Turning AI Use Into Active Learning

• It is time for educators to move beyond merely teaching artificial intelligence as a topic to integrating its use throughout the learning process.
• Structured interactive activities help transform AI from a shortcut into a tool for critical thinking and creativity.
• An active-learning framework can connect technological experimentation with ethical awareness and real-world practice, empowering students to shape the future use of technology.

 
In one of the final sessions of my Influencer Marketing module, a group of students presented what initially appeared to be a polished, industry-ready campaign. The campaign featured an influencer fully generated by artificial intelligence, complete with a realistic avatar delivering branded content, a synthetic voiceover, and a carefully crafted narrative aligned with a specific target audience.

The students had used AI tools such as HeyGen and Mango AI (both video generators) and ElevenLabs (a voice generator) to bring their concept to life. The output was technically impressive, demonstrating not only digital fluency but also a strong grasp of influencer marketing strategy, including audience targeting, storytelling, and platform optimization.

Yet, what made this moment particularly significant was not the sophistication of the campaign itself, but the discussion that followed. Rather than simply celebrating the technological achievement, the class participated in a critical dialogue. Students questioned the credibility of AI-generated influencers, debated the ethical implications of synthetic identities, and reflected on the boundaries between authenticity and automation. Some argued that AI influencers could enhance scalability and efficiency, while others raised concerns about transparency, trust, and the potential erosion of human creativity.

This moment captured the essence of what I set out to achieve in designing the module: not merely equipping students with the ability to use AI tools but also enabling them to think critically about the role of AI in marketing practice. In a rapidly evolving digital landscape, the ability to question, evaluate, and contextualize technology is as important as the ability to operate it.

As AI continues to reshape marketing, business schools face a fundamental pedagogical challenge. It is no longer sufficient to teach students about AI as a topic; instead, educators must integrate AI into the learning process itself.

This shift requires moving from a content-centric approach to a practice-oriented one, where students interact with AI in meaningful and reflective ways. In my module at Queen Mary University of London (QMUL), I addressed this challenge by embedding AI across the entire learning journey—within classroom activities, pedagogical design, and assessment strategies.

To ensure that this integration enhanced rather than diminished critical thinking, I structured the module using QMUL’s ACE (Active Curriculum for Excellence) framework. The ACE framework, with its emphasis on active, inclusive, and reflective learning, provided a robust foundation for aligning AI integration with pedagogical best practices. Its five interrelated components enabled the design of a learning experience that was both engaging and intellectually rigorous.

From Passive Listeners to Active Participants

The first component of ACE, interactive large group sessions, transformed traditional lectures into participatory learning environments. Rather than positioning students as passive recipients of information, these sessions incorporated digital collaboration tools such as Mentimeter and Padlet to encourage students to contribute ideas in real time, respond to prompts, and collectively analyze influencer marketing examples.

This approach fostered a sense of immediacy and involvement, allowing students to see how their perspectives compared with those of their peers. It also created opportunities for instant feedback and reflection, making learning more dynamic and responsive.

The ACE framework provided a robust foundation for aligning AI integration with pedagogical best practices.

The second component, facilitated sessions focused on experiential learning, emphasized the importance of “learning by doing.” Instead of simply demonstrating AI tools, I designed structured, hands-on activities that required students to engage directly with them. Students experimented with generating influencer scripts, creating synthetic media, and refining outputs based on strategic objectives.

Importantly, these activities were not limited to technical execution; they also required critical evaluation. I encouraged students to assess the effectiveness, limitations, and ethical implications of their outputs. This ensured that AI learning was not superficial but grounded in application, analysis, and deeper inquiry.

The third component, small active learning groups, played a crucial role in fostering collaboration and peer interaction. Students worked in teams to conceptualize and develop influencer marketing campaigns, sharing ideas and iterating on their approaches. This collaborative environment encouraged dialogue, debate, and mutual support. It also reflected the realities of marketing practice, where teamwork and cross-functional collaboration are essential. Through group work, students were exposed to diverse perspectives, which enriched their understanding and enhanced the quality of their outputs.

The fourth component, student-paced learning, recognized the diversity of students’ prior experience with AI. While some students were already familiar with emerging tools, others were encountering them for the first time. To accommodate this variation, the module was designed to allow for flexible engagement beyond the classroom. Students could revisit tools, experiment independently, and refine their work at their own pace. This approach supported inclusivity by ensuring that all students, regardless of their starting points, could build confidence and competence over time.

The fifth component, a hands-on group project, connected academic learning with real-world application. Students were required to produce influencer marketing videos using AI tools, simulating tasks that are increasingly relevant in the industry. This project was not an abstract exercise but a practical challenge that required students to integrate strategy, creativity, and technical skills. Because assessment was aligned with industry practices, students were able to see the relevance of their learning and understand how AI is shaping contemporary marketing roles.

