Key points:
- AI can enhance learning while ensuring faculty are at the center of instruction
- How AI is reshaping the LMS: A framework for responsible implementation
- Cutting costs while maintaining value: The challenge for higher education
- For more on AI in course development, visit eCN’s AI in Education hub
Developing high-quality course materials takes time, which is something many educators often don’t have enough of. Faculty already juggle lesson planning, content creation, and administrative work, all while keeping students engaged. As digital learning grows, so does the demand for courses that are both adaptable and well-organized, putting even more pressure on instructors.
To continue creating high-quality content, institutions are turning to AI-driven content platforms that help faculty manage growing demands without sacrificing instructional quality. These tools don’t replace educators but support them by handling time-consuming logistical tasks such as structuring lesson plans, formatting materials, and generating interactive learning resources.
With AI managing these tasks, educators can spend less time on logistics and more time teaching, mentoring, and refining course content to better meet student needs. Instead of getting stuck reworking lessons to fit multiple platforms, faculty can focus on classroom interaction and improving learning outcomes.
The growing demand for smarter course development
Educators at all levels face time constraints, but higher education instructors often juggle additional demands beyond the classroom, including research, curriculum alignment, and administrative duties alongside lesson planning and student engagement. Faculty shortages and budget constraints only add to the challenge, making it difficult to develop or update courses efficiently.
While time pressures are not unique to higher education, the 2022 Merrimack College Teacher Survey highlights how educators, in general, divide their time. The survey found that a typical teacher works about 54 hours per week, yet less than half of that time is spent in the classroom. Instead, faculty dedicate five hours per week to lesson planning, three hours to administrative tasks, and two hours to collaboration with colleagues, all of which take time away from direct student interaction.
Traditional course development is a multi-step process that often delays course rollouts. Faculty must structure lessons, format materials, and align content with learning objectives, only to spend even more time adapting materials for different teaching formats or learning management systems (LMS).
Institutions risk overburdening faculty and slowing program growth without a more efficient way to develop and manage content. AI-powered platforms allow educators to turn existing materials such as textbooks, research papers, and lecture notes into structured lessons, quizzes, and interactive learning experiences.
How one university transformed course development with AI
As digital learning continues to expand, institutions must keep up with demand without sacrificing content quality or accuracy. But keeping courses cohesive across multiple subjects, departments, and platforms isn’t easy, especially when instructional teams vary in size, expertise, and available resources.
A university in Brazil faced this challenge firsthand. Developing a single course took eight to 12 weeks, requiring faculty to manually structure lesson plans, create learning modules, and format content for multiple platforms. The lengthy process made it difficult to keep pace with growing demand.
As a result, the university adopted an AI-powered content creation platform that automated much of the work. Instead of manually compiling resources and reformatting documents, faculty could input learning objectives and lecture notes, and the system would generate structured lesson plans, assessments, and instructional content. AI also handled formatting, producing ready-to-use materials in HTML for the LMS, PDFs for study guides, PowerPoint presentations for instructor-led sessions, and video lessons.
While AI handled much of the content structuring and formatting, faculty still played a key role in reviewing materials, making refinements, and ensuring the final courses met academic standards. What used to take months was done in days, making it easier for the university to roll out new courses without overloading faculty.
Addressing faculty concerns about AI
While some educators remain cautious about AI in course development, most faculty are already comfortable using technology and recognize its benefits. According to a 2023 Educause survey, 96 percent of faculty feel competent or advanced in using technology for instruction, with many citing its ability to make learning more accessible, flexible, and efficient.
Concerns about AI adoption often stem from questions about academic integrity, data security, or faculty autonomy. Some worry AI might oversimplify curriculum development, but today’s AI tools can be trained on institution-approved resources. This ensures outputs align with academic guidelines, proper citations, and faculty expectations.
One of the most significant advancements in AI for education is its ability to conduct deep research and citation analysis. Higher education relies on credible and well-sourced content, and AI can now search academic databases, verify references, and compile accurate citations. Faculty can use AI to gather research, assist in curriculum development, and improve literature reviews. As a result, institutions are increasingly trusting AI as a research tool and not just a content generator.
Still, some educators remain hesitant, fearing AI could diminish their role in course development. However, AI is not a substitute for faculty expertise. It’s a tool designed to handle logistical tasks, not the intellectual and instructional work that educators do best. As faculty see how AI enhances research, reduces administrative workload, and improves content organization, many become more comfortable integrating it into their workflows.
Data privacy is another key concern. Universities need to ensure AI-generated content remains secure and proprietary. Enterprise-grade AI platforms offer private deployment options, keeping academic materials fully controlled and protected from external access. By addressing these concerns, institutions can confidently integrate AI in ways that enhance, rather than replace, faculty expertise.
The future of AI in education
Universities are under growing pressure to scale programs, adapt to digital learning, and support overextended faculty. Course development takes time, and as student expectations shift, institutions that rely solely on manual processes will struggle to deliver consistent and high-quality educational material.
AI-powered tools offer a way to ease this burden–not by replacing educators, but by handling the logistical and repetitive tasks that take time away from teaching. By automating formatting, content structuring, and administrative processes, AI allows faculty to focus on instruction, student engagement, and refining course materials.
As more universities adopt AI, early adopters will be better positioned to deliver flexible learning experiences. AI is already enhancing hybrid and online education, supporting classroom instruction, and making personalized learning more accessible. While staying up to date with technology matters, the future of education is about using AI to enhance learning while ensuring faculty remain at the center of instruction.
Humberto Farias is the CEO of FanHero. He is an AI and technology expert with over 20 years of experience in software and AI development.