Miami University Integrates AI Tools for Business Across Entire Curriculum by 2027-2028

Miami University has announced a comprehensive plan to integrate artificial intelligence (AI) into its entire curriculum by the academic year 2027-2028. This initiative, known as ‘AI in the Majors,’ aims to equip all undergraduate students with AI competencies aligned with their professional fields. The program is part of Miami’s strategic plan, which emphasizes building AI literacy for both faculty and students.

The first step towards this goal has already begun, with 13 departments introducing AI into their majors starting from this fall. These departments include Accountancy, Anthropology, Art, Chemistry and Biochemistry, Educational Psychology, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Languages, Literatures, and Writing, Mathematics, Physics, Sport Leadership and Management, Speech Pathology and Audiology, Statistics, and Teaching, Curriculum, and Educational Inquiry. This initial group will impact an estimated 4,925 students.

The program’s lead facilitator is Ellen Yezierski, director of the Center for Teaching and Learning and professor of Chemistry. She emphasizes that AI is no longer a novelty but has become deeply embedded in our world. ‘If it’s this embedded in the world,’ she said, ‘then it needs to be embedded in the learning and in the coursework.’ Yezierski trusts Miami’s faculty to make informed decisions about where AI fits best within their respective disciplines.

A second cohort of 15 departments will implement the program in spring and fall 2027. This group includes an additional 10,949 students. The final cohort of 21 departments will follow suit by the academic year 2027-2028, impacting approximately 18,982 students. These cohorts are part of Miami’s ongoing efforts to integrate AI across its curriculum.

The initiative grew out of a committee formed as part of MiamiTHRIVE, which calls for building AI literacy among faculty and students. Yezierski has worked closely with Heidi McKee, professor of English and faculty affiliate in the department of Emerging Technology in Business and Design (ETBD), and Dennis Cheatham, associate professor of Art and ETBD faculty affiliate. They believe evolving classroom integration is crucial because AI is a transformative technology impacting every field.

McKee emphasizes that students need critical knowledge when it comes to using AI effectively. ‘It was a natural fit for us to volunteer’ in the first cohort, said Donna Scarborough, professor and chair of the Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology. Her department had already been exploring best practices in AI for teaching, research, and clinical education.

Scarborough believes that many other programs have also been discussing AI and pedagogy specific to their major. She praises the program’s design, which allows different majors to focus on how AI impacts their respective fields without imposing a one-size-fits-all mandate. ‘AI/technology competencies will be rolled out in different courses and build throughout the curriculum,’ Scarborough explained.

The goal is for students to develop awareness, agency, application, and accountability specifically related to ethical issues and use of AI. For example, introductory courses will introduce foundational level awareness of digital technology, AI, and future use within communication disorders. Senior-level clinic courses will emphasize the application and accountability of AI use for documentation of patient treatment sessions.

Miami University has already taken several steps towards integrating AI across its curriculum. A new bachelor’s degree in Artificial Intelligence is available to students, as well as a self-paced, five-module AI Fundamentals microlearning course that is free for all students, faculty, and staff to build basic and advanced tech literacy. This initiative aligns with the university’s efforts to keep AI sustainable.

Student views on the importance of integrating AI into their education are overwhelmingly positive. Nate Novak, a junior majoring in Political Science and Business Leadership, attended AI Congress last May as part of his internship with Miami’s Office of ASPIRE. He believes that learning how to use AI properly will give students an advantage when entering the workforce.

Novak emphasizes that AI can be used as a tool to enhance studies rather than just spitting out answers. ‘Knowing how to use these tools efficiently and in ways that help us better learn’ is essential, he said. Miami senior Noah Kruthaupt, a Marketing major with an Entrepreneurship co-major, also took valuable lessons from AI Congress. He stresses the importance of real-world experience and accountability related to education.

Kruthaupt believes that exposure to various problems helps build judgment at a high level when it comes to using/integrating AI effectively. The university’s strengths in weaving technology into its curriculum through ‘AI in the Majors’ are evident, as well as Miami’s efforts to keep AI sustainable.