Unit rationale, description and aim

Without a clear understanding of the foundational principles and societal implications of artificial intelligence (AI), it is challenging to navigate its growing influence on industries and daily life. This unit offers a non-technical introduction to AI, exploring its historical evolution, foundational principles, and transformative potential. By examining AI’s applications in education, business, and professional development, you will gain insight into its diverse capabilities, from adaptive learning systems to generative AI technologies. You will explore how AI drives innovation, supports decision-making, and can be applied to boost productivity. Through real-world examples, the unit highlights both the promises and pitfalls of AI, enabling you to critically assess its role in addressing global challenges such as sustainability. Additionally, you will learn about the ethics and risks associated with AI implementation and strategies to mitigate them.

The aim of this unit is to introduce AI concepts and applications in a way that enhances your critical thinking and problem-solving skills. By the end of the unit, you should have developed AI literacy, enabling you to engage thoughtfully and responsibly with AI's evolving role in shaping the future.

2026 10

Campus offering

No unit offerings are currently available for this unit.

Prerequisites

Nil

Learning outcomes

To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.

Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.

Explore the graduate capabilities.

Explain the evolution, components, and types of AI...

Learning Outcome 01

Explain the evolution, components, and types of AI, including machine learning and generative AI, and their real-world applications.
Relevant Graduate Capabilities: GC1, GC9

Identify and discuss the impact of artificial inte...

Learning Outcome 02

Identify and discuss the impact of artificial intelligence on innovation, decision-making and productivity across industries such as education and business
Relevant Graduate Capabilities: GC2, GC7

Discuss the challenges of artificial intelligence ...

Learning Outcome 03

Discuss the challenges of artificial intelligence scalability, particularly in sustainability, and explore AI-driven solutions to business and social problems
Relevant Graduate Capabilities: GC3, GC6

Explain the ethical considerations and societal im...

Learning Outcome 04

Explain the ethical considerations and societal implications of AI, and the progressive transition of knowledge: acquisition, assimilation and application
Relevant Graduate Capabilities: GC5, GC7

Content

Topics will include:

  • AI Origins and Development: Core Concepts and Categories
  • AI Methodologies: Approaches for Problem Solving and Innovation
  •  Machine Learning Concepts
  • Revolutionizing AI: From GPT-4 to Emerging Technologies
  • AI in Education, Business, and Society
  • Leveraging AI for Sustainability Goals
  • Responsible AI and Ethics
  • Role of AI in Shaping Careers and Industries

Assessment strategy and rationale

Assessments are used primarily to foster learning. ACU adopts a constructivist approach to learning which seeks alignment between the fundamental purpose of each unit, the learning outcomes, teaching and learning strategy, assessment and the learning environment. In order to pass this unit, students are required to achieve an overall score of at least 50%. Using constructive alignment, the assessment tasks are designed for students to demonstrate their achievement of each learning outcome. 

The assessment strategy for this unit helps students develop a comprehensive understanding of AI technologies, their applications, and ethical considerations. Assessment 1 – Portfolio of Engagement will encourage students to actively participate in online discussions and activities, demonstrating their understanding of AI concepts, including machine learning and generative AI. Assessment 2 – AI Integration Strategy Proposal in a Team Presentation + Written Report will enable students to collaboratively develop a strategic AI proposal for a business scenario, showcasing their ability to apply AI-driven solutions and analyse organisational challenges. Assessment 3 – Generative AI: Analysis, Creation, and Ethical Reflection will allow students to critically explore the societal implications of generative AI, create AI-generated content, and reflect on its ethical use, thus consolidating their knowledge and understanding of AI's impact on various sectors.

Overview of assessments

Assessment Task 1: Portfolio of Engagement From ...

Assessment Task 1: Portfolio of Engagement

From weeks 2-10, students will actively participate in online discussion forums to demonstrate their understanding of foundational AI concepts introduced during the first six weeks of the unit. This task requires students to contribute meaningful and original responses to discussion board questions, showcasing their ability to critically engage with the material. Students will also interact with their peers by providing thoughtful and constructive responses to postings.

Submission Type: Individual

Assessment Method: online engagement and completion of regular learning tasks 

Artefact: Portfolio evidencing

Weighting

30%

Learning Outcomes LO1, LO2, LO3
Graduate Capabilities GC1, GC2, GC3, GC6, GC7

Assessment Task 2: AI Integration Strategy Propos...

