New curriculum to build AI expertise

Professor Sidaard Gunasekaran uses artificial intelligence to help his students ask questions in a more meaningful way.  

“When they enter the workforce, they will stand out because they’ve learned to use AI to increase their skillset, not just automate their work,” he said.

Gunasekaran, the Hans von Ohain Chair in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the University of Dayton, and his students are using AI to visualize equations involved in designing a wind tunnel.

He is an example of how faculty are developing and adapting curriculum as part of the University’s broader AI strategy to prepare students to use the technology skillfully and thoughtfully in their careers.

Starting this fall, all first-year students will study AI from two angles. AI Fundamentals will help them understand how the technology works and how to use it wisely. Human Dignity in the Era of AI will examine ethical questions, AI’s impact on society and how people can use it responsibly.

Together, these units will give students a shared foundation before they build on those ideas in more advanced, field-specific ways throughout their four-year education.

“Our students will graduate ready to lead in an AI-enabled world, with the skills and agility to stay ahead as technology rapidly evolves throughout their careers,” said Meghan Henning, professor and senior assistant provost for undergraduate curriculum and student success. “Just as importantly, we are preparing students to keep humans at the center, building their capacity to question these tools, understand the limits of technology and lead others to use it for the common good. That reflects our Marianist values and the heart of a UD education.”

“[W]e are preparing students to keep humans at the center, building their capacity to question these tools, understand the limits of technology and lead others to use it for the common good. That reflects our Marianist values and the heart of a UD education.”

Learning continues in students’ second year with a redesigned writing seminar that explores how AI is changing the way people research, write and create knowledge across professions. Students seeking in-depth expertise to apply to engineering, healthcare, manufacturing and more can choose AI engineering as a co-major alongside their primary major.

In discipline-specific classes throughout the curriculum, students like Quinn Herron put ideas into practice, learning how AI is reshaping work in their chosen fields. The marketing student used AI to help build campaigns for Brooks Running.

“Working with AI, we learn what it can’t replace: our ability to think ethically, understand context or connect emotionally,” Herron said. “It gives us more time to do what matters, which is understanding audience behavior and brand identity.”

Students will learn the skills, apply them and be able to share their experiences with potential employers by linking theory and practice.

“It’s not just about saying you’ve used it,” said Jason Eckert, executive director of career services. “It’s about showing how you used these tools during internships and classwork to solve problems. Employers regularly tell us our graduates stand out, and their ability to lead with AI will set them apart even more.”

Photographs by Sylvia Stahl '18.

A version of this article appears in print in the Summer 2026 University of Dayton Magazine, Page 15. EXPLORE THE ISSUE — MORE ONLINE