Putting AI’s Use Into Practice

After students tested the limits and discussed the ethical implications of AI tools, they were required to design avatar-based influencer marketing campaigns for existing brands. In this project, they formed groups that not only developed 60-second AI-generated videos for their selected brands but also created holistic strategies for integrating videos into broader promotional activities.

In this process, the groups identified gaps in the existing influencer marketing approaches of their brands, developed detailed target market personas, and formulated comprehensive brand and campaign strategies by defining measurable key performance indicators (KPIs).

They also examined the ethical and cultural considerations associated with their campaigns. A particularly important component was the development of the plot and the choice of narration style in their AI-generated videos. Students created multiple script variations and evaluated them against their strategic objectives.

In their projects, students assessed the effectiveness, limitations, and ethical implications of their outputs, which grounded their learning in application, analysis, and deeper inquiry.

In terms of the projects themselves, the student groups worked across various industries, including beverages, fashion, healthcare, fitness, and retail. For example, one group that selected a brand in the beverage category identified increasing audience reach as their primary objective. Their specific KPI was to enhance visibility on TikTok by 10 percent, defining visibility through key metrics such as likes, shares, comments, views, average watch time, and the percentage of viewers who watch the entire video.

The group identified key features that customers wanted most in a beverage—enhanced performance, on-the-go convenience, and boosted energy. They then built the virtual influencer narrative around these themes, creating a mood board that reflected an upbeat, sporty, and youth-oriented aesthetic. The students wanted the influencer’s message to adopt an authentic tone and delivery, and they wanted the visual content to align with the brand identity and appeal to the target audience (adults aged 18 to 34).  

With this understanding, they used AI tools to create a virtual influencer that communicated high energy in a lively and engaging manner, while incorporating the brand’s tagline to reinforce relevance and brand recall.

ACE and Assessment

Considering that the module was delivered to first-year undergraduate students, the project initially appeared quite demanding. However, through the application of the ACE framework, the assessment became practical, manageable, and engaging from the students’ perspective.

More broadly, my assessment design played a central role in reinforcing the principles of the ACE framework. I embedded formative assessment throughout the module, creating multiple opportunities for feedback and improvement.

Students presented their work in class at different stages of development, receiving input from both peers and me. This iterative process created a continuous feedback loop, enabling students to refine their ideas and enhance the quality of their final submissions.

Peer feedback proved to be especially valuable. I provided students with a detailed rubric that guided their evaluations, ensuring that their comments were structured, constructive, and aligned with the criteria of the summative assessment.

As AI continues to evolve, educators will need to create learning environments that encourage questioning, experimentation, and ethical awareness.

Engaging in peer evaluation also had a metacognitive benefit: By assessing the work of others, students developed a deeper understanding of what constitutes quality in influencer marketing campaigns. This, in turn, helped them improve their own work.

In fact, the positive impact of peer learning emerged as one of the most significant benefits of this approach. Students were exposed to a wide range of creative strategies, different applications of AI tools, and diverse interpretations of influencer marketing practices. This collective exchange of ideas created a rich learning environment where knowledge was co-created rather than transmitted. It also fostered a sense of shared ownership and community, which enhanced student engagement and motivation.

AI as a Catalyst, Not a Shortcut

At a broader level, embedding AI into this module reinforced an important pedagogical insight: The value of AI in education does not lie in the tools themselves, but in the ways they are integrated into the learning experience. Without careful design, AI can easily become a shortcut—allowing students to generate outputs without engaging in deeper thinking. However, when embedded within a structured framework such as ACE, AI tools can serve as catalysts for critical thinking, creativity, and inquiry.

This has important implications for business education. As AI continues to evolve, the role of educators is not simply to keep pace with advancing technology, but to shape how students use it. This requires educators to create learning environments that encourage questioning, experimentation, and ethical awareness. It also requires educators to adopt a shift in mindset—from viewing AI as a threat to academic integrity to recognizing its potential as a pedagogical tool.

Ultimately, the goal is not to produce graduates who are merely proficient in using AI tools, but to educate individuals who can think critically about the application and implications of AI technology.

Marketing, as a discipline, is inherently dynamic, shaped by technological, cultural, and societal shifts. In this context, adaptability and judgment are essential competencies.

The experience of integrating AI into my Influencer Marketing module suggests that active learning frameworks such as ACE offer a viable pathway for achieving this balance. By combining hands-on engagement with structured reflection, instructors can harness the benefits of AI while maintaining academic rigor. Students not only learn how to use AI, but also develop the ability to question its outputs, evaluate its limitations, and consider its ethical dimensions.

As educators, we are preparing students for a future that is increasingly shaped by intelligent technologies. While the tools themselves will continue to change, employers’ need for thoughtful, reflective, and ethically aware graduates remains constant. Embedding AI within active learning frameworks is more than a pedagogical choice; it is a strategic necessity.

The outcomes of the module described above reinforce this point. Students were not only equipped to navigate the evolving marketing profession, but also empowered to shape it through the thoughtful use of AI.