HUIT continued to support and evolve Harvard’s core learning platforms, enhancing existing platforms while expanding flexible, learner-centered innovation.

The Learning Experience Platform (LXP) supported nearly 9,000 learners and 12 courses this year, including new HBS Online offerings, the 2024 College Orientation course, and a ChatGPT Edu training module.

To support this growing community, the team introduced new teaching elements that give content creators more flexibility and control, while also upgrading back-end tools to simplify administration. Support processes were also refined to ensure timely assistance for learners and program partners.

In parallel, HUIT supported more than 70,000 students and 7,500 courses across Harvard’s core Canvas tool, which was enhanced with an improved admin console and new tools to identify and improve course accessibility across formats including images and documents. 

HUIT also explored AI-powered tutoring through a pilot of HUBot, a custom chatbot embedded directly into Canvas. HUBot is designed to provide instant feedback and tutoring on course-specific materials, showing early promise in enhancing student engagement and self-paced learning.

This year, HUIT advanced Harvard’s ability to use data more effectively while also laying the groundwork for long-term governance and alignment.

Through HART (Harvard’s Analytics and Reporting Tool), HUIT modernized reporting and analytics to make them more secure, self-serviceable, and responsive to operational needs. Legacy reports were migrated with improved usability and structure, and new dashboards now give real-time insight into expenses, trends, and variances, enabling more accurate and consistent reporting to support financial planning and vendor strategy.

At the same time, HUIT partnered with the Office of Institutional Research and Analytics to launch ADMIRE (Administrative Data Management & Reporting Ecosystem), Harvard’s first University-wide data governance initiative. ADMIRE, an ITCRB project, ensures that data is aligned, secure, compliant, and strategically managed across the institution. ADMIRE brings together technical teams with more than 150 stakeholders across ten domains of administrative data to tackle data challenges, define standards, and share best practices.

Use of AI is increasingly moving from experimentation to implementation and into real-world workflows. HUIT has expanded secure access to generative AI services for developers across the University enabling greater automation of repetitive tasks; freeing up staff time, reducing manual errors, and increasing operational efficiency. 

Through the Harvard API Portal, developers can now access leading models from OpenAI, Anthropic, Meta, Mistral, and Google Gemini, streamlining integration and ensuring compliance with Harvard’s privacy and data security standards.

API usage has scaled rapidly, growing to more than 200 registered applications. Developers across the University were able to use natural language prompts to write code, fix bugs, and boost productivity. 

HUIT also expanded the use of Robotic Process Automation (RPA) as a key driver of business process improvement. One notable advancement this year was the automation of the invoice intake and validation process for a Campus Services payment operation. Previously a highly manual and time-consuming task, the process was reengineered using RPA and AI to automatically read, validate, and enter invoices into the system, significantly reducing turnaround times and minimizing data entry errors.

HUIT also integrated AI-driven detection and automated response tools into its phishing protection strategy, enabling faster identification, classification, and containment of malicious emails across the network. Automated alerts, contextual warnings, and real-time threat analysis reduce the burden on security teams while helping keep community members safe.

Many of the most critical periods in Harvard’s academic calendar—from the beginning of the fall semester to commencement—create peak demand for seamless IT services. Through strategic coordination, both across HUIT teams and with campus partners, we prepare a complex digital environment for surges in connected devices and system access, while also delivering personalized, frontline support to help our community.

From livestreaming and cybersecurity to ticketing, networking, and real-time operations in campus command centers, HUIT teams work behind the scenes to ensure Harvard’s busiest events run smoothly. 

And teams across HUIT contributed to building the infrastructure, technology, and operational services to support the upcoming David Rubenstein Treehouse Conference Center, opening in Fall 2025, expanding Harvard’s ability to convene thought leaders, deepen community partnerships, and foster collaboration across disciplines. 

HUIT continues to invest in learning and development opportunities and partnerships that support professional growth, foster shared learning, and create meaningful pathways into the technology field.

HUIT’s long-standing co-op program—a partnership with Northeastern University and Wentworth Institute of Technology—also expanded this year. Now serving 28 students per term, the program provides hands-on experience, technical training, and professional mentorship across Field Support, Service Desk, Endpoint Management, Deployment & Refresh, and Walk-in Service Center operations. Seven co-ops have transitioned to full-time roles, demonstrating the program’s success as a learning laboratory and effective talent development pipeline. 

Through the Technology Enablement Initiative, HUIT partnered with the Minority Serving – Cyberinfrastructure Consortium (MS-CC) to extend Harvard’s IT Academy programming to five IT professionals from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and create mutually beneficial opportunities for exchange.

And hundreds of IT staff across the University participated in IT Academy trainings and informal learning spaces such as demo hours and communities of practice. HUIT also piloted a new Residency Program, offering staff short-term, cross-functional assignments that build skills, break down silos, and foster career exploration.