The University of Hawaiʻi has launched the AI Curriculum and Pedagogy Task Force, a short-term high-impact advisory group focused on developing and recommending a framework for curriculum transformation across the 10-campus UH System.
The task force will focus on identifying and assessing frameworks for curriculum transformation and strategies for integrating AI across all campuses. The group will explore and help inform how AI can enrich academic programs, teaching practices and learning environments—while ensuring faculty and students build strong AI literacy grounded in Hawaiʻi’s values and culture.
The task force will be co-chaired by Ina Wanca, UH chief academic technology innovation officer, and Narayana (Prasad) Santhanam, professor of electrical and computer engineering at UH Mānoa. Its members represent a diverse, multidisciplinary network of faculty and staff from across UH campuses, including education, STEM, humanities and cultural programs—ensuring a wide range of perspectives and expertise.
“We’re not just preparing students to use AI tools—we’re designing a learning ecosystem that reflects our values, strengthens our workforce, and sets Hawaiʻi apart,” said Wanca.
The group will work for six to nine months to deliver recommendations and outline a practical integration plan for review by the AI Planning Group. This plan will be incorporated into the larger systemwide AI strategy for submission to UH President Wendy Hensel.
“We have both a challenge and an opportunity due to the disruptive potential of AI in the workforce,” said Santhanam. “The challenge is that we need to prioritize learning how knowledge is built, ideas connect with each other, and how they all connect with our values in the University and in Hawaiʻi, rather than content alone. Simultaneously, AI can enable this evolution in learning too.”
This initiative is part of UH’s broader effort to build a systemwide AI strategy that strengthens teaching and learning, aligns with workforce needs, and reflects Hawaiʻi’s unique cultural values. As AI continues to reshape industries, the task force will help the university adapt by reimagining how students learn and how faculty teach.
Members of the task force:
- Ina Wanca—UH Chief Academic Technology Innovation Officer
- Narayana (Prasad) Santhanam—UH Mānoa Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering
- Ozan Atalağ—UH Hilo Associate Professor and Chair of Kinesiology and Exercise Sciences
- Debasis Bhattacharya—UH Maui College Professor of Business and Hospitality
- John Burns—UH Hilo Associate Professor of Marine Science
- Kaheleonolani Dukelow—UH System Interim Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs
- Debora Halbert—UH System Vice President for Academic Strategy
- Brent Hirata—Leeward Community College Professor
- Lissandra Baldan Jenkins—Hawaiʻi Community College Assistant Professor
- John Johnson—Kapiʻolani Community College Instructor
- Rachel Hee Suk Lee—UH Mānoa Assistant Clinical Professor
- Alapaki Luke—Honolulu Community College Professor
- Paul McKimmy—UH Mānoa Interim Assoc Vice Provost for Academic Excellence
- Gloria Niles—UH System Director of Information Technology Services
- Guylaine Poisson—UH Mānoa Chair and Professor of Information and Computer Sciences
- David San Jose—UH West Oʻahu Director of Distance Education and Learning
- Derek Snyder—UH Maui College Dean of Arts and Sciences
- Arjun Aryal—Windward Community College Instructor
- Robin Dazzeo—UH Mānoa Instructor
