#200: UCSB's Data-Driven AI Pilots + ASU's Multi-LLM Innovation Platform + Google's Higher Ed Partnerships [EDUCAUSE 2024]
![#200: UCSB's Data-Driven AI Pilots + ASU's Multi-LLM Innovation Platform + Google's Higher Ed Partnerships [EDUCAUSE 2024]](https://substackcdn.com/feed/podcast/1700149/post/163450774/6918b53cc4beed9c787c2c903a3ad4d2.jpg "#200: UCSB's Data-Driven AI Pilots + ASU's Multi-LLM Innovation Platform + Google's Higher Ed Partnerships [EDUCAUSE 2024]")
#200: UCSB's Data-Driven AI Pilots + ASU's Multi-LLM Innovation Platform + Google's Higher Ed Partnerships [EDUCAUSE 2024]
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Featuring:
Josh Bright, CIO and Associate Vice Chancellor for IT at UC Santa Barbara (UCSB)
Kyle Bowen, Deputy CIO at Arizona State University (ASU)
Charles Elliott, Field CTO for Public Sector at Google
What You’ll Learn:
High-Impact AI Strategies
ASU's language learning: German professor developed a custom AI tool that breaks free from "arcane phrases like 'where is the library'" to enable personalized conversational practice that adapts to student interests and provides immediate feedback
UCSB's data-driven approach: Five strategic AI pilots generating concrete metrics to inform new leadership's investment decisions during chancellor transition, ensuring continuity of innovation
Google Cloud's Rapid Innovation Team delivers accelerated proof-of-concepts through enhanced user story collaboration, allowing universities to quickly transform ideas into working prototypes
Technology Infrastructure Innovations
ASU's "Create AI Platform" unifies multiple LLMs into a single environment where faculty, researchers and students can rapidly prototype solutions to real-world problems, creating an agile development ecosystem
Google's migration of Collaboratory to cloud infrastructure gives educational institutions both seamless collaboration features and enterprise-scale computing power for complex research workloads
UCSB's partnership with Goldstein yielded comprehensive consensus from 200+ stakeholders including 70+ faculty members, creating what Josh calls "a fantastic engagement" leading to unified campus IT direction
Transformative Leadership & Organizational Development
UCSB's immersive five-day on-site "conference" reconnected hybrid workers with campus mission after 5-year absence for some staff, yielding emotional breakthrough: "We didn't know we needed this"
UCSB's year-long MOR Associates Leadership Program builds shared language among senior IT leaders while requiring all central IT staff to achieve Yellow Belt certification in Lean Six Sigma
ASU's competitive AI Innovation Challenge framework creates structured experimentation that simultaneously explores possibilities and identifies governance issues: "It helps us put in place the kind of guidelines or processes to help mitigate them in the future"
Cross-Institutional Partnership Models
Google Cloud's advanced multimodal capabilities enable universities to process diverse inputs—"video, audio, geometry assignments, you name it"—creating richer educational experiences for students
ASU's operational success applying AI to incident communications demonstrates how technical teams can "translate and help communicate about what's happening in technology environments to provide better messaging, faster"
UCSB's campus-wide mentorship program connects IT professionals across organizational boundaries, currently in its second cohort and delivering "really fantastic outcomes, just helping people to see, partner with those who are a little further along the road"
Timestamps
(01:15) ASU's three-pillar AI strategy: Education/Community, Technology, Experimentation
(02:00) Real-world AI applications at ASU: German language learning and incident response
(03:00) UCSB's campus IT strategy development with 200+ stakeholders
(06:00) UCSB's Enterprise AI pilots for gathering implementation data
(08:00) Leadership development initiatives at UCSB
(12:30) ASU's AI Innovation Challenge framework
(15:00) UCSB's transformative five-day on-site experience for remote staff
(18:00) Leadership advice for technology leaders in Higher Ed
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CIO and Associate Vice Chancellor for IT at UC Santa Barbara (UCSB)
Josh Bright is UC Santa Barbara’s third Associate Vice Chancellor for Information Technology and Chief Information Officer (AVC/CIO). In this role, Josh provides oversight for all IT activities that contribute to planning, creating, and implementing UCSB's IT vision, and for the integration of those activities into the campus' strategic plan.
Josh joined UCSB in August 2022 after almost 20 years at UC Riverside, where he served as the Interim Associate Vice Chancellor and Chief Information Officer, responsible for the strategic leadership of UCR’s central campus Information Technology Solutions (ITS) organization. Prior to this role, he served as Associate Director/Senior Program Manager of UCR ITS Demand & Premium Services, designing and implementing key IT services for the campus, and as UCPath Campus Program Manager, leading UC Riverside through its successful transformation and implementation of PeopleSoft Human Capital Management.
Josh received a Ph.D. in Philosophy from UC Riverside, an M.A. in Philosophy from Northern Illinois University, and a B.A. in Philosophy and Theological Studies from Wheaton College. He holds certificates in IT Service Management, Digital & IT Strategy, and Lean IT, and has completed the UC IT Leadership program at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business.
Although he was born in the midwest, Josh has spent most of his life in California. He has been married to his wife Dianne for 25 years, and they have three children. They love spending time outdoors and exploring all that the Santa Barbara area a…Read More
Deputy Chief Information Officer, Enterprise Technology
Kyle Bowen is Deputy CIO at Arizona State University, where he leads strategic university efforts for effective uses of technology to advance institutional growth. Kyle guides a portfolio of disciplines such as AI acceleration, learning experience and disruptive innovation. In addition to supporting internal operations for Enterprise Technology including creative and communications, human resources, community partnerships, and alignment with budget and finance. Formerly the director of Teaching and Learning with Technology at Penn state, and director of informatics at Purdue University, he is experienced in shaping institutional strategies that help students meet their learning goals through innovative technologies. Kyle is an experienced entrepreneur and frequent speaker on the role of technology to change education. He has co-authored and edited more than 20 books in the areas of design, online development and usability, and his work has appeared in the New York Times, USA Today and the Chronicle of Higher Education.
Field CTO for Public Sector at Google
Charles is a visionary leader shaping the future of technology and education. With over a decade of experience in Analytics and AI, he merges his roles as a bioinformatics researcher, entrepreneur, and most recently Google's Field CTO for Research and Education. Driven by a passion to transform education across K-12 and higher-ed, Charles also empowers large enterprises to achieve incredible outcomes from their technology investments. His expertise in Generative AI and global-scale data platforms fuels cutting-edge research, transformative learning experiences, and outstanding business results. As an advisor, educator, and board member, he is committed to sharing insights that promote technology-driven innovation.
Reach out to Charles to discuss collaborations that enable transformative education and technology outcomes.