Work

“Don’t Ban, Teach”: Two Pilot Studies on AI Instruction in Business Communication

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Emerging consensus suggests faculty should teach students to use large language models (LLMs) rather than ban them, but it is not clear that students need detailed AI-related instruction. To investigate, we conducted two studies: Study 1 used survey and focus group methods to assess how such instruction influenced students’ perceptions, while Study 2 used rater evaluation to examine how AI use affected message quality. Study 1 found no meaningful impact on perceptions. Study 2 found that instruction did not affect ratings, but genAI use did—messages composed with LLM assistance received higher evaluations than those without it. We conclude with recommendations for genAI-focused classroom instruction.

Source: Business and Professional Communication Quarterly

DOI: 10.1177/23294906251336719

Authors: Emily Barrow DeJeu, Beth A. Walter, Michael C. Melville

Institution: Carnegie Mellon University

Language: English

Topic: Artificial Intelligence in Education

Subfield: Information Systems

Field: Computer Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDG: Quality education

Open Access status: bronze

Funder: Carnegie Mellon University