October 7, 2026
Responding to demand from employers, students and faculty, NMC launched its first class in artificial intelligence this semester – and it proved so popular a second section was added.
Instructor Stewart Jack, who designed NMC’s Introduction to Generative Artificial Intelligence course, characterized the demand as a “clamor” that had been building since ChatGPT was released. That’s considered the moment when AI moved into the mainstream.
This fall, about 50 students from multiple academic disciplines, not just IT, are enrolled across the two sections. Jack, pictured above, doesn’t use a textbook in the all-online class. Rather, students from programs as varied as marine technology, health care, business and journalism learn about AI from AI, feeding prompts into AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude. Every week there’s a discussion about how to apply AI in their various fields.
Through this interactive, hands-on trial and error process, students learn how AI works and when and where it’s appropriate to use. It’s experiential in the same way that many other NMC classes are. Jack calls it a “learning adventure.”
“Instead of pretending (AI) doesn’t exist, and penalizing students, we have to find a way to teach students to incorporate it into their workflow,” said Jack, who’s taught at NMC since 2018. That approach is also part of NMC’s strategic plan, which calls for strengthening student outcomes, institutional performance and workforce readiness by embedding responsible and effective use of AI across teaching, learning and operations
As AI use becomes more widespread, understanding how it works is critical, Jack said. For instance, AI will make up an answer rather than tell a user it doesn’t know something. That vulnerability illuminates the importance of human review, especially when important decisions – like patient diagnosis – are at stake.
Ethical use of AI, AI bias, legal and intellectual property considerations are woven into the course, after which students can earn Certiport’s Generative AI Foundations certification, a national credential that adds value to their transcript.
Jack expects the class to be offered again in the spring semester. NMC formally adopted a policy on generative AI in August 2025, and has established an AI workgroup to keep abreast of the technology as it evolves. AI navigators act as liaisons between the workgroup and each academic area and department. Navigators are dedicated to establishing professional norms and practices that safeguard institutional data and students’ critical-thinking skills.
Read more about AI at NMC.