At UCLA, the Bruin Learn Center of Excellence, in partnership with the UCLA Teaching and Learning Center, is leading a bold initiative to enhance how the university gathers and analyzes instructor feedback on educational technology. By integrating AI tools into the qualitative research process, the team is reimagining how strategic insights are generated to support teaching and learning innovation across campus.
Understanding the Challenge
Historically, capturing and interpreting instructor experiences with educational technology has been a manual, time-consuming effort. This limited UCLA’s ability to scale its research efforts or respond quickly to evolving instructional needs. Challenges included identifying scalable tools for synchronous and asynchronous learning, managing content delivery effectively, and reducing reliance on physical learning spaces.
An AI-Powered Solution
To address these obstacles, the project team launched a pilot initiative that utilized OpenAI to analyze qualitative data gathered from over 20 instructor interviews within UCLA’s undergraduate programs. The process began with interviews and focus groups, followed by a careful cleaning of the data to remove sensitive information. The team then used prompt engineering to generate themes, patterns, and sentiments from the transcripts.
Once processed by OpenAI, the findings were reviewed and validated by the research team to ensure contextual integrity. The outcome was a reliable, replicable AI-enhanced methodology designed to guide decisions about educational technology tool adoption and enhancement.
Key elements of the solution included:
- Development of an AI-assisted qualitative coding workflow
- Cross-functional collaboration for faculty outreach and data collection
- Creation of an AI-enhanced methodology guide for future DTS use
- Strategic collaboration with institutions such as UT Austin, the University of Michigan, Dearborn, and the University of Washington to share best practices and ensure broader relevance
Real-World Impact
The results of the pilot project have already been significant:
- A streamlined process for analyzing qualitative data, reducing manual workload
- A scalable framework that supports ongoing research into instructional technology
- Strengthened institutional capacity for data-driven decision-making
- Increased AI literacy among research and instructional support teams
- Actionable recommendations for tool adoption, feature improvements, and vendor engagement
Faculty feedback indicated stronger alignment between educational tools and pedagogical needs, leading to informed decisions around media infrastructure, asynchronous support, and scalable instructional strategies.
What’s Next
With upcoming presentations scheduled at InstructureCon 2025 and UC Tech 2025, this project is fueling meaningful dialogue across institutions. Looking ahead, UCLA plans to expand the use of this AI-enhanced approach to other areas of research, broadening its impact across departments and further integrating AI into the university’s long-term digital strategy.
Connect and Learn More
This initiative is a vital step toward realizing UC President Michael Drake’s 2030 vision for expanding educational opportunity and excellence through technology.
📩 To learn more about this work or explore collaboration opportunities, contact Alan Roper, aroper@it.ucla.edu., at the Bruin Learn Center of Excellence.
Learn more or explore partnership opportunities with UCLA Digital & Technology Solutions.
