Understanding the impact of digital transformation on the future of marketing education programs: Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) platforms and credential for pedagogy and authentic assessment

Predictive analytics (customer behaviour forecasting), Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) (content, ads, images), chatbots and conversational marketing and personalisation engines (Netflix, Amazon-like experiences) are among key AI technologies that are changing education programs and marketing/roles respectively. While the impact of digital transformation such as Generative AI is widely discussed and efforts have been made to tackle the issue such as academic integrity in higher education, advantages and issues of adoption of AI-powered Real-Time marketing platforms and industry credential for designing authentic assessment is not well understood. In addition, business education (pedagogy and assessment) is facing a challenge in embedding employability and responsible digital practice into curriculum design through authentic learning. The aim of this presentation is to showcase the impact of rapid advancement of digital transformation on the future of digital marketing education programs. To explicitly showcase this impact, evidence of adoption and integration of Hands-On Learning/lab of AI-powered marketing platforms and industry credential for designing authentic assessment of an undergraduate module will be presented. This presentation showcases how industry credentials are integrated with scholarship and critical assessment where students learn and use a Real-Time AI-platform, interpret evidence, evaluate limitations and reflect ethically on actual marketing practice. Therefore, the advantages and limitations of integration of AI-powered content management platforms and industry credential for designing authentic assessment will be discussed.