Explore 8 practical ways universities and colleges can use AI in the classroom to improve teaching, boost creativity, support accessibility, and prepare students for an AI-driven workforce.

8 Ways Universities & Colleges Can Embrace AI in the Classroom

5-ways-universities-colleges-can-embrace-ai-in-the-classroom

8 Ways Universities &amp; Colleges Can Embrace AI in the Classroom

[[p]]Artificial intelligence (AI) is a commonplace tool in higher education, but has significant implications for the classroom and teaching. Many educators and institutions have voiced concerns over the use of AI technologies like ChatGPT to help students cheat in assignments and its negative impact on learning.[[/p]]

[[p]]But there are many [[a href="https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/blog/8-universities-leveraging-ai-to-drive-student-success"]]great examples of using AI in higher education[[/a]] proving it can be a powerful tool for the sector. When integrated into the curriculum and leveraged correctly, the technology can accelerate student&rsquo;s learning and drive engagement.[[/p]]

Technology offers the prospect of universal access to increase fundamentally new ways of teaching. A lot of AI is also going to automate really bad ways of teaching. So [we need to] think about it as a way of creating new types of teaching.

[[p]]Understanding the concept of AI will only get students so far in this AI-driven workforce. It&rsquo;s crucial that they know what tools are available, what they can do, and that they have experience using them.[[/p]]

[[p]]The most popular and well-known of all the generative AI tools is undoubtedly ChatGPT. The reason? It&rsquo;s simple to use and accessible with multiple uses. Other popular generative AI tools include Google Gemini, Microsoft Copilot, Anthropic Claude.[[/p]]

[[p]]Students can use these tools to generate prompts on topics of personal interest, use it to kickstart an essay, or sense check a project for grammar or vocabulary. They can also be used to generate ideas or counter arguments that can lead to a different way of approaching a project or assignment.[[/p]]

[[p]]Other AI tools can be used for multiple digital marketing activities such as research, developing ideas, writing content, creating images, audio, music, and video.[[/p]]

[[p]]To use AI tools effectively, students need to know what the [[a href="https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/blog/an-introduction-to-chatgpt-prompting-for-digital-marketers"]]best practices are for prompting the tools[[/a]].[[/p]]

[[p]]Firstly, users need to start with a goal to clearly state exactly what the tool should do and what the expected output is. Context is hugely important, as this helps the AI provide a more suitable, specific and personalized output to the user query. It&rsquo;s a good idea to also give the AI tool sources to reference. Finally, users need to outline expectations of the tool, and in what format the tool should deliver its output.[[/p]]

[[p]]There are many ways universities and colleges can use innovative technologies or AI-powered analytics tools to boost learning in the classroom.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[ul]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Personalize the learning experience:[[/strong]] AI-powered technologies can measure student performance and tailor a program to help improve engagement and grades. Century Tech combines AI with neuroscience to create personalized learning pathways. It provides teachers with data-driven content delivery and suggests interventions.[[/li]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Enable discussion and brainstorming: [[/strong]]AI tools like ChatGPT, Midjourney or DALL-E can help spark an idea or prompt a conversation in the classroom. This may help students to think in a different way or speak out on a topic they are passionate about.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;[[/li]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Provide instant feedback: [[/strong]]AI can give instant feedback to student&rsquo;s work or answer questions quickly and easily. Brisk Teaching is a Chrome and Edge browser extension that integrates with platforms like Google Docs. It provides quick, personalized feedback on student essays, with comments or feedback based on your specific rubric. Additionally, Turnitin gives students instant feedback on plagiarism, citations, grammar, and sentence structure.[[/li]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Automate tasks: [[/strong]]There are many repetitive tasks that educators need to do daily. AI tools can help free up time with marking or create quizzes. Gradescope can help with grading a variety of assignments, but remember, this should always be human-checked. MagicSchool AI and Quizizz are great options to help educators create quizzes.[[/li]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Analyze student engagement: [[/strong]]Analytical tools can make it easy to see student engagement and performance. This will help you to identify students that are struggling or areas that the class needs to improve on.&nbsp;[[/li]]
[[/ul]]

