Guest Post: “Empowering Future Marketers with AI: Reflections on an Experiential Learning Project”
This post is part of the 2024-25 UWW Teaching and Learning grants program. The program awards $1,000 grants to faculty and instructional academic staff looking to integrate new educational methods into their classrooms and learning environments. The grant program underscores UWW’s commitment to embracing inclusive pedagogy and to exploring and evaluating emerging technologies that foster creative approaches to teaching and learning.
Empowering Future Marketers with AI: Reflections on an Experiential Learning Project
By Tracy Travis, Marketing Department, University of Wisconsin–Whitewater
In Spring 2025, I had the privilege of guiding senior marketing students through a capstone marketing journey unlike any before. Supported by an Artificial Intelligence Teaching and Learning Grant, this semester-long project aimed to bridge the gap between academic learning and AI’s rapidly evolving real-world applications in marketing. With AI transforming the marketing landscape, it is not just relevant but imperative that future marketers enter the field prepared to leverage and critically assess the technology. To extend the learning beyond our classroom, here is an overview of the structure, implementation, student outcomes, key reflections from the project, and insights from pre- and post-course surveys.
Project Overview: AI in the Marketing Capstone Course
The course, Marketing 479 – Strategic Marketing, is the final stop on our students’ undergraduate marketing journey. Traditionally, this course emphasizes integrating core marketing concepts through discussion, presentations, case studies, and strategic planning. For this iteration, I embedded a semester-long AI application exploration that encouraged students to critically and creatively use AI tools for marketing purposes.
Project Design
The AI integration had three central goals:
- Introduce students to AI technologies and their use cases in marketing
- Foster critical thinking about the opportunities and limitations of AI
- Build students’ confidence and readiness to use AI in their careers
To do this, students worked in small groups throughout the semester to create presentations that covered major marketing topics, such as segmentation, IMC, and pricing using AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Canva AI, Jasper). However, they were also tasked with individually evaluating and critiquing the AI-generated content and tools based on their marketing knowledge, promoting reflection rather than passive acceptance.
Assessment Methods
To evaluate the impact of this initiative, I used pre- and post-course questionnaires focused on students’ perceptions, knowledge, comfort, and concerns about AI. These responses revealed student growth and highlighted persistent questions and uncertainties about AI’s role in marketing.
Themes from Pre-Course Responses: Curiosity, Caution, and Conceptual Fog
The pre-course survey, completed at the start of the semester by 22 students, revealed a mixture of optimism and uncertainty about AI.
Initial Familiarity and Attitudes
- 52% of students rated their familiarity with AI in marketing at 4 or 5 out of 5, with a class average of 3.45, showing surface-level awareness.
- The majority (69%) believed AI would positively impact marketing, though their justifications ranged from vague to speculative.
- Many saw AI as a tool for efficiency, idea generation, and content creation, but admitted to lacking clarity on how it worked.
“I think it’ll improve ideas and concepts on a deeper level,” wrote one student, “but I don’t fully understand how it works or what it’s doing behind the scenes.”
Common Concerns
When asked what concerns they had about AI:
- Job displacement was a recurring theme.
- Students expressed fear of over-reliance, loss of creativity, and ethical gray areas.
- Some were unsure how AI would fit into traditional marketing practices.
“I worry people will stop thinking for themselves,” noted one respondent. Another added, “AI could replace marketing professionals who bring emotional intelligence and strategic thinking.”
Implementation in the Classroom
Weekly Integration
Each week, there were two AI-themed, student-led discussions focused on AI applications in marketing:
- A group presented a marketing concept using AI-generated materials. Group members and classmates critiqued the output: Was it factually correct? Did it miss cultural nuance? Was it visually engaging or just flashy?
- Two to three students presented and critiqued three AI tactical tools currently in the market that assist with a marketing strategy and/or plan. Examples included business analytics, media buying, video creation, ad creation, product recommendations, voiceovers and social media.
Reflective Practice
A crucial part of the project was guided discussion and reflection. After each presentation, we evaluated:
- What AI got right
- Where AI fell short
- How human expertise enhanced or corrected AI’s work
- Whether students would feel comfortable using this content in a real job
Final Presentations
In the final week of the semester, students presented strategic marketing plans for a semester-long simulation. These projects included the use of AI to critique their marketing strategy to demonstrate the use of AI in forming a marketing strategy and plan. Students showed a marked improvement in both the sophistication of AI use and their critical judgment compared to their earlier use during the semester.
Themes from Post-Course Responses: Empowerment, Clarity, and Critical Awareness
The post-course questionnaire (completed by 22 students) revealed growth in confidence, clarity, and strategic thinking.
Increased Familiarity and Confidence
- 100% of students rated AI’s impact on marketing as positive, often citing its ability to reduce workload and improve productivity.
- More than 80% rated their comfort using AI in a professional setting at 4 or 5 out of 5, with a class average of 4.45.
- Students now describe AI as a complementary tool rather than a threat.
“It automates tasks that would usually take up time so we can focus on strategy,” wrote one student. Another said, “It helps marketers do their jobs better—not replaces them.”
Evolved Perceptions
The language students used had matured significantly:
- Pre-course, AI was often equated with “idea generation” and “basic help.”
- Post-course, terms like “content planning,” “data entry,” “workflow optimization,” and “strategic integration” appeared.
- Students now recognize the limits of AI and emphasize the importance of human oversight and branding nuance.
“We shouldn’t rely on it, but it can help us get started,” shared one student. Another noted, “The accuracy and human touch still matter most.”
New Opportunities and Challenges
Students identified opportunities such as:
- Streamlining content development
- Enhancing personalization and targeting
- Freeing time for deeper strategic thinking
Yet they remained aware of the risks:
- Over-dependence on tools
- Ethical misuse
- Quality control and originality
When asked for advice to future marketers, students wrote:
“Don’t just use AI—learn from it and create better ideas.”
“Do some research and play around with it—you’ll be ahead of others.”
Key Takeaways for Educators
1. Start with Curiosity, Not Expertise
Students don’t need to be AI experts to begin integrating it into their learning. Many entered the course with surface-level awareness, but that curiosity fueled growth when paired with hands-on exploration.
2. Combine Tools with Critical Thinking
AI is not the lesson or a lecture—how to think about and with AI is. It is crucial to prompt students to critique outputs, ask more profound questions, and apply their marketing frameworks to AI-generated ideas.
3. Scaffold Exposure Throughout the Semester
By beginning with low-stakes exercises (e.g., brainstorming with ChatGPT) and culminating in high-stakes deliverables (e.g., final strategy plans), students build confidence and learn how to integrate AI into professional workflows.
4. Foster Ethical and Professional Reflection
The post-survey results highlight a shift in mindset: students moved from vague worry about AI replacing them to a deeper understanding of when, where, and how to use AI responsibly.
Conclusion: Preparing Marketers for an AI-Infused Future
This project exceeded expectations in many ways. Students not only learned about AI—they practiced using it, questioned its outputs, and discovered how to merge technology with human insight. The surveys underscored the power of experiential learning in preparing students for a future in which AI will play an increasingly central role.
By integrating AI into a capstone experience, we gave students the tools and mindset to engage with this technology critically, creatively, and ethically.
If you’re a college instructor considering how to bring AI into your curriculum, I encourage you to start small, stay curious, and let your students teach you as much as you teach them. The future of marketing—and education—is collaborative, human, and yes, a bit artificial.
Tracy Travis is a professor in the Department of Marketing at UW-Whitewater.