AI Literacy Across the Curriculum

Introduction to AI Literacy Course

Incoming first-year undergraduate students will complete an Introduction to AI Literacy course during their Road to Xavier onboarding process. Students starting in fall 2026 gained access to this fully-online course in Canvas during the week of July 20^th.

The course follows the AI literacy learning goals, providing students with a foundation for: asking better questions about AI, understanding what AI can and cannot do, evaluating AI-generated information, following university and course policies, and thinking carefully about how their use of AI connects to their learning and to Xavier’s Jesuit mission.

Upper-class and graduate students also have access to this course in Canvas. Instructors and/or onboarding processes may require completion of the course.

AI Literacy in First-Year Writing

In first-year writing courses, undergraduates will apply that AI literacy foundation to actual practices of college writing. In fall 2026, four pilot sections of first-year writing will be enrolled in a shared Canvas course, AI Literacy for First-Year Writing, which will provide a common foundation in AI concepts, critical evaluation, responsible use, documentation, and ethical discernment as these issues relate to college writing. AI literacy in first-year writing means helping students make informed, ethical, rhetorically aware decisions about when, how, and whether to use AI in their writing processes. AI literacy in this context is not primarily about mastering AI tools — it is about strengthening students’ judgment as readers, writers, researchers, revisers, and responsible members of an academic community.

Discipline-based Courses

Academic programs are actively implementing AI literacy in discipline-specific courses to prepare students with skills related to their future goals. Examples include:

Education 

In the School of Education at Xavier University, future teachers are learning how to thoughtfully and responsibly engage with artificial intelligence in today’s classrooms. Through EDFD 251: Instructional Technology, a foundational course taken by all education majors, students explore how AI can support lesson planning, assessment design, and a variety of teaching and administrative tasks. The course also emphasizes the ethical and developmentally appropriate use of AI with students, encouraging future educators to carefully consider issues such as privacy, safety, and responsible implementation. By combining practical applications with critical reflection, Xavier teacher candidates are preparing to use emerging technologies in ways that support both effective teaching and student well-being. 

English

Beginning in spring 2027, English majors will have ENGL 306: AI Literacy and Writing as an elective. This course examines what it means to read, research, and write responsibly in a world increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence. Grounded in Xavier’s AI Literacy Goals and the Jesuit rhetorical tradition of eloquentia perfecta, the course emphasizes the continuing importance of human judgment, voice, style, creativity, rhetorical awareness, and ethical responsibility. Students will learn how generative AI works, critically evaluate its outputs and limitations, and consider its effects on learning, authorship, language, labor, intellectual property, privacy, equity, and the environment. Through discussion, research, writing, and hands-on analysis, students will develop thoughtful and transparent approaches to AI while strengthening their ability to produce rhetorically effective, carefully researched, and distinctly human writing.

Nursing

In NURS 130: Ways of Knowing, required of all BSN students, AI literacy is introduced within the context of the nursing profession, as students learn about professional roles, communication, ethics, informatics and technology, cultural diversity, and critical thinking. AI literacy components of the course focus on responsible use, evaluation of AI-generated information, bias, and the importance of maintaining professional judgment and accountability. Because the course emphasizes both oral and written communication and how nurses evaluate and use information, this course provides an ideal early setting to introduce AI literacy.

Williams College of Business

In the Williams College of Business (WCB), students are developing AI literacy through applied work connected to business analysis, decision making, and professional practice. Across the curriculum, faculty are introducing students to ways AI can support coding, data analysis, financial valuation, customer research, and the development of business recommendations. For example, students in business analytics coursework use AI alongside Python and other analytical tools, while marketing students may use generative AI to develop and refine profiles of target customers. Finance faculty are also exploring AI supported valuation and coding activities. These experiences emphasize that AI generated results must be checked for accuracy, interpreted within the appropriate business context, and supported by disciplinary knowledge. By combining practical application with critical evaluation and human accountability, WCB students are preparing to use AI responsibly in a rapidly changing business environment. Specific course examples include:

• In Accounting Information Systems, students explore how AI can support data analytics and internal controls. In auditing courses, students examine how accounting firms are using AI for activities such as risk assessment and anomaly detection, while tax courses provide opportunities to use AI tools to research complex questions. These efforts are also being informed by Xavier’s Business Executive Advisory Board, which is helping faculty think more intentionally about how AI should be incorporated across the accounting curriculum in ways that reflect evolving professional expectations. Across these applications, students consider important limitations and professional responsibilities, including the need to verify AI generated information and protect confidential or sensitive data. By connecting emerging AI tools with established accounting standards and practices, students learn to use AI as a resource that can support their work without replacing the professional judgment, ethical responsibility, and accountability expected of accountants.

• In the Social Entrepreneurship & Innovation course, required for all Entrepreneurship majors and minors, students explore how AI can support the development and evaluation of business ideas. Through instructor-developed custom GPTs and structured prompts, students use AI to brainstorm possibilities, critique their initial ideas, identify assumptions, and consider alternatives they may not have recognized on their own. Students may also use PitchCompare, a faculty developed platform, to compare recorded venture pitches and examine why some presentations are more persuasive than others. These activities encourage students to consider how evidence, communication, individual judgment, and potential bias influence the evaluation of business opportunities. By combining practical experimentation with reflection and critique, students learn to use AI as a resource for strengthening entrepreneurial thinking while remaining responsible for the decisions and recommendations they make.