Tool: AI Communities of Practice Starter Kit

Across higher education, AI adoption is unfolding unevenly. Individual faculty and staff are experimenting with tools, but their efforts often remain siloed. Without structures for sharing knowledge, institutions face fragmented adoption, duplicated effort, and missed opportunities for cross-departmental learning.

Our research revealed that learning communities emerged organically as experimenters found each other, especially in academic affairs. One higher education administrator described this process: “we started with creating a peer learning network, with faculty and different stakeholders across campus. We meet once a month, and we talk about how to incorporate artificial intelligence into their courses, their curriculum, and what are some of the challenges or resources.”

At the same time, professional development for AI remains uneven. Across our AI for Institutional Transformation Research, we found that most colleges prioritize professional development and training for faculty, not staff. Communities of practice can help fill these gaps by creating peer learning opportunities that reach underserved roles.