Cal State LA secures funding for two artificial intelligence projects from CSU

Cal State LA Secures Funding for Pioneering AI Educational Projects

Cal State LA has been awarded funding for two significant faculty-led projects focused on integrating artificial intelligence into education. This funding comes from the California State University's (CSU) Artificial Intelligence Educational Innovations Challenge (AIEIC), an initiative designed to empower faculty across the 23-campus system to be at the forefront of AI adoption and deployment.

The CSU launched the AIEIC in February 2025 as a core component of its broader strategy to become the nation's first AI-empowered university system. The initiative encouraged faculty to propose innovative instructional strategies leveraging AI tools. The response was remarkable, with over 400 proposals submitted by more than 750 faculty members statewide. Ultimately, 63 proposals were selected to receive a total of $3 million in funding. These projects were chosen for their potential to introduce transformative teaching methods, foster groundbreaking research, and proactively address critical concerns surrounding AI's integration into academia.

As Nathan Evans, CSU deputy vice chancellor of Academic and Student Affairs and chief academic officer, stated, "CSU faculty and staff aren't just adopting AI—they are reimagining what it means to teach, learn, and prepare students for an AI-infused world." He emphasized that the funded projects highlight the CSU's strong commitment to innovation and academic excellence, aiming to explore and demonstrate effective AI integration with findings shared systemwide to maximize impact. The ultimate goal is clear: to prepare students to engage with AI strategically, ethically, and successfully in California's rapidly evolving workforce.

Cal State LA's two winning projects tackle distinct, yet crucial, aspects of AI in higher education.

Project 1: Teaching with Integrity in the Age of AI

Led by the university’s Center for Effective Teaching and Learning, this project will establish a Faculty Learning Community (FLC) specifically to address faculty concerns related to AI and maintaining academic integrity. Running from September 2025 to April 2026, the FLC will provide dedicated support for eight to 15 cross-disciplinary faculty members. The community will delve into developing pedagogy that is both AI-informed and ethics-focused.

Participants will gain actionable insights and strategies to navigate the challenges AI presents to traditional academic honesty. Key activities will include exploring methods to minimize AI-facilitated cheating, applying ethical decision-making frameworks to classroom practices, and designing assignments that align with emerging AI literacy standards. The demonstrable benefit here is equipping faculty with the knowledge and tools necessary to adapt their teaching in a way that upholds academic rigor and prepares students to use AI responsibly and ethically.

Project 2: AI-Enhanced STEM Supplemental Instruction Workshops

This project focuses on directly enhancing student success, particularly in challenging first-year Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) courses. It aims to achieve this by strategically integrating generative AI tools, such as ChatGPT, into existing Supplemental Instruction (SI) workshops.

Supplemental Instruction is a widely used, peer-led academic support program. By introducing AI into this model, the project seeks to address some limitations inherent in traditional collaborative learning environments. The AI component will provide students with personalized, real-time feedback and guidance, augmenting the support they receive from peer leaders. The practical benefit for students is access to immediate, tailored assistance that can help them grasp complex concepts more effectively, potentially leading to improved understanding and higher success rates in these critical foundational courses.

Driving Forward with AI

These two projects directly align with the three core goals of the CSU’s broader AI Strategy: encouraging faculty and students to explore AI literacies and competencies, focusing on building a fluent relationship with AI technologies; addressing the need for meaningful engagement with AI, ensuring students remain active participants in their learning; and examining the ethics of AI use in higher education, promoting approaches that embed academic integrity throughout the curriculum.

The awarded projects across the CSU system span a diverse array of academic disciplines, from business and engineering to ethnic studies and journalism, underscoring the widespread relevance of AI integration. Many projects also focus on faculty development, recognizing the crucial need to equip instructors with the necessary skills and understanding to navigate course design, policy development, and classroom practices in an AI-enabled environment.

By securing funding for these two innovative initiatives, Cal State LA is taking concrete steps to prepare its faculty and students for a future where AI plays an increasingly prominent role. These projects exemplify a proactive approach to leveraging AI's potential while simultaneously addressing the ethical and pedagogical challenges it presents, ensuring that innovation serves the core mission of academic excellence and student success.