In the Business Administration and Accounting program at St. Michael’s College, faculty members Nicole Morris and Karen Popovich model a practical and transparent approach to AI integration. This treats technology as a “thinking partner” rather than a replacement for human expertise.
Approaches to AI in business education focus on preparing students for ethical real-world applications. Students will learn to understand the capabilities and limitations of AI, evaluate output critically and ethically, communicate professionally while maintaining an authentic voice, and apply AI in work environments with transparency and integrity.
“This exploration of the capabilities of AI will help us improve our technology,” said Morris, associate professor and LaMarche Endowed Chair in Business Administration and Accounting. “We don’t have all the answers, and we don’t pretend to have all the answers in the classroom. And our obligation to AI is to embrace it as a potential partner. That means a lot of things when we show up in the classroom.”
St. Michael’s University Professor Nicole Morris
Both professors emphasized the liberal arts foundation of critical analysis when working with AI.
Popovich said working with AI as a thought partner will enable broader initial exploration.
“It allows you to come up with bigger ideas,” she said. “We are now able to communicate much better with our tools and send chats in the right direction.”
Popovich used AI to design an experiential learning activity (Catholic Social Education scavenger hunt) in the Gospel of Work course that explores the intersection of religion, culture, and commerce. She said this was a creative way for students to connect theory and practice.
Morris created a customized case study using AI that connected abstract concepts to Vermont’s business environment. For example, when teaching cost behavior and fixed vs. variable costs, she started with basic information from the textbook, combined it with AI prompts, and then edited the common fundamentals into examples that resonated with students.
“We are located in Vermont, so we want our students to be aware of the Vermont business landscape,” she said. “It makes it clear that the numbers are fictitious. They are just for illustration. But it gives us something concrete to talk about in the classroom.”
The time saved allows Morris to focus on higher-level work with his students.
“I was able to do so much more in class and make it more experiential, more engaged, and rooted in the content that I lead,” Morris said. “It’s like working with your own personal instructional designer.”
She added that AI allows her to think more broadly because she is not limited by her own lived experiences and background.
Professor of Business Administration and Accounting Karen Popovich
Both professors set clear boundaries for student use and teach critical evaluation of AI output. This reflects the university’s broader commitment to ensuring that students use AI transparently and responsibly, are aware of bias and misinformation, and apply human judgment before accepting AI output.
Popovich assigned an exercise that asked students to modify their resumes using AI as a way to consider the limitations of technology. What the students discovered was that the AI was exaggerating some of their skills and experience.
“They realized that they didn’t always have completely accurate information,” Popovich said. Students learned that they “must examine and validate themselves…evaluate with critical thinking and ethical reasoning.”
Mr. Popovich provides clear guidance on when and how AI can be used in courses. In her journaling practice, she bans AI altogether.
“It’s 100% human-made, no AI allowed, and that includes editing,” Popovich said.
For case studies and other assignments, students can use AI tools like Grammarly for grammar checking, but must cite the percentage of their paper that was changed by the AI compared to their own.
“But for larger challenges where you really need to connect ideas, integrate ideas, and demonstrate critical thinking,” Popovich said. “I want them to go to the writing center and use our peer writing tutors, because learning how to edit is a critical thinking skill. Anyone can copy and paste what’s written on Grammarly, but I want them to be able to think, so I think they really appreciate the safety nets in place for every assignment.”
Morris emphasizes that AI cannot replace the uniquely human skill of articulating ideas and reasoning.
“It’s about understanding why the ability to articulate ideas and thoughts is so important, because AI can’t do that. So it’s about understanding why I’m recommending this, rather than just calculating,” Morris said.
Morris encourages students to use AI to generate ideas and make revisions, rather than just having them do the work. She also frames the decision to integrate AI as consistent with, rather than contradicting, St. Michael’s values.
“One of the things we talk about at St. Michael’s is coaching with purpose,” Morris said. “And I don’t think it’s proactive to avoid AI. It would be ignoring the reality of the world as we know it, and ignoring the reality that the world will continue to evolve.”
Morris said he has come to understand that students at the university want to do the right thing: act with ethics and integrity.
“If you teach students what the boundary conditions are, they will solve problems,” she said.
This story was published as part of the Spring/Summer 2026 issue of St. Michael’s College Magazine.
