Addressing AI Curriculum Challenges in Higher Ed

As generative AI continues to reshape the workforce, colleges and universities face new and urgent questions: How do we teach students to thrive in a world where AI is automating tasks once thought to require a human touch? What should AI integration in college courses actually look like? And how can schools do it equitably?

Rize’s Instructional Design team recently developed a guide to help partner colleges navigate these questions. Below are some of the most important takeaways from that guide and insights we believe are essential for any institution thinking seriously about AI’s role in higher education.

Additionally, we hosted a webinar on this topic, "AI in Higher Education: Integrating AI Into College Curriculum and Courses", that dives deeper into the academic identity crisis that colleges are facing as AI accelerates, integrating AI at the curricular & course level, and real-world implementation examples.

The Curricular Challenges Presented by AI

As AI adoption accelerates, institutions are grappling with several key challenges:

• Career Uncertainty: Students are understandably anxious about job security in an AI-driven future. Curriculum must address how it affects career paths and professional roles.
• Speed of Change: AI tools and capabilities are evolving quickly. Educational content must be agile and responsive, not static.
• Tool Access: Many AI tools are behind paywalls. Schools need strategies to ensure equitable access for all students.
• Integration vs. Addition: Should AI be a standalone course, embedded across the curriculum, or both?

At Rize, we’re helping colleges tackle these issues head-on. Our approach? Preparing students for the workforce, not just the classroom.

How Rize is Addressing AI-Driven Curricular Challenges

1. Focus on Workforce Realities

We work directly with employers to understand how AI is being used across industries. For example:

• Marketing teams may use AI to draft copy, but rely on human writers to align with brand voice.
• Engineers might use AI for code scaffolding, but final implementation still requires human oversight.

Based on these real-world use cases, we design learning outcomes grounded in how AI is actually used—not just theoretical possibilities. Our curriculum is updated regularly using job postings and industry data to stay aligned with workforce demands.

2. Teach Transferrable Skills, Not Tools

AI tools will come and go. The real value lies in teaching students how to think critically about their use.

• Rather than simply instructing students to use ChatGPT, we focus on refining AI-generated outputs for clarity, coherence, and originality.
• Students are taught to decide when AI is appropriate and when it isn’t.
• We follow industry adoption trends to update content, rather than chasing every new tool release.

3. Prioritize Projects Over Tests

To ensure students deeply understand AI’s capabilities and limitations, we emphasize project-based learning:

• Assignments ask students to test AI in real-world scenarios (e.g., a business student generates a market analysis using AI, then verifies and improves it).
• Students must separate and document AI-assisted work from their own original contributions.
• Reflection activities are included to encourage strategic and ethical thinking around AI use.

4. Keep Student Costs Low

Equity remains a top priority in our AI approach.

• We rely on free tools whenever possible (e.g., Google Gemini, free-tier ChatGPT, open-source models like Mistral).
• When paid tools are needed, we cap costs at $60 per student per semester and limit use to specific courses.
• Open-source alternatives and creative workarounds ensure all students can participate meaningfully in AI coursework.

Want to Bring AI Education to Your Campus?

Rize helps colleges launch AI-focused academic programs—including undergraduate majors, minors, concentrations, or MBA specializations—in as little as six months. Explore our AI Literacy & Applied AI programs to learn more.

If you're looking to future-proof your curriculum and equip students with the skills they need to succeed in an AI-enhanced job market, we’d love to talk.