AI at Driehaus

Preparing Studentsfor an AI-Powered World

<div class="ck-content"><p>In sync with the university’s Designing DePaul framework, the Driehaus College of Business is proud to present its signature initiative: AI@Driehaus.</p><p>AI presents a generational challenge for the modern university. It is forcing educators not only to rethink learning and pedagogy, but also to relearn the world of work itself, the markets we are preparing our students to enter. If classroom and career are two sides of the same question, then our answer to the challenge posed by AI must address both.</p></div>

Innovatingwith Purpose

<div class="ck-content"><p>At Driehaus, we are embedding AI into the core of business education, challenging traditional models, and empowering our community to innovate. We are collaborating with our industry partners to stay at the cutting edge. Across our curriculum and our career preparation, Driehaus is leading the way into the future of AI-powered, experiential education.  </p><p>We do so boldly, but without losing our sense of purpose. Just as we recognize the reality of the technology, we leverage it to strengthen our curriculum and reinforce the norms of critical inquiry and personal development that have always been core to a university education. In keeping with our Vincentian heritage, we are committed to the ethical, responsible use of generative AI.</p></div>

Our Framework: The Human-Centric AI Orchestrator Model

Through an extensive, inclusive planning process, collaborators across the college developed our GenAI Literacy Framework: The Human-Centric AI Orchestrator Model.

Global Standards, Local Context:  Developed by synthesizing global frameworks from the Digital Education Council, UNESCO, AACSB, and internal survey results; then specifically mapped to the DePaul BSB Core to ensure institutional alignment.
Core Philosophy:  Built on the "Human-Centric GenAI Orchestrator" model, which posits that in an AI-enabled world, Critical Thinking is the engine, Ethics & Vincentian Mission are the steering mechanism, and GenAI is the fuel.
Strategic Goal:  To transform business students from passive users of technology into strategic orchestrators who can lead with judgment, ethics, and domain expertise.

The GenAI Literacy Framework is anchored by five overarching dimensions, each containing specific sub-dimensions:
1. Foundational GenAI & Data Literacy:  The foundational ability to understand the mechanics of GenAI systems, the data that powers them, and the ecosystem of tools available, ensuring business decisions are based on technical reality rather than hype.
2. Critical Inquiry & Analytical Judgment:  The cognitive discipline to treat GenAI outputs as hypotheses rather than facts, applying rigorous verification, experimentation, and evaluation to ensure quality and truth.
3. Ethical Stewardship & Responsible AI:  The moral compass and regulatory knowledge required to navigate the risks of GenAI, ensuring compliance, fairness, and the protection of human dignity and privacy.
4. Human-Centric Innovation & Creativity:  The art of collaboration with GenAI, focusing on "orchestration" where humans provide the empathy, context, and creative direction, while GenAI provides the scale and computation.
5. Strategic Business Domain Expertise:  The application of GenAI to specific business disciplines (such as Accounting, Marketing, or Finance) to drive strategic value, innovation, and measurable ROI.

The GenAI Usage Policy

At the Driehaus College of Business, GenAI tools may be used to augment learning when permitted by the course instructor. Because courses differ in learning objectives, faculty may allow, limit, or prohibit GenAI use at the course or assignment level. When GenAI use is permitted, students remain the human-in-the-loop and are responsible for the accuracy, bias, and quality of all submitted work, and must comply with any disclosure or documentation requirements specified by the instructor. Course instructors will indicate the permitted level of GenAI use for each course or assignment using the “Stoplight Approach”.
🟢 Green Light - Full GenAI Usage Permitted: GenAI tools may be used freely throughout the assignment or course component. Students may use AI for brainstorming, drafting, editing, research assistance, coding, data analysis, and other tasks. Disclosure of AI use is still required per instructor guidelines, and students remain responsible for verifying accuracy and quality of all submitted work.
🟡 Yellow Light - Assessment Dependent / Limited Use: GenAI use is permitted only for specific purposes outlined by the instructor (e.g., brainstorming or grammar checking, but not drafting). Students must carefully review assignment instructions to understand what AI assistance is allowed and what must be completed independently. When in doubt, students should ask their instructor before using GenAI tools.
🔴 Red Light - No GenAI Usage: GenAI tools may not be used for any portion of this assignment or assessment. All work must be completed entirely by the student without AI assistance. This designation is typically applied when the learning objective requires demonstration of individual knowledge, skills, or critical thinking

Introducing BoodleBox

All students, staff, and faculty in the college to have access to the latest GenAI models.

