Much of the AI conversation in higher education focuses on the value of AI literacy and AI-related skills for students’ future prospects in the job market. Far less attention, however, has been paid to how students can communicate what they have learned with potential employers. As part of a recent national survey on the AI skills instructors prioritize and teach in their courses, we asked instructors: who is responsible for preparing students to present AI-related skills to potential employers?

As the graph below shows, the plurality of instructors hold co-curricular offices, such as career services offices, responsible for supporting students in how to communicate AI skills to employers on their resume or in interviews. Another large contingent of instructors claim a shared responsibility for teaching those skills, but only around a fifth of respondents indicated that instructors should be the primary teachers of those skills.

This division over career preparation aligns with previous research which found that faculty members lean heavily on their institution’s career services office while also providing disciplinary-specific context and advice. It is also emblematic of a larger conversation about where responsibility for career preparation lies that has been going on within higher education long before generative AI upped the stakes for recent college graduates seeking their first jobs, (though some economists question the impact of AI on the job market). In order to best help students achieve their desired career outcomes, instructors and administrative offices need to be involved, if not fully aligned, in the task of supporting students in positioning AI skills for the workplace.

There are pedagogically integrated ways for the faculty to support students in presenting and discussing their skills with employers that likely will not have instructors feeling like they suddenly work for the career services office. One such approach involves adding brief, intentional moments for reflection as part of learning activities and assessments. Reflection on learning is one of the foundational elements of good pedagogy, and when paired with an expectation for students to articulate what they have learned, can help students better communicate their skills to potential employers.