In the CDW Artificial Intelligence Research Report, respondents from the higher education sector were asked about their confidence in AI’s ability to improve efficiency. Respondents indicated which areas they either “very strongly” or “somewhat strongly” believe AI can achieve the following outcomes:
- 83% - Reduced workload for employees
- 81% - Streamlined workflows
- 78% - Faster innovation
- 76% - Improved decision-making
As staff at colleges and universities look for new ways to get hours back in the day, AI and enhanced collaboration tools have potential to both create — and solve — problems.
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Technology Is Only Part of the Solution
Higher education IT teams are feeling overworked and underappreciated, according to the 2025 EDUCAUSE Technology Leadership Workforce Report, with 75% of IT leaders reporting excessive workloads. Further, 65% of respondents said their institutions have no plan for workforce transitions, succession or retention. College and university technology departments are doing more work with fewer people — only 16% of respondents said their departments are adequately staffed — and leaders are seeking more institutional support to better their work lives.
“This report is a wake-up call,” says Mark McCormack, senior director of analytics and research at EDUCAUSE. “Our technology leaders are vital to institutional success, but they’re exhausted and at risk of leaving. We need urgent investment in their capacity and well-being.”
The report highlights some opportunities that could come out of these statistics. For example, fostering a flexible work environment can be a boost to employee morale. While workloads are high, 84% of respondents said having a flexible work schedule improves their work-life balance.
80%
The percentage of IT leaders who are curious or excited about AI-enhanced collaboration tools
Source: CDW, 2025 Workplace Modernization Research Report, September 2025
Productivity tools that enable this flexibility can be a help and a hindrance to employees, according to the report, with at least some respondents indicating that such technology has made their job performance worse in some way. In open-ended responses, these tech leaders said clear communication about new tools, regular training and soliciting feedback from end users could go a long way.
Tech leaders are also looking for more opportunities to innovate using emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence. As AI adoption increases across campuses, most institutions are focusing on risk and compliance rather than innovation in teaching, research and student support.
Demands on higher ed IT teams are increasing every day, but fostering professional development opportunities, employee support programs and overall staff appreciation efforts can help improve morale and deliver a better employee experience.
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Quick Tips to Work Smarter in Hybrid Work Environments
As hybrid work continues to grow in higher ed, having efficient collaboration tools in place is key. Here are some artificial intelligence features of these tools that help employees work more efficiently and remove points of friction.
In-Meeting Intelligence. AI powers instant transcription, translation and summarization.
Sentiment Detection. In the contact center, AI-powered platforms can detect heightened caller emotions in real time, enabling supervisors to intervene.
Smarter Collaboration Equipment. Many video collaboration systems use AI to suppress background noise, dynamically focus cameras on active speakers and reconstruct missing audio packets.
Automated Service Summaries. AI-generated summaries and case notes can be integrated with customer relationship management platforms.
