SURVEY 1 ANALYSIS: AI awareness, knowledge and ethics
Survey 1 indicates that Wichita State University has a strong foundational base of AI awareness and ethical understanding, with a majority of respondents demonstrating familiarity with core AI concepts, risks such as bias and hallucinations, and the importance of verification and disclosure. However, confidence and practical fluency vary widely, revealing a clear divide between experienced users and those who avoid AI or lack confidence in evaluating its outputs. This bifurcation underscores the need for differentiated professional development that moves the institution from general awareness to consistent, responsible application.
SURVEY 2 ANALYSIS: AI use, tools and departmental activity
Survey 2 reveals widespread experimentation and organic adoption of AI tools across academic and administrative units, with significant use in writing, analysis, workflow automation and instructional design. At the same time, responses highlight uneven access to tools, inconsistent departmental guidance and growing concern about governance, security and equity, particularly where employees rely on personally purchased tools to meet professional demands. Collectively, the data point to an institution rich in innovation but operating without uniform infrastructure or policy alignment. This creates both opportunity and risk. The survey results and in keeping with Wichita State’s focus on responding to AI, WSU has launched a centralized artificial intelligence webpage, wichita.edu/ai, to communicate its institution‑wide approach to artificial intelligence and to support transparency, coordination and engagement across academic, research, operational and community contexts.
At Wichita State, artificial intelligence is not treated solely as an area of academic study. Rather, the university is intentionally building AI competency across disciplines to enhance marketable skills, improve institutional efficiency and stimulate creative and scholarly activity. Combined with Wichita State’s long‑standing emphasis on applied learning, this approach strengthens the value of a Wichita State degree for employers and partners.
The university’s Artificial Intelligence Strategy is designed to create an academic environment in which AI is thoughtfully, purposefully and ethically applied:
- To amplify research and scholarly activity
- To improve instructional and operational efficiency
- To advance innovation and creative work
The strategy is organized around four core pillars:
- Students, faculty and staff — Wichita State prioritizes preparing students to enter the workforce AI‑ready, equipped with the knowledge and skills needed to be competitive in a rapidly evolving job market. This includes empowering faculty and staff with the tools, guidance and professional development necessary to deliver AI‑enabled education and services effectively.
- Research — AI has the potential to significantly amplify research productivity and impact. Wichita State is evaluating, testing and deploying a range of AI tools to support researchers working with diverse forms of data and across disciplinary boundaries.
- Operations —The university recognizes the importance of responsibly integrating AI into day‑to‑day business operations to improve service quality, increase efficiency and reduce costs.
- Community and industry — As an urban public research institution, Wichita State also emphasizes community and industry engagement. From applied research for government and industry partners to workforce training and educational outreach, the university seeks to collaborate beyond campus to increase prosperity for the communities it serves. The AI webpage provides a clear entry point for external partners interested in research collaboration, training or exploratory dialogue. This strategy provides the framework for the activities described below, aligned with Kansas Board of Regents’ goal.
1. Instructional strategies and Academic Programs
Wichita State supports responsible instructional use of artificial intelligence through a coordinated set of faculty guidance, training and tool‑development efforts led by the Media Resources Center and the Office of Instructional Resources (OIR). These efforts are designed to help faculty progress from AI awareness to literacy and fluency while preserving pedagogical authorship and disciplinary autonomy.
Faculty are supported in designing courses and learning resources that use AI to improve student outcomes, reduce student costs and establish clear, course‑level expectations for AI use aligned with academic integrity and ethical standards. Faculty development emphasizes assignment and assessment design that incorporates responsible AI use. OIR provides use cases and training for AI features within Blackboard Ultra, the university’s learning management system (LMS), as well as widely used AI tools such as ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot, focusing on where AI adds instructional value and ensuring instructors retain control over learning design.
These instructional strategies are reinforced through ongoing professional learning opportunities, including the Academic Resources Conference, the Teaching Tomorrow newsletter and direct faculty and department‑level support. Collectively, these efforts promote consistent understanding of AI across the curriculum while allowing faculty to apply AI in ways that align with disciplinary norms, ethical standards and student learning objectives.
2. Research and scholarship
AI‑enabled research at Wichita State is applied and interdisciplinary. Faculty and students are using AI in diverse contexts, including novel applications in the Advanced Virtual Engineering and Testing (AVET) Lab, AI‑focused research in the Barton School of Business, and development of a multipurpose chatbot capability by a team of students. The university plans to expand AI research capacity through development of a GPU‑based high‑performance computing (HPC) environment, leveraging anticipated external funding to support data‑intensive research.
3. Workforce and economic development
AI supports workforce preparation at Wichita State University through applied, employer‑engaged learning, curriculum‑wide skill integration, and reskilling initiatives aligned with Kansas workforce priorities. In the Master of Innovation and Design (MID) program, students develop AI‑enabled solutions for local employers that directly address workforce needs. Recent applied AI activity includes AI and machine learning (ML) model development*, data modeling, workflow automation, chatbot deployment, engineering applications, and AI‑enabled administrative optimization supporting industry and government workforce needs.
AI skills are embedded across high‑demand, nontechnical fields through studio‑based and interdisciplinary coursework.Approximately 80% of the MID curriculum integrates applied AI, preparing graduates for innovation, leadership, and product development roles where AI fluency is increasingly expected.
Applied learning extends to AI‑enabled ventures and entrepreneurship. Student teams emerging from AI‑integrated coursework have received competitive recognition, venture funding, and acceptance into national startup accelerators, demonstrating alignment with Kansas economic development priorities. AI also supports workforce upskilling across the institution through active use in HR, finance, IT, and research units, primarily focused on workflow automation and operational efficiency.
4. Institutional initiatives and infrastructure
An AI Strategy Council, established at the request of the provost, provides institution‑wide coordination of Wichita State’s artificial intelligence strategy. Charged with supporting current AI initiatives, research, and instructional strategies, the council brings together faculty and staff from across the university and engages hundreds more through focus groups, training opportunities, and discussion forums. Through this work, the council advances a shared vision of AI that is thoughtfully and ethically embedded across teaching, research, operations, and innovation, while its subgroups address governance, risk, compliance, and ethical considerations to ensure mission‑aligned adoption.
In parallel, the university is developing its operational and instructional use of AI through several applied initiatives. These include AI‑enabled code projects, where AI is being leveraged to support updates to the university’s main website and to develop Learning Tools Interoperability (LTI) enhancements that extend Blackboard (Wichita State’s LMS) functionality for faculty and students. The university is also advancing AI‑supported accessibility and accommodations, using AI tools to meet Title II ADA requirements for audio description and exploring AI‑generated tactile graphics to improve access for users with visual impairments. In addition, AI‑driven back‑office processes are being implemented, combining AI tools and Power BI to automate routine administrative workflows and support other units in exploring efficiency gains.
Infrastructure investments to date have been modest, including limited enterprise tool licensing and decentralized adoption. The planned GPU‑based HPC environment represents a future centralized investment.
5. Future opportunities or collaboration
Identified opportunities include improved student success analytics, operational efficiencies, enhanced cybersecurity monitoring, more efficient IT development, and expanded use of AI within instructional systems.
Wichita State also sees value in collaboration with other KBOR institutions on policy development, AI literacy, and shared infrastructure.
Key gaps include the need for more specific AI policies and sustained, coordinated investment.
* AI/ML model development refers to building data‑driven systems that learn from information to automate processes, analyze patterns, and support decision‑making in real‑world industry and government applications.