securely enable AI productivity tools and also leverage AI to defend against new AI-driven threats, according to a new report from cloud security specialist Zscaler.

Pace University to Launch New AI Lab

Pace University will launch an artificial intelligence (AI) lab at its new Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems at its New York City campus, the university said. The lab will offer training for students, faculty, and staff, as well extending training to the larger business and resident community.

Getting Comfortable with "I Don't Know": Educause's 2024 AI Landscape Study

Recently Educause released its inaugural AI Landscape Study, which polled the higher education community about AI strategic planning and readiness, policies and procedures, impact on the workforce, and the future of AI in higher education. We spoke with researcher Jenay Robert about the survey results and how "I don't know" might be the theme of the day when it comes to AI.

Digital Science Releases AI-Driven Summarizations of Millions of Research Data Documents

Technology company Digital Science has announced a new AI-powered summarization feature, available on all its Dimensions versions, including its free online web app. The platform supplies summaries across 350 million interlinked publications, grants, clinical trials, and patents.

Purdue Adds Two Online Master of Science Degrees in Artificial Intelligence

Purdue University has introduced two fully online interdisciplinary Master of Science degrees in artificial intelligence: AI and Machine Learning, for "AI builders," and AI Management and Policy, for "AI translators," according to the university.

Cisco Acquires Splunk, Promotes AI Focus

Cisco has acquired data analytics firm Splunk for an estimated $28 billion. In their respective announcements, the two companies described the deal as a vehicle to "power and protect the AI revolution."

New Microsoft Education Updates Focus on AI and Security

At its annual "Reimagine Education" 2024 digital conference, Microsoft Education announced several new features of its artificial intelligence and security tools aimed to assist educators and help prepare students for future careers in which AI will play a prominent part.

EU Parliament Passes Major AI Regulation Law

The European Union (EU) Parliament has formally passed the Artificial Intelligence Act, a regulation tackling comprehensive rules for trustworthy AI systems.

Exploring the Nexus of Educational Technologies: A Futuristic Perspective

New attitudes toward the metaverse and artificial intelligence are changing how we conceptualize and engage with learning spaces.

Ellucian Acquires EduNav Academic Planning and Student Success Tools

Ellucian has announced the acquisition of EduNav, a provider of higher education academic planning and student success tools, according to a news release.

Could Institutional Policies on Generative AI Hold Back Its Transformative Potential?

We spoke with OER advocate David Wiley about why generative AI is the logical successor to OER, AI's impact on instructional design, exciting AI developments on the horizon, and why it's too early for universities to write policies for generative AI usage.

University of Maryland Upgrades Wireless Network to Authenticate 80,000 Devices Campuswide Daily

The University of Maryland (UMD) has chosen Hewlett Packard's HPE Aruba Networking Edge Services Platform as its campuswide networking solution.

Microsoft Partners with Startup Mistral AI to Advance Next-Gen LLMs

Microsoft has entered into a multi-year partnership with French AI startup Mistral AI to advance the development and deployment of next-gen LLMs. The collaboration marks a milestone on the road to bridging the gap between cutting-edge research and tangible, real-world AI applications, the companies said.

Survey Suggests Higher Ed Institutions Are Not Ready for Generative AI

In Cengage's annual digital learning pulse survey, roughly 95% of two- and four-year higher education administrators, faculty, and trustees responded that they expect generative AI tools to change their institution over the next five years.

Point Solutions Are Only the Start for AI in Grants and Research

Artificial intelligence will make research management smarter, easier to use, and more valuable — enabling quicker, better decisions for both researchers and administrators.

16-State Commission on Artificial Intelligence and Education Established

The Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) has established a new Commission on Artificial Intelligence and Education, convening "leaders in education and business to chart a course for how AI is used in classrooms and how to prepare a workforce that is being transformed by technology."

Creating Guidelines for the Use of Gen AI Across Campus

The University of Kentucky has taken a transdisciplinary approach to developing guidelines and recommendations around generative AI, incorporating input from stakeholders across all areas of the institution. Here, the director of UK's Center for the Enhancement of Learning and Teaching breaks down the structure and thinking behind that process.

ChatGPT Piloting Selective 'Memory' Feature

A new feature in ChatGPT will let users control what and how much it remembers from conversation to conversation — and also what it forgets.

University at Albany to Install First IBM Prototype AI Hardware in the World on a Higher Education Campus

The University at Albany (UAlbany) will be the first higher education institution anywhere to install the prototype IBM Artificial Intelligence Unit (IBM AIU) computing chip designed to run and train deep learning models faster and more efficiently than a general-purpose CPU.

Report: Shipments of AI-Capable PCs to Hit 167 Million by 2027

According to a report by IDC, the market for PC systems with specific AI computing capabilities built into the hardware is expected to jump by 60 percent over the next three years.

Presence and Integrity in Online Learning

At their best, synchronous online courses are shared experiences, and students are fully present to boost each other's learning. But in the virtual world it takes more than webcams to get us there. Here, Gardner Campbell explains his concept of integrity in online learning and how it can make your students true learning colleagues.

Google Renames Bard, Introduces Tiered Models and Pricing

Google has rebranded its Bard conversational AI chatbot and introduced tiered pricing model for access to advanced features.

Survey: 59% of AI Early Adopters Accelerating Its Use, But 40% Lag Behind

According to IBM's 2023 AI Adoption Index survey of enterprise-scale companies worldwide, about the same number (42%) adopted AI early on as those who are still exploring or experimenting with it (40%). But of those who adopted AI early, 59% are accelerating their use or investment in it.

The State of AI in Education

Recently at the inaugural Tech Tactics in Education conference, Campus Technology Editor in Chief Rhea Kelly moderated a panel on the state of AI in education. Here, we're sharing the discussion — and insights for anyone grappling with the impact of AI and generative AI on campus.

ED Awards $7.6 Million Grant to Georgia State U and Partner Schools to Study AI Chatbots and Student Outcomes

Georgia State University's (GSU) National Institute for Student Success (NISS) has received a $7.6 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education (ED)'s Postsecondary Student Success Program to study how chatbots affect student outcomes at GSU, its associate institution Perimeter College, and its partner schools, Morgan State University in Maryland, and the University of Central Florida.

Anthology Offers Framework for AI Policy and Implementation

Anthology has created a new resource for institutions developing policies around the ethical use of AI. The AI Policy Framework offers guidance on identifying stakeholders, defining institutional priorities, establishing a governance model, driving policy adoption, and more.

2024 Cybersecurity Outlook: Good and Bad AI, Compliance Concerns, and Softer Insurance

In 2024, experts say that AI-based tools will enable threat actors to dramatically increase both the quantity and impact of their attacks — and attacks are more likely to focus on stealing valuable data than on ransom payments. Compliance will continue to grow in complexity, and cyber insurance will likely see rates stay flat or dip slightly.