About AI at UT
The Office of Academic Technology and Enterprise Technology are asking students, faculty and staff how they use generative AI, how confident they feel about their use, and what they think it means for learning and work at UT.
Anonymous and open to all students, faculty, and staff through December 10, 2026.
Complete the survey for a chance to win one of fifteen $40 Amazon gift cards.
We want to understand AI use, confidence, and perspectives across the UT community.
We are asking about three things:
Use
Which tools people use, how often, and for what purpose.
Fluency and Needs
How comfortable people are with AI, what they want to learn, and what gets in the way of sophisticated use.
Sentiment
How students, faculty and staff feel about what AI means for learning, teaching, research and work at UT.
What to Know Before You Start
Gift Card Drawing
Anyone who completes the survey can enter for a chance at 1 of 15 $40 Amazon gift cards.
At the end of the survey, there will be a link to a separate form where you can enter the gift card drawing and/or select to be contacted about joining a focus group or share a use case. That form is not connected to your survey answers, so your responses stay anonymous. Winners will be contacted by email after the survey closes on December 10, 2026.
How We Protect Your Privacy
Responses are anonymous. The survey does not collect your name, EID or email, and results are reported only in aggregate. Findings will be posted on this page in Spring 2027 and will inform resources, policy, training, and work around AI integration on campus.
Who Can Participate
All undergraduate and graduate students, faculty of every rank and appointment type, and staff.
Consent Forms
Research Information Sheet: Survey
Research Information Sheet: Survey
View AI Sentiment Study Survey Research Information Sheet
Title of the Project: UT Austin AI Sentiment Study
UT Austin Investigator: Dr. Julie Schell, Director of the Office of Academic Technology
You are invited to be part of a research study. Your participation is voluntary and it is totally up to you to decide whether you want to participate. Even if you decide to be part of the study now, you may change your mind and stop at any time.
If you agree to take part in this study, you will be asked to complete an anonymous online survey about your use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools. The survey asks about which AI tools you use and how often, how you understand and work with AI, your attitudes and opinions about AI in education, and what training or support you feel you need. The survey does not collect your name, IP address, or any other identifying information. We expect the survey will take about 30 minutes. At the end of the survey, you will see a link to a separate, optional form. On that form you may enter a drawing for the chance to win one of fifteen $40 Amazon gift cards, ask to be contacted about taking part in a focus group to discuss the survey topics in greater detail, or both. The drawing is open to everyone who completes the survey, regardless of whether you are interested in a focus group. The separate form will ask for your name and email. It is not connected to your survey answers, so your survey responses stay anonymous either way. Filling out the form is optional.
Contact Information
If you have any questions, concerns, or complaints about this research now or in the future, you may contact The Office of Academic Technology at: oat@utexas.edu
If you have questions about your rights as a research participant, or wish to obtain information, ask questions, or discuss any concerns about this study with someone other than the researcher(s), please contact the following:
The University of Texas at Austin Institutional Review Board
Phone: 512-232-1543
Email: irb@austin.utexas.edu
Research Information Sheet: UT Austin AI Sentiment Focus Groups
Research Information Sheet: UT Austin AI Sentiment Focus Groups
View AI Sentiment Study Survey Research Information Sheet: Focus Groups
Title of the Project: UT Austin AI Sentiment Study
UT Austin Investigator: Dr. Julie Schell, Director of the Office of Academic Technology
You are invited to be part of a research study. Your participation is voluntary and it is totally up to you to decide whether you want to participate. Even if you decide to be part of the study now, you may change your mind and stop at any time. This form is used for two separate opportunities, plus one optional item that is separate from the study. You may enter the gift card drawing, ask to be contacted about a focus group, or both.
Focus Groups: If you agree to take part in a focus group, you will be asked to join a group discussion about how you use artificial intelligence (AI), what helps or gets in the way of using it well, and what training or support you feel you need. Separate focus groups will be held for students, for faculty, and for staff, so you will take part in a group with others in your same role. Each group will include no more than five participants. The discussion will take place on Microsoft Teams and will be audio recorded and transcribed for research purposes. We expect the focus group will take about 60 minutes. You will receive a $20 Amazon gift card as compensation for participating. Because this is a group discussion, others will hear what you say. We ask everyone to respect each other's privacy and keep what is shared in the group confidential, but we cannot guarantee that other participants will do so. Please only share what you are comfortable sharing in a group setting. Your name and email are collected strictly for contacting purposes, compensation, and the gift card drawing. This contact information is stored separately from your survey responses and is never linked to them. The focus group transcription will be deidentified before its content is analyzed. Your name will be replaced with a numerical code, so the transcript itself does not identify you. The key that links names to codes will be kept in a separate file and will be accessible only to the PI and select members of the research team. All electronic recordings, transcripts, and files will be stored in UT approved, access-restricted systems. We will destroy your identifying information (name, email, and the name-to code key) once the transcriptions are deidentified and coded and the gift card drawing is complete. Deidentified transcripts and study data may be kept and used for research in line with UT Austin's records retention policy. When we report results, no identifying information will be shared.
Note: The form also includes an optional item where you can share an example of how you have used AI. If you
choose to share a use case, that information is separate from the study and will be for institutional improvements only.
Contact Information
If you have any questions, concerns, or complaints about this research now or in the future, you may contact:
The Office of Academic Technology at oat@utexas.edu
If you have questions about your rights as a research participant, or wish to obtain information, ask questions, or
discuss any concerns about this study with someone other than the researcher(s), please contact the following:
The University of Texas at Austin Institutional Review Board
Phone: 512-232-1543
Email: irb@austin.utexas.edu
Questions?
Contact the Office of Academic Technology at oat@utexas.edu.