ICMS Integrates AI Where it Advances Graduate Capability, Employability and Industry Readiness

As higher education institutions explore how artificial intelligence (AI) can be integrated into learning and teaching, ICMS is taking a considered, institution-wide approach focused on responsible, ethical, and purposeful use of AI within the curriculum. 

The college is progressively integrating AI into learning, teaching, and assessment across its degrees, with a redevelopment program running through to 2027 in line with its Artificial Intelligence in Education (AIED) Framework. It is an ongoing process, and one that continues to evolve as the technology, workplace practices, and student expectations change. 

The approach reflects a growing view across higher education: that students who graduate without any experience working with AI may be at a disadvantage in workplaces where these tools are increasingly part of professional practice. Not in every field, and not in every role, but in enough of them that it is worth taking seriously. 

“At ICMS, students learn about AI and, where appropriate, use AI in selected learning and assessment activities that help them develop the judgement, skills and confidence to work alongside AI technologies responsibly in their chosen profession,” said Professor Heidi Le Sueur, Deputy Vice Chancellor (Learning and Teaching). 

Where AI Fits and Where It Doesn’t

AI is not incorporated into every subject. Decisions about its use are made at the subject level and depend on the learning outcomes, disciplinary context and professional relevance.

The extent of AI integration varies across disciplines and subjects, reflecting differences in learning outcomes, professional standards and industry practice.

Where AI subjects are integrated, the aim is not to hand students a tool and walk away. The goal is to help them understand what the tool actually does, question its outputs, and apply their own thinking to real tasks in their field. 

Take a digital marketing subject as an example. Students might use generative AI to help shape a campaign, but then they have to apply marketing theory, critique what the AI produced, and defend their final decisions. The exercise is designed to build both practical skill and the kind of judgement that is harder to teach but more valuable in a workplace. 

“Our students develop AI literacy, learning how to use AI responsibly, critically evaluate its outputs, and apply it thoughtfully to real-world challenges,” said Professor Le Sueur. 

ICMS monitors developments in AI technologies used across different industries to help keep learning activities relevant to contemporary workplace practice, though the curriculum continues to be updated and refined as this landscape shifts. 

A new approach to assessment

The shift in how AI is used in some subjects has also prompted a rethink of how students are assessed. ICMS now uses a two-track approach to assessment design. 

The first track covers supervised or secured tasks (including tests, presentations, and practical activities) where students demonstrate what they know and can do independently, with AI use either restricted or excluded. 

The second track includes open assessments where using AI is permitted and intentionally built into the learning process. Students work with AI tools in defined ways and are required to document and reflect on how they used them. 

In both cases, students declare their use of AI. The college is also exploring a range of authentic assessment approaches, including interactive oral assessments, where students explain and justify their work in real time, a format that reflects what many professional environments already expect. 

Consistent with the AIED Framework, the focus is not simply on learning to use AI tools, but on developing the critical judgement needed to use them responsibly and effectively, or to recognise when not to use them at all. 

The risks matter too

AI brings genuine challenges: bias, inaccuracies, over-reliance, and questions around academic integrity. ICMS does not sidestep these. 

Rather than placing trust in technology alone, the approach keeps human judgement at the centre of learning, teaching, and assessment. Students are taught to verify facts, identify inaccuracies and bias, use AI transparently, and keep their own voice and reasoning intact. 

One observation that has circulated in faculty discussions captures the thinking well: information is free, but judgement is priceless. 

“ICMS is progressively embedding AI across its curriculum, ensuring graduates can confidently and ethically use AI tools in professional environments while applying judgement and working effectively with others,” said Professor Le Sueur. 

Those capabilities are formally embedded in ICMS graduate outcomes, sitting within the college’s Technology and Information Literacy framework. 

How this connects to your career

ICMS has long focused on preparing students for real work.  

Every degree includes Work Integrated Learning (WIL), with students spending up to 600 hours on professional placement through a network of more than 1,000 industry partners.  

According to a 2025 internal graduation survey, 76% of graduates reported that the company where they completed their placement wanted them to stay on.  

The approach to AI sits within this same commitment to graduate readiness. Understanding how to work with these tools, sensibly, ethically, and alongside other people, is becoming part of how some industries operate, and that is worth being prepared for. 

These capabilities are reviewed regularly to ensure the curriculum stays relevant as technologies and workplace expectations continue to develop. 

What’s coming next?

As a smaller institution, ICMS is able to review and implement curriculum changes in a reasonably responsive way, while maintaining appropriate academic governance. That matters in an environment where the technology and workplace expectations are still moving quickly. 

“At ICMS, the goal is not to simply introduce AI into education, but to do so responsibly, deliberately and with purpose, keeping humans at the centre,” said ICMS President and Managing Director Rowan Courtney-O’Connor. 

The bigger picture

AI is one part of a broader focus on learning and graduate capability at ICMS, and it is being approached carefully, not comprehensively. Some subjects engage with it deeply. Others barely touch it. The whole program is still developing through to 2027, and what it looks like in practice will continue to evolve. 

For students thinking about where to study, the practical question is whether a degree will prepare them for work as it actually exists today, not as it existed a few years ago.  

At ICMS, that question continues to inform curriculum redevelopment, assessment design, and the college’s approach to supporting students for changing professional contexts.

Disclaimer:
Course content, learning activities, assessment formats, Work Integrated Learning opportunities, professional placement hours, technology use and AI-related learning experiences may vary by program, subject, study period and individual student circumstances, and are subject to academic approval, regulatory requirements and ongoing review. References to industry relevance, graduate capability, employability, career pathways or workplace preparation are general in nature and do not guarantee specific learning, employment or graduate outcomes. Any statistics, examples or outcomes mentioned are based on available internal or approved sources at the time of publication and should be read in that context.