Integration of AI into Undergraduate PR Education
On April 2, 2025, the virtual panel titled "Integration of AI into Undergraduate PR Education" brought together educators and researchers to discuss how AI is shaping the future of public relations education. This session featured panelists Andrew Morris, Ph.D. candidate at the University of Alabama, Jeffrey Ranta, Ph.D. (Coastal Carolina University), Arien Rozelle, M.S., APR (Syracuse University), Steve Ryan, M.S., APR (Temple University), and was moderated by Ejae Lee, Ph.D. (Boston University).
Main takeaways? Integrating AI tools into the classroom doesn’t require you to be an expert – the key is to grow with them. The panel emphasized the importance of keeping pace with the evolving nature of these tools. They highlighted several recommendations, including tools like NotebookLM for creating podcasts, Craftly.ai for content generation, and ChatGPT for a range of tasks. Additionally, they suggested leveraging AI to create fictional crisis scenarios, perfect for engaging students in realistic simulations.
Activities such as developing marketing personas, analyzing media content, and crafting press releases were mentioned as practical ways to incorporate AI into classes. However, the panel also stressed the importance of explaining the "why" to students. Understanding the fundamentals first—like learning how to write a press release without the help of AI—helps students build a strong foundation before using technology as a tool to enhance their skills.