Using AI in Higher Education Curriculum and Course Design

To say that technology has changed is a considerable understatement. Disruptive technology is defined as “an innovation that significantly alters the way that consumers, industries or businesses operate.” Recent technological innovations such as artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning have become so important that three top tech firms are investing hundreds of billions of dollars into a new company called Stargate, designed to grow artificial intelligence infrastructure in the United States. 

These innovations aren’t just impacting tech workers: A study by the University of Pennsylvania and OpenAI predicted that 80% of the US workforce will have at least 10% of their work tasks affected by generative pre-trained transformers (GPTs). 

Higher education administrators and professors are taking advantage of AI to eliminate the more tedious aspects of their jobs, which means they can focus more strategically on developing innovative curriculums, improving instruction and spending meaningful time interacting with students. As written in Forbes, “AI is a technology that allows education to become more humanly focused. It allows university teachers to focus on the most important part of their work, teaching the students, rather than teaching a curriculum.” 

As a proud provider of innovative business education, the Freeman School of Business at Tulane University is using and testing AI in higher education, while also demonstrating why educators and administrators should be mindful when using this powerful technology.

Technology Uses for Course Design and Instruction 

Mike Wilson is a senior professor of practice in Tulane’s Online Master of Business Administration. Over the past few years, Wilson has begun incorporating disruptive technology into his curriculum and is currently testing different AI programs using a variety of AI tools.

“I test course outlines and lectures using different AI tools, and each tool gives me a slightly different response,” said Wilson. “It’s a great starting point for designing a course.” 

Wilson is also a part of Negotiate UP – iDecisionGames Group, which provides simulations for education and training. His interest in emerging technology has helped him find innovative ways to use AI in his classes at Tulane University’s Freeman School of Business. 

“I use AI as a tool to give suggested ideas on course design and assignments,” said Wilson. “It’s a tremendous tool that gives me great information quickly and gives me ways to build on my existing ideas.” 

Another way that Wilson incorporates emerging technologies into his classroom is by having students in his negotiations course negotiate against AI. 

“Students negotiate against AI in the iDecisionGames,” Wilson said. “They type something in and the program responds. The program can be set to easy, moderate, hard or mean. Students find it intriguing, exciting and challenging. The response time from AI is incredibly quick, and they get a lot of information.” 

Wilson is currently experimenting with OpenAI and hopes that students in his future negotiations classes will be able to negotiate against avatars, in addition to negotiation exercises with other students. 

“We want to make the simulations as real as possible,” said Wilson. 

Potential Pitfalls of Using AI 

Though AI is proven to be a helpful tool, Wilson cautions against relying on it. Using AI without careful diligence can lead to the user spreading misinformation, encountering legal issues and even unknowingly taking part in an energy and water crisis. When introducing AI into your classroom, Wilson suggests considering the following issues: 

Bias, misrepresentation and marginalization

All AI has some level of bias, which is easily uncovered by comparing different AI tools. For example, research has shown that language models have demonstrated dialect prejudice that makes the models more likely to suggest that speakers of African American English are “stupid” or “lazy”, and should be assigned less prestigious jobs.

Labor exploitation and worker harms

When AI is introduced into an industry, workers may see their roles redefined without support or warning, or they may be eliminated entirely. In addition, many of the workers who are fueling the AI revolution through content moderation and data labelling are underpaid, underappreciated and treated inhumanely.

Misinformation and disinformation

AI makes it easy to create and disseminate false information, including hallucinating news articles and photos. AI users have to be wary of propagating information that isn’t true. “I tell my students that you can use AI, but you must have two quality references to support what AI gives you, because it may be incorrect,” said Wilson.

Privacy violations and data extraction

There’s a danger that AI will store and use data, and then give other users access to this private material. This data can be taken and used in a way that is harmful to an organization or group. 

Copyright and authorship issues

Since AI draws from a vast array of resources, it is easy to plagiarize material. “As I tell my students, I run papers through an AI tool that detects copyright and plagiarism,” said Wilson. 

Environmental costs

There is research showing that AI data centers use 16 ounces of water for each string of data prompts. We must ask ourselves the questions of how the increase in AI data centers will impact our environment, and what we can do to mitigate those effects. 

How Tulane’s Online MBA Is Utilizing Disruptive Technology

Professionals in most industries will need to understand how to work with disruptive technology, especially AI. In response, programs like Tulane’s Online MBA provides business education that is adaptable and focused on the future. 

As written in this Tulane article, “Aspiring business leaders should seek programs that teach not only financial trends and organizational concepts, but also provide the skills to harness the transformative power of new technology. The Online Master of Business Administration offered by the Freeman School of Business at Tulane University emphasizes collaborative learning and creative problem-solving to develop students’ technical skills in a variety of areas.” 

Disruptive technologies outside of AI can include data analytics, technology integration, database management, digital marketing analytics and ecommerce trends — all of which will become more important for business professionals to know and use today and in the future. 

About the Online MBA at the Freeman School of Business at Tulane University

The Online Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the Freeman School of Business at Tulane University is structured to allow you space for in-depth exploration within your areas of interest alongside the development of core competencies in accounting, data analytics, finance, marketing and operations. While a concentration is not required as part of the 46 required credits, you may pursue up to two of the following: Business Analytics, Finance or Marketing.

The program is designed to meet the needs of professionals from a wide range of academic and professional backgrounds. Regardless of your desired concentration or industry, you’ll graduate with a comprehensive understanding of business and managerial concepts and the practical skills to make informed business decisions and lead in your organization.

In the 2024-2025 U.S. News & World Report rankings, Freeman climbed 19 spots among the nation’s top MBA programs. This is one of the biggest year-over-year changes among ranked programs and reflects Freeman’s continued commitment to excellence and innovation in business education.

This content was paid for and created by Tulane University Freeman School of Business. The editorial staff of The Chronicle had no role in its preparation. Find out more about paid content.