Bringing AI into Business Communication: A First at MRU
Spring 2023 was a turning point. While most of higher ed was still debating whether AI had a place in the classroom, we decided to embrace it head-on in MGMT 3210 — Business Communication Theory & Practice at Mount Royal University. Instead of banning ChatGPT or pretending it didn’t exist, we took a different approach: use it, study it, and figure out how to make it work for real learning.
To my knowledge, this was the first course at MRU — and certainly among the few anywhere — to allow students to openly use AI writing tools for their assignments. But this wasn’t about outsourcing thinking to machines. It was about learning how to work with AI, using it to enhance communication, critical thinking, and problem-solving. We weren’t just testing AI; we were testing assumptions about writing, originality, and learning in a world where AI isn’t going away.
This project wouldn’t have happened without the support of some key people. I’m deeply grateful to my department chair at the time, Leah Hamilton, and MGMT 3210 course coordinator, Brenda Lang, for backing this experiment. A huge thank you also goes to the students — past and present — who helped shape this pilot, Silvia Rossi (Learning Strategist at MRU), and the students of that semester and beyond who tackled the tough questions AI brings to education.
We also couldn’t have done this without support from the Provost’s Office and the Teaching and Learning Enhancement Grant (TLEG) program. A special thanks to Christian Cook and the team at the Academic Development Centre for helping bring this vision to life.
Our discussions focused on real challenges:
- Benefits & Challenges — What does AI help with? Where does it fall short?
- Performance & Quality — Does AI-generated work raise the bar or dilute real learning?
- Ethical & Social Implications — What happens when AI is used carelessly or dishonestly?
From those conversations, I built a policy — not as a restriction, but as a guide. Below is the AI policy that came out of this experiment. It’s not about AI doing the work for you. It’s about using AI intelligently, knowing its strengths and weaknesses, and taking full responsibility for what you create.
Get krishans’s stories in your inbox
Join Medium for free to get updates from this writer.
Let’s get to it.
A Note on Reuse
This AI policy is shared under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license. That means you’re free to reuse, adapt, and remix it — whether you’re an educator, student, or institution — so long as you give proper credit to me, Kris Hans. AI in education is evolving fast, and we all benefit from sharing what works (and what doesn’t).
If you do use this policy, I’d love to hear how it’s working for you. Feel free to reach out!
MGMT 3210: Business Communication Theory & Practice — AI Policy
I want you to use Artificial Intelligence (AI) in this course, but I don’t force you to. Using AI writers such as ChatGPT and Bing AI is optional, but I think it can help you communicate better. AI writers can generate high-quality text on almost any topic, but they are not magic. They are not going to do your work for you. They are just tools, and like any tools, they have their pros and cons. Here’s how I expect you to use AI in this course:
AI is not a mind reader. It can only work with what you give it. If you give it vague or generic prompts, you’ll get vague or generic results. Garbage in, garbage out. If you want to get good results, you need to give good prompts. That means being clear, specific, and relevant. You need to think about what you want to say and how you want to say it. You need to experiment with different prompts and see what works best. This will take some time and effort, but it will pay off in the end.
AI is not a fact checker. It can make up stuff on the fly. It can mix up names, dates, numbers, and sources. It can say things that are wrong, misleading, or even harmful. You need to be careful with what AI says. You need to verify any information or facts that AI generates. You need to check them against other sources or your own knowledge. You need to be responsible for any errors or mistakes that AI makes. It works best for topics that you know something about or can learn about.
AI is not a ghostwriter. It can help you generate ideas, words, and sentences, but it can’t replace your own voice, style, and perspective. You need to acknowledge the use of AI in your assignments. You need to include documentation (screenshots) and a written reflection at the end of any assignment that uses AI explaining what you used the AI for and what prompts you used to get the results. You need to give credit where credit is due. Failure to do so is grounds for academic misconduct and will get you in trouble.
AI is not a one-size-fits-all solution. It can do some things well, but not others. It can suit some purposes, audiences, and contexts, but not others. You need to be selective and smart when using AI. You need to think about whether AI is the right tool for the job. You need to use your own judgment and common sense when deciding whether to use AI or not.
I trust this policy helps you use AI in a productive and ethical way in this course. I will provide more guidelines and instructions for each assignment on how to use AI effectively on D2L. I will also offer tutorials and assistance if needed. Should you have any questions or feedback, please let me know.
A Note on Reuse
This AI policy is shared under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license. That means you’re free to reuse, adapt, and remix it — whether you’re an educator, student, or institution — so long as you give proper credit to me, Kris Hans. AI in education is evolving fast, and we all benefit from sharing what works (and what doesn’t).
If you do use this policy, I’d love to hear how it’s working for you. Feel free to reach out!