<div class="ck-content"><p>BoodleBox is a collaborative GenAI platform that provides secure access to multiple large language models (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity, and others) through a single interface. In addition to conventional chat models it also offers a suite of features customized for educational use, including advanced research bots, collaborative chats, and text-to-image generators.</p><p><strong>All students enrolled in BUS courses have free access to the Boodlebox platform. </strong></p><p><strong>The goal:</strong> every Driehaus student graduates with a portfolio that showcases the AI capabilities and collaborative skills employers are looking for.</p></div>

Get Started with BoodleBox

Resources for Education and Workforce

Putting BoodleBox to Work

Whether you’re designing assignments, completing coursework, preparing for your career or strengthening your study habits, BoodleBox can support you at every stage. Explore practical ways to use AI as a tool for deeper learning, stronger analysis and more confident decision-making.

Here are some examples:

Case study analysis: Students upload case materials and use AI to analyze business problems, competitive landscapes, or strategic decisions.
Market research projects: Have students use AI to synthesize research, identify trends, and generate insights about industries or competitors.
Financial modeling: Upload spreadsheets and use AI to help analyze scenarios, create projections, or identify patterns.
Business strategy development: Students work through strategic frameworks with AI guidance.
Operations optimization: Analyze processes and use AI to brainstorm improvement.
Data analysis projects: Upload CSV/Excel files; the code interpreter automatically analyzes data and generates visualizations.
Business intelligence tasks: Students extract insights from datasets and present findings.

Here are some examples:

Case study analysis: Upload case materials and use AI to analyze business problems, competitive dynamics, and strategic options using frameworks like Porter's Five Forces or SWOT.
Market research: Synthesize industry reports and competitive data to identify trends and opportunities.
Strategic planning: Develop business strategies, go-to-market plans, or organizational recommendations with AI guidance.
Competitive analysis: Analyze competitor positioning and market landscapes.
Forecasting & modeling: Build financial projections, scenario analyses, or business models with AI assistance.
Data visualization: Generate charts and graphs to support your analysis and presentations.
Executive summaries: Practice condensing complex information into decision-ready formats.
Presentations: Outline slides, develop talking points, and create speaker notes.

Here are some examples:

Job search strategy: Research target companies, industries, and roles — ask AI to summarize a company's recent news, financials, or competitive position before an interview or networking event.
Resume and cover letter refinement: Get targeted feedback on your resume for a specific role or industry, and draft cover letters that connect your experience to a job description.
Interview preparation: Practice answering behavioral and technical interview questions with AI as your mock interviewer — then ask for feedback on your responses.
LinkedIn optimization: Draft or refine your LinkedIn headline, summary, and experience descriptions to align with the roles and industries you are targeting.
Networking outreach: Draft personalized connection requests, informational interview emails, or follow-up messages that are professional and specific.
Industry and employer research: Quickly synthesize what you need to know about a company, sector, or role before a career fair, interview, or class project.
Salary negotiation prep: Research market compensation ranges and practice negotiation conversations with AI role-playing as a hiring manager.
Personal branding: Develop your professional narrative — articulate your value proposition, career story, and differentiators across different formats and audiences.
Skill gap analysis: Describe your target role and current experience, and ask AI to identify skill gaps and suggest specific ways to close them before graduation.
Graduate school preparation: Draft personal statements, research potential programs, and prepare for admissions interviews with AI-assisted feedback and coaching.

Study smarter: Upload your notes, readings, or slides and ask AI to summarize key concepts, generate practice questions, or explain difficult ideas in plain language.
Test your understanding: Ask AI to quiz you on course material — then ask it to explain the answers you got wrong in a different way until it clicks.
Break through writer's block: Use AI to help you get started on a paper — brainstorm an outline, talk through your argument, or get feedback on a thesis statement before you commit to a direction.
Strengthen your writing: Paste a draft and ask for specific feedback — on clarity, argument structure, transitions, or tone — then decide which suggestions to accept and which to push back on.
Decode complex readings: Paste a dense academic article or case study and ask AI to explain the main argument, define unfamiliar terms, or connect the reading to what you discussed in class.
Manage your time and workload: Describe your upcoming deadlines and commitments and ask AI to help you build a realistic study schedule or break a large project into manageable steps.
Prepare for exams: Ask AI to generate practice problems, walk you through worked examples, or create a concept map connecting the key ideas from the course.
Get unstuck on problems: Describe where you are stuck — in a calculation, a case analysis, or a written argument — and ask AI to help you think through the next step rather than just giving you the answer.
Learn from feedback: Paste instructor feedback on a returned assignment and ask AI to help you understand what it means and how to apply it to your next submission.
Build better habits: Ask AI to help you reflect on how you are approaching your coursework — what is working, what is not, and what strategies other successful students use.