Institutional Conditions for Integrating Emerging Technologies in Higher Education

Emerging technologies such as generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) and open educational resources (OER) are reshaping higher education, offering new opportunities for innovation, access, and affordability. However, institutions often lack coordinated systems to implement them at scale.

Drawing on surveys and focus groups with faculty, administrators, IT leaders, and students, this study examines how leadership, governance, policy, professional learning, and workforce goals shape adoption. Findings show that, while experimentation is widely encouraged, implementation remains largely driven by individual faculty, with policies and support structures lagging behind rapid tool adoption. As a result, innovation is fragmented rather than strategic. The report offers systems-level recommendations to support more coordinated and sustainable integration of emerging technologies.

Key Findings

• Implementation of emerging technologies depends on individual initiative rather than institutional systems, and governance structures rarely include those responsible for implementation.
• Institutions have expanded access to AI tools without systematically developing the guidance or shared learning goals needed to use them effectively.
• Professional learning opportunities on emerging technologies are often misaligned with faculty workload, time, and incentives. 
• Workforce relevance of AI and digital technologies is widely acknowledged but lacks coherent, cross-curricular approaches for implementation.
• Equity and access remain central to technology decisions but face ongoing constraints related to infrastructure, funding, and organizational capacity.

This work was supported by generous funding from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and created in partnership with Digital Promise. Digital Promise shapes the future of learning and expands opportunity for every learner by bringing together solutions across research, practice, and technology.

Interested in learning more? Explore a supplemental resource: Landscape of Emerging Technologies in Higher Education: A Review.