[[p]]Other tools include:&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[ul]]
	[[li]]Querium: an AI-powered tutor that provides students with tutoring on math problems and builds personalized lesson plans.&nbsp;[[/li]]
	[[li]]Ahura: an AI-powered learning assistant that tracks learning habits.[[/li]]
	[[li]]Knewton: an adaptive learning platform that can personalize learning experiences.[[/li]]
[[/ul]]

[[p]]The key is to use AI in your teaching to provide a more comprehensive learning experience.[[/p]]

[[p]]AI can be used in a positive, creative way by students. Educators should encourage students to explore the technology and provide the AI with feedback to build deeper thinking.[[/p]]

[[ul]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Image &amp; video creation[[/strong]]: Many tools allow students to generate creative designs based on text prompts, which students can use as templates for their own work. Educators must teach students about copyright concerns and consent in this use case. Tools include Midjourney, Google Gemini and Microsoft Copilot.[[/li]]
[[/ul]]

[[p]]For example, a digital marketing student has received an assignment to create a social media campaign for a fake company selling standing desks. Google Gemini can help them get creative:[[/p]]

[[p]]The University of Southern California uses an AI-powered tool for students called VMock to help with job seeking.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]According to Lori Shreve Blake, Senior Director, Career Engagement at USC, VMock includes a tool called Smart Resume. This enables students to upload their resume and gives recommendations of how to improve bullet points, use action verbs and point out where to add quantifying information.[[/p]]

[[p]]AI technology plays a crucial role in [[a href="https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/blog/diversity-and-inclusion-in-digital-marketing" target="_blank"]]promoting inclusivity[[/a]]. In fact, according to Michigan Virtual, educators see strong potential in AI for improving instruction and accessibility.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]AI can facilitate inclusivity through innovations like AI-powered braille tutor apps or screen readers for those with low vision. AI can also provide speech recognition, real-time transcription, image description, closed captions, and more &ndash; all important elements for people with disabilities or other access needs.[[/p]]

[[p]]Tools to help educators make learning more accessible include:[[/p]]

[[ul]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Text-to-speech: [[/strong]]Natural Reader, ReadSpeaker, and Microsoft Immersive Reader.[[/li]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Speech-to-text: [[/strong]]Google Voice Typing, Otter.ai, and Microsoft&rsquo;s Dictate.[[/li]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Predictive text: [[/strong]]Grammarly, Microsoft Word&rsquo;s predictive text, and Gboard&rsquo;s predictive typing.[[/li]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Tools for captioning and transcription:[[/strong]] Rev.ai, Zoom&rsquo;s auto-captioning, YouTube&rsquo;s automatic captions.[[/li]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Automated translation: [[/strong]]Google Translate, Microsoft Translator.[[/li]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Creating alternative formats:[[/strong]] Ally for Blackboard, SensusAccess.[[/li]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Adaptive learning systems:[[/strong]] DreamBox, Smart Sparrow, and ALEKS.[[/li]]
[[/ul]]

[[p]]There&rsquo;s also Google&rsquo;s Parrotron, an AI tool that allows people with speech impairments to translate their speech patterns into fluent conversations.[[/p]]

[[p]]Everyone deserves to learn. These AI applications can help people with disabilities access education more easily and make learning more collaborative.[[/p]]

[[p]]Today&rsquo;s students want practical digital marketing skills and knowledge to help them stand out in the job market. We partner with leading universities and colleges across the globe to offer digital marketing certifications that employers want and need. [[a href="https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/educators/accreditation" target="_blank"]]Get in touch today[[/a]] to find out more about our accreditation partnership.[[/p]]

[[p]]Teachers are no longer asking if they should use AI, but how to integrate it wisely.[[/p]]

[[p]]Let&rsquo;s explore why higher level institutions should embrace AI along with 8 effective ways educators can guide students to use AI to improve learning and prepare them for work in the outside world.[[/p]]

