Embracing AI

Risk & Reward

Fear of the unknown is no reason to avoid AI, according to Bauer Executive Director of Digital Learning Emese Felvégi, a senior professor of practice who teaches business computer applications. She sees the technology as both a powerful tool and a test of students’ digital literacy.   

“Instructors fall into two camps,” she said. “There’s the practical side and there’s the pragmatic side. I’m firmly on the practical side. I tell students: ‘It’s here. Learn to use it, but learn to question it.’” 

That balance between embracing innovation and maintaining intellectual integrity drives Felvégi’s approach to integrating AI in her mass section, high enrollment courses. Rather than banning tools like ChatGPT, she uses them as a teaching opportunity. Students are assigned AI-generated research papers and asked to evaluate them, identifying fabricated sources and assessing the credibility of citations. 

“It sharpens students’ fact-checking skills,” she said. “That’s a critical skill in any field.” 

Felvégi also encourages students to create their own AI-generated content. The best of these projects are turned into instructional resources for future classes, allowing students to contribute to a growing library of peer-developed learning materials. 

But while she’s enthusiastic about AI’s potential, Felvégi is also realistic about its risks, especially when students lean on it too much. 

“You still have to have a knowledge base,” she said. “It’s a great tool for brainstorming and to learn with, but you can’t just go on what it says because it can also just make things up.” 

She’s seen students submit writing assignments and emails that are clearly machine-generated, overly verbose and lacking a personal voice. 

“I get emails from students that were four paragraphs long and could’ve been two sentences,” Felvégi said. “It was clearly AI-written. I just respond and say, ‘Please write your own emails.’ It takes longer to write the prompt than just responding like a human.” 

That’s why she places just as much emphasis on original thought and clear communication as she does on AI literacy. With AI becoming a standard part of industries like consulting, finance and marketing, Felvégi believes it’s the college's responsibility to make sure students are ready. 

She said: “We’re not just teaching students how to use a tool. We’re teaching them how to think critically about the tool and how to think for themselves. AI literacy isn’t optional anymore.” 

Amplifying Instruction

When enrollment in the Professional Selling course skyrocketed beyond 1,100 students, Senior Professor of Practice Amy Vandaveer Novak saw an opportunity to leverage AI. 

“It took 325 hours and 63 people to run one role play for each student,” she said. “We needed a solution fast.” 

That solution came in the form of Second Nature, an AI-powered platform originally built for corporate sales teams. Novak adopted the tool not just to solve a logistical nightmare, but to expand what students could learn. Instead of completing just one live role play, students can now complete five or more simulated scenarios each with real-time AI feedback on their tone, clarity, energy, pacing and delivery. 

“It’s like shooting free throws,” she said. “You don’t wait to practice when the game is on the line. Now, our students can practice whenever they want, as many times as they want.” 

She’s since expanded the use of Second Nature to her courses in business communication and personal branding, with students using AI to simulate everything from job interviews to persuasive presentations. Scenarios are built around real companies, often Bauer’s industry partners, giving students exposure to the types of professional conversations they’ll have in their careers. 

“The feedback is immediate and specific,” Novak said. “And the growth we’ve seen, especially in students who might struggle with communication, is incredible. Overall, we’ve seen the tool increase training efficiency by 928 percent.” 

One of her favorite examples? A student who practiced a cold call simulation 19 times. 

“She went from failing to scoring a 95,” Novak said. “There’s no way I could have coached that individually in a class of 500 asynchronous students.” 

But AI doesn’t replace instruction, she added. Rather, it amplifies the feedback and gives them the opportunity to think critically, adapt and bring their own voice to the conversation.  

“AI in today’s world is like knowing how to use Microsoft Office. If you don’t understand it, you’re already behind.” 

Driving Global Standards

While many Bauer faculty are experimenting with AI tools to personalize instruction and enhance engagement, others are examining the broader implications of this technology for higher education.   

Beverly Barrett, an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Management & Leadership and an expert in global education policy, is exploring how AI is reshaping accreditation standards and teaching quality. 

“The human touch is essential,” she said. “AI can help us streamline, scale up efficiencies and provide feedback, but it can’t replace the role of a professor in guiding students and ensuring original learning.” 

Barrett, who teaches courses like Leading Organizational Change and Global Human Resource Management, draws on a background in international education and standards. She is the author of Globalization and Change in Higher Education: The Political Economy of Policy Reform in Europe, a 2017 book on the Bologna Process and European academic standards. 

Today, her focus is on how accreditation bodies in the United States and abroad are beginning to adapt to the rapid rise of AI in teaching and learning. 

“Technology is a driver of globalization, and AI is pushing higher education to redefine its standards,” Barrett said. “We are at a point where institutions are going to need to train faculty, set new expectations and acknowledge AI’s presence in the classroom, even if they choose not to directly use it.” 

Barrett recently co-presented at the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) in Washington, D.C., alongside former Houston Community College Chancellor Cesar Maldonado. There, they outlined four strategic pillars for navigating the AI revolution in higher education:  

• Integrating AI into institutional strategy 
• Investing in technological infrastructure 
• Providing faculty and staff training  
• Establishing a clear ethics and policy framework 

“Institutions must begin convening forums now to discuss how AI fits into teaching and learning,” Barrett said. “It may feel daunting, but it is critical that we start the conversation and include faculty, staff and students in shaping the future.” 

While she isn’t currently using generative AI in her own teaching, Barrett has been in conversation with Bauer colleagues who are helping to bridge the gap between individual classroom experimentation and broader policy implications. Her work this summer includes comparing U.S. and European accreditation approaches to AI and contributing to a collaborative research project on student AI use at Bauer. 

“There’s no one-size-fits-all answer across disciplines and institutions,” she said. “Different disciplines and types of institutions will approach AI differently. What’s important is that we’re proactive, thoughtful and aligned with national and international standards.”