Assessment Task 2: AI Integration Strategy Proposal in a Team Presentation + Written Report

This assessment task requires students to collaborate as a team to develop a strategic proposal for integrating AI solutions into a real-world business scenario. Students will analyse the organisation’s challenges, identify AI-driven opportunities, and present a comprehensive strategy that addresses business innovation and sustainability. The proposal will be presented as a 10-minute audio-visual presentation, accompanied by a written report (1000-1200 words). In crafting their proposals, students are expected to demonstrate their understanding of AI concepts, strategic thinking, and communication skills, using recent figures, statistics, and citations to support their analysis.

Submission Type: Team 

Assessment Method: Presentation/Report

Artefact: Video Presentation and Written Report

Weighting

30%

Learning Outcomes LO2, LO3
Graduate Capabilities GC2, GC3, GC6, GC7

Assessment Task 3: Generative AI: Analysis, Creat...

Assessment Task 3: Generative AI: Analysis, Creation, and Ethical Reflection

This assessment task requires students to critically explore the societal implications of generative AI technologies, demonstrate creative content generation using AI tools, and evaluate the outcomes from an ethical and practical perspective.  


Students will complete two components:

 

Analytical Essay (1000–1200 words): Discuss the innovative potential of generative AI in various fields and critically analyse ethical concerns such as bias, accuracy, and potential misuse.

 

AI-Generated Content: Based on the insights gained from the analytical essay, students will now apply their understanding by producing a creative output such as a blog post, artwork, or social media post using generative AI tools. This content should be carefully crafted with prompts that reflect a thoughtful application of the concepts discussed in the essay

Submission Type: Individual

Assessment Method: Essay, Content Creation

Artefact: Combined Document Submission

Weighting

40%

Learning Outcomes LO1, LO3, LO4
Graduate Capabilities GC1, GC3, GC5, GC6, GC7, GC9

Learning and teaching strategy and rationale

Students should anticipate undertaking 150 hours of study for this unit over a twelve-week semester or equivalent study period, including class attendance, readings, online forum participation and assessment preparation.

This unit may be offered in “Attendance” and/or “Online” mode to cater for the learning needs and preferences of a range of participants.

Attendance Mode

Students will require face-to-face attendance in blocks of time determined by the school. Students will have face-to-face interactions with lecturer(s) to further their achievement of the learning outcomes. This unit is structured with required upfront preparation before workshops. The online learning platforms used in this unit provide multiple forms of preparatory and practice opportunities for students to prepare and revise.

Online Mode

This unit utilises an active learning approach whereby students will engage in e-module activities, readings and reflections, and opportunities to collaborate with peers in an online environment. This can involve, but is not limited to, online workshops, online discussion forums, chat rooms, guided reading, and webinars. Pre-recorded lectures will be incorporated within the online learning environment and e-modules. In addition, electronic readings will be provided to guide students’ reading and extend other aspects of online learning

Representative texts and references

Representative texts and references

Akerkar, R. (2019). Artificial intelligence for business. Springer.

Ali, O., Murray, P. A., Momin, M., Dwivedi, Y. K., & Malik, T. (2024). The effects of artificial intelligence applications in educational settings: Challenges and strategies. Technological Forecasting and Social Change199, 123076.

Dauvergne, P. (2020). AI in the Wild: Sustainability in the Age of Artificial Intelligence. MIT Press.

Feuerriegel, S., Hartmann, J., Janiesch, C., & Zschech, P. (2024). Generative AI. Business & Information Systems Engineering66(1), 111-126.

Khan, A. A., Badshah, S., Liang, P., Waseem, M., Khan, B., Ahmad, A., ... & Akbar, M. A. (2022, June). Ethics of AI: A systematic literature review of principles and challenges. In Proceedings of the 26th International Conference on Evaluation and Assessment in Software Engineering (pp. 383-392).

Marr, B. (2024). Generative AI in practice: 100+ Amazing ways generative artificial intelligence is changing business and society. John Wiley & Sons.

Tom, T. (2019). Artificial Intelligence Basics: A Non-Technical Introduction. Monrovia, CA, USA: Appres.

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