[[ul]]
	[[li]][[a href="#heading_83137"]]Why should universities and colleges embrace AI?[[/a]][[/li]]
	[[li]][[a href="#heading_74405"]]1. Leverage AI tools effectively[[/a]][[/li]]
	[[li]][[a href="#heading_83154"]]2. Teach AI prompting best practices[[/a]][[/li]]
	[[li]][[a href="#heading_83157"]]3. Use AI as a learning partner&nbsp;[[/a]][[/li]]
	[[li]][[a href="#heading_74414"]]4. Use AI for revision and assignments[[/a]][[/li]]
	[[li]][[a href="#heading_74417"]]5. Use AI to push creativity and innovation[[/a]][[/li]]
	[[li]][[a href="#heading_83166"]]6. Use AI for job hunting[[/a]][[/li]]
	[[li]][[a href="#heading_74421"]]7. Use AI to enable accessibility and inclusivity[[/a]][[/li]]
	[[li]][[a href="#heading_83169"]]8. Educate students on ethics[[/a]][[/li]]
	[[li]][[a href="#heading_83171"]]Conclusion: AI in the classroom[[/a]][[/li]]
[[/ul]]

[[p]]The use of AI in education is a difficult concept to navigate, due to the scale and speed of change, hype, and law and ethics.[[/p]]

Why AI is difficult to navigate. Source: DMI

[[p]]AI can be useful for both the teacher and the student, and can be used in many different ways in the classroom.[[/p]]

“Higher education needs to incorporate AI in two ways: to support and instruct students, and as part of the curriculum to prepare students to use AI in their work.”

[[p]]In fact, AI literacy is now a core graduate skill. Institutions and educators must treat AI fluency like digital literacy: an essential graduate capability across disciplines, not just for tech or business students. In Microsoft and LinkedIn&rsquo;s Work Trend Index annual report, they found that 71% of leaders would rather hire a less-experienced candidate with AI skills than a more experienced candidate without them.[[/p]]

[[p]]In a survey by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), nine out of ten respondents reported using AI tools in their professional work, most commonly for research and writing tasks. Nearly half are also experimenting with AI in teaching, including lesson planning, grading support, and plagiarism detection, while others use it for administrative or professional development purposes.[[/p]]

AI across the content creation process. Source: DMI

[[p]]Teachers and professors can benefit from using tools like ChatGPT as much as students can. They can use it to build lesson plans, quizzes, and ask questions to fill gaps in lesson delivery. It can also be used for translation and even role play by asking questions. More on this later.[[/p]]

[[p]]Here&rsquo;s an example using the prompt &lsquo;Examples of marketing in a cookie-less world&#39; which could help spark discussion in the classroom.[[/p]]

Examples of marketing in a cookie-less world. Source: ChatGPT

Prompting standard AI chat models. Source: DMI

[[p]]Educators should also provide students with high-performing prompts and create a prompt library for students to use and reference. Share prompting methodologies and top prompts for different use cases, and update prompts as the models evolve. Knowing prompting best practices will set students up for success when utilizing AI.[[/p]]

[[p]]In a survey from the Digital Education Council, 86% of students said they use artificial intelligence in their studies, with 24% using AI daily and 54% using it weekly. It&rsquo;s clear that the majority of students are embracing AI, but it&rsquo;s up to educators to help students use the technology responsibly. Some great uses of AI in academia include:[[/p]]

[[ul]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Creating schedules: [[/strong]]AI tools can help students to develop a personalized study plan, including due dates and suggested optimal study times. Use tools such as Notebook LM, StudyFetch and Mindgrasp.[[/li]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Organizing notes: [[/strong]]Students can use AI to structure their class notes into easily digestible insights, making studying more efficient and effective. Use tools such as Notion AI, Taskade, Otter.ai.[[/li]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Research &amp; topic connections: [[/strong]]Students can use chatbots like ChatGPT to conduct research, ask questions and explore connections between subjects and concepts, allowing them to deepen their understanding of what they are learning. Other tools like Semantic Scholar and Research Rabbit can help students find relevant research papers and academic literature.[[/li]]
[[/ul]]

[[p]]In a recent DMI webinar, Kerry Harrison showed teachers how to [[a href="https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/resources/videos/walkthrough-deep-research-with-gemini" target="_blank"]]perform deep research with Gemin[[/a]]i:[[/p]]

