A University of South Carolina journalism instructor is using her love of technology to teach generative artificial intelligence skills to students and small businesses.
Marcia Purday doesn’t renounce AI. She embraces it. Purday, who is an Accredited Public Relations practitioner, teaches Integrated Communications Campaigns, Creative Strategy to Execution, various graduate classes and a special topics course to help students secure certifications in Google advertising.
When generative AI started to grow in popularity, Purday chose to view it as a tool, not a threat. So, she began experimenting with how AI could enhance, rather than replace, creativity and strategic thinking.
I’m proud of the steps we’ve taken in the CIC. Nationally, we are leading the way in our field. We’ve made AI certifications part of the curriculum and we’re integrating AI into actual assignments, not just talking about it conceptually.”
“I got curious, I got my hands dirty, and I started experimenting,” Purday said. “I took courses, I played with the tools and now I actively integrate AI into the courses I teach, especially for our advertising and public relations students.”
Purday quickly saw the potential AI could have for nonprofits and small businesses, so she set out to teach local companies how to optimize their systems with technology. She says experimenting with AI in this way has given her a chance to help others feel more empowered.
“When I see a small business owner go from overwhelmed to confident because AI took some of the pressure off, that’s what keeps me coming back,” Purday said.
Purday said that AI can help small businesses preserve their scarcest resource: time.
In partnership with Palmetto College, USC’s College of Information and Communications holds speaker sessions for those who want to learn more about AI. At these AI-4-SC events, Purday and her colleagues discuss AI ethics and privacy measures while teaching individuals how to properly use these tools.
“We’ve used AI to help nonprofits develop Google Ads campaigns that drive awareness,” Purday said. “We’ve helped local brands develop integrated marketing communication campaigns, streamline social media content and develop business plans.”
Purday noted that once she helped a local farmer use AI to build a business plan to grow flowers.
“Within a period of about 15 to 20 minutes, she had what she would need for an irrigation system,” Purday said. “Who were the best people to purchase different products from? What were the gaps or problems she was missing or she hadn’t thought of? It walked her through all of that.”
Jakub Sevcik is a student at the USC Palmetto College at Sumter who attended Purday’s AI-4-SC workshop. He noted that the lecture focused on how to effectively utilize AI prompts in building and improving a business.
“I really enjoyed the workshop from Ms. Purday,” Sevcik said. “It was very well prepared and presented, and the provided prompts are very helpful. We explored the current possibilities of AI and that you can basically utilize it in any area of life, from art and creating videos to making business strategies with it.”
Since learning from Purday, Sevcik has used AI to create social media content, explain study materials and build strategies and plans. In one instance, Sevcik used Purday’s prompts to help polish his cover letter. He says the prompt encouraged the AI to start asking him questions rather than coming up with its own suggestions, which made it efficient and easy to use.
One of Purday’s USC courses, Interactive Communication Strategies, matches students with nonprofit organizations through the Google Nonprofit Marketing Immersion program. Each nonprofit receives $10,000 in in-kind Google Search advertising to build and launch awareness campaigns, with student teams managing the process.
Students use AI tools to recommend keywords, refine negative keywords and write effective ad copy. As part of the course, students also earn professional certifications in Google Search Advertising, Google Measurement, and Google Display Advertising. Through this program, Purday’s students have supported more than 100 nonprofits around the world such as the Save the Children Thailand Foundation, the Humane Society of Forsyth County and the Northwest Federal Credit Union Foundation.
Purday believes that it is essential for today’s students to graduate with a strong understanding of AI, no matter what field they enter. She says experiences like this prepare students to use AI thoughtfully and strategically in their future careers.
“What we’re hearing from the industry is that if students don’t know how to ethically use AI, they’re not going to be hiring them,” she said.
Purday said while there’s still work to be done with AI, the university is definitely making progress.
“I’m proud of the steps we’ve taken in the CIC,” Purday said. “Nationally, we are leading the way in our field. We’ve made AI certifications part of the curriculum and we’re integrating AI into actual assignments, not just talking about it conceptually.” Read more about the college's AI initiatives »
Even so, she’s aware that many teachers and professors still regard AI as just a shortcut or a replacement for human emotions and creativity.
“We need to show them that AI is a tool, not a substitute for critical thinking, creativity or personal expression,” Purday said. “AI can give you a draft. It can help you brainstorm. It can assist you. It can’t write an excellent paper. Only students, humans can do that.”
Purday advocates teaching students how to write prompts and interact with different AI tools instead of banning it from the classroom.
“We need to make AI literacy part of general education and not just a “nice-to-have” skill for tech-savvy students,” she added. “Everyone, from teachers to marketers to scientists to engineers to any field, is going to need to know how to collaborate with AI. We can't avoid it, so we need to learn how to use it ethically.”
For Purday, the message is clear: Embracing technology isn’t about replacing people — it’s about elevating what they’re capable of.
Ainsley Hoffmann is a freshman from Livingston, New Jersey. She wrote this article for her Honors Writing for Mass Communications class taught by Bertram Rantin. Hoffmann is a copy editor for USC’s Garnet & Black Magazine and a proud member of the Delta Zeta sorority. She loves to travel and will be studying abroad in Spain and Portugal this summer. Hoffmann hopes to spend an entire semester abroad in the future and find a career that enables her to travel around the world.