[[ul]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Creating assignment outlines and drafts: [[/strong]]This can definitely be abused, however, generative [[a href="https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/blog/using-ai-tools-for-copywriting" target="_blank"]]AI can be helpful for copywriting[[/a]] and to generate outlines and drafts, based on the student&rsquo;s original thoughts. Look at tools such as ChatGPT and Notion AI.[[/li]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Editing: [[/strong]]Encourage students to pass their work through a tool to check their work for incorrect grammar and spelling, accuracy and potential plagiarism. Grammarly is a very popular tool for this use case.[[/li]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Practice for exams: [[/strong]]Let your students know that they can use AI to help them practice for upcoming exams. With AI tools like Notebook LM, students can input their study notes, and prompt the tool to ask them related questions to practice for an exam.[[/li]]
[[/ul]]

[[p]]Advanced technologies like AI are a part of today&rsquo;s world and used by companies across industries to engage, influence and convert customers.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]Therefore, it&rsquo;s crucial for educators to embrace and engage with virtual worlds so students understand how to use and leverage them. Experimentation is key and this can be done risk-free in a classroom environment using AI.[[/p]]

"AI exponentially increases our creative process… Creating these starting points used to take us months to do. Now, we can create them in seconds.”

An AI-generated social media ad for a standing desk using Gemini. Source: Gemini

[[ul]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Data visualization: [[/strong]]AI tools can interpret raw data and turn it into creative visuals, such as tables, charts,&nbsp; infographics, images, and more. These can be great visual aids for assignments and presentations. Check out tools like Zoho Analytics and Julius AI.[[/li]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Photo editing: [[/strong]]AI can dramatically enhance photo editing by, for example, adjusting shadows, or refining a photo&rsquo;s color balance and adding filters. Tools such as Adobe Photoshop&rsquo;s Content-Aware Fill simplify these intricate edits.[[/li]]
[[/ul]]

[[p]]However, it&rsquo;s important that educators warn students about how using these tools can also lead to a lack of creativity. For example, Houman Harouni, a lecturer on education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education recently discussed his use of ChatGPT to stimulate higher-level thinking.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]He challenged students to pretend to be a teacher or administrator at the school and design a course of action.[[/p]]

[[p]]After an hour, students were presented with ChatGPT&rsquo;s analysis. Interestingly, the student responses were similar to the ideas generated by ChatGPT, which shocked many students and highlighted a &lsquo;tired way&rsquo; of thinking.[[/p]]

[[p]]This challenged students to start thinking in a different way and prompted discussions that sparked creativity.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]&ldquo;You have to stop thinking that you can teach exactly the way you used to teach when the basic medium has changed,&rdquo; Harouni explains. &ldquo;If students can turn to ChatGPT or other AI language models for quick and easy answers then there is a problem with the lesson.&rdquo;[[/p]]

[[p]]This proves that although AI can help students with their work, the student will always need to review the technology&rsquo;s output to ensure it makes sense, and to add their own original thoughts.[[/p]]

We liken AI to a sharper, more intelligent pencil. The designer is still in control.”

[[p]]From crafting a resume or cover letter to email automation, AI offers numerous ways to streamline the [[a href="https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/blog/how-to-use-ai-in-your-job-search" target="_blank"]]job search process[[/a]]. According to WhatNews, 46% of job seekers report getting more interviews after using AI tools like ChatGPT for their application materials.[[/p]]

[[p]]&ldquo;Not everybody is using AI yet to further their careers. If you&rsquo;re already getting skilled at boosting your profile with AI, you&rsquo;ve just nudged yourself a little further ahead of the pack,&rdquo; Morgan Cummins, Partner and Board member at Talent Hub said in a [[a href="https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/resources/podcasts/podcast_088_boost-your-career-in-2024" target="_blank"]]DMI podcast[[/a]].&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]To help [[a href="https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/blog/universities-colleges-5-ways-to-boost-student-employability-in-2024" target="_blank"]]boost employability[[/a]], educators should guide students on how to utilize the true value of AI to navigate through the noise and land interviews. Here are some easy ways to help them to do that:[[/p]]

[[ul]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Use a resume builder:[[/strong]] Writing a resume takes time and a certain knack, so using a builder to help get started or at least condense key points can be really useful. A few tools that can help are Rezi, Resume.io, teal and Kickresume. JobScan is another tool that compares your resume to a job listing and shows what keywords you need to qualify for the position.[[/li]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Use a job-matching tool: [[/strong]]Job searching can be exhausting, so why not teach your students to use a tool that matches their skills with the jobs out there? Talentprise is one great tool while Kickresume (Pyjama Jobs) can find open jobs easily by simply scanning your uploaded resume.&nbsp;[[/li]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Create or polish a cover letter: [[/strong]]Cover letters can often be the hardest and most laborious part of the job application process as recruiters expect the content to be tailored to the role and job requirements. Use generative AI tools such as ChatGPT or Notebook LM to create a cover letter by inputting a template, a resume, and any notes from the student along with the job description and hiring company profiles. Use a tool like CoverDoc.ai, Cover Letter Copilot or JobScan to refine and optimize a cover letter.[[/li]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Get a job seeker coach: [[/strong]]An AI job coach can not only match skills with the right jobs but also provide insights about companies and roles. [[a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/linkedin-launches-ai-job-coach-help-you-ace-your-search-goodness-krtgf/" target="_blank"]]Linkedin&rsquo;s AI-powered job seeker coach[[/a]] can use a student&rsquo;s profile (and give key tips on how to improve it) to find the best roles on the platform. You can also use it to draft messages to recruiters and HR pros.&nbsp;[[/li]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Practice interviewing:[[/strong]] Interviews can be daunting so it&rsquo;s good to get some practice in before the real thing. InterviewAI, Interview Warmup and Huru (see below) are great choices.[[/li]]
[[/ul]]

Interview prep with InterviewAI. Source: InterviewAI

[[p]]AI tools scrape content from a wide variety of sources, and the output produced is a mixture of many other people&#39;s work. As a result, there&#39;s often no consistent or complete credit for creators.[[/p]]

[[p]]If educators are in the position to teach students how to use AI effectively, they also need to teach students how to use these tools ethically. This is not only common decency, but is expected once they enter the workforce.[[/p]]

[[p]]An awareness of issues such as copyright, hallucinations and bias, as well as laws and regulations are all crucial.[[/p]]

[[p]]Educators should speak to students about:[[/p]]

[[ul]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Legal issues &ndash; [[/strong]]Ensure students are aware of copyright laws and legal implications.[[/li]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Data privacy &ndash; [[/strong]]Provide GDPR compliance training, help students understand specific model&rsquo;s terms and conditions.[[/li]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Plagiarism &ndash; [[/strong]]Students need to be aware that if they use generative AI, there is a greater chance for plagiarism. Encourage them to use their own original thoughts, and check their work with plagiarism technologies like Turnitin.[[/li]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Detecting bias &ndash; [[/strong]]Show students how to conduct demographic representation checks. Teach them to be aware of what&rsquo;s missing, not just what&rsquo;s present.[[/li]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Responsible AI use &ndash; [[/strong]]Encourage transparency in AI usage, teach them how to recognize hallucinations.[[/li]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Environmental impact &ndash; [[/strong]]Educators should give students context about the heavy resource load required to use generative AI, and how that impacts global climate change.[[/li]]
[[/ul]]

[[p]]It&rsquo;s clear that there are many benefits to using AI in education, but there are also challenges. Many educators find AI useful as a tool but warn of an over reliance on it for both students and educators. There are also reservations about privacy and ethics.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]Ultimately AI should be used to enhance learning, boost creativity and promote discourse, but it should not replace the human touch in terms of providing feedback to students or driving engagement. It should also not be the go-to for students for every assignment or project but act as a kickstart or add on.[[/p]]

To leverage AI in ways that benefit all students and help level the playing field, higher educational institutions, employers, and support organizations all have a part to play.”

[[p]]It&rsquo;s important to experiment with AI tools and technologies to see what works for you and your students. Start a discussion in the classroom on the implications of AI, use ChatGPT to counter arguments or try it to create a lesson plan. It&rsquo;s a tool that can really benefit educators so don&rsquo;t be scared to get involved.[[/p]]

[[p]]According to Michigan Vertical, most educators expect AI to play a significant role in education within the next five years, highlighting the need for ongoing professional development, trust-building, and thoughtful guidance.[[/p]]

[[p]]Artificial intelligence is a game changer for marketers as it helps personalize, optimize, and automate many key marketing activities. Our short interactive AI course (with practical AI tool walkthroughs) will help you understand the fundamentals of AI and use key tools for research, content development, data-driven decision-making, and creative design. Get started today![[/p]]

8 Ways Universities & Colleges Can Embrace AI in the Classroom

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