IDAHO FALLS, Idaho — College of Eastern Idaho (CEI) will launch an updated English 101 course in Fall 2026 that emphasizes generative AI literacy, helping students understand, evaluate, and responsibly navigate AI tools. Making CEI one of the first institutions in Idaho to integrate this kind of instruction into its first-year composition curriculum.

With the rise of AI technologies reshaping communication and knowledge work, CEI’s English faculty are taking a proactive approach to help students understand how to use AI effectively, ethically, and responsibly in academic and professional contexts.

As a Microsoft-based institution, CEI will utilize tools such as Microsoft Copilot to support student learning. The course will help students:

• Understand what generative AI is and how it works
• Evaluate when and how AI is helpful (or not)
• Analyze AI output for accuracy, bias, and missing perspectives
• Use AI tools to support language production processes
• Maintain their own voice, judgment, and academic integrity

“By embedding this new and evolving technology into one of our core general education courses, the English faculty demonstrates their clear understanding of AI's impact on their discipline and their commitment to putting the needs of students first,” said Jacob Haeberle, Dean of General and Transfer Education at CEI.

The revised course will be piloted during CEI’s Summer 2026 term, with a full rollout planned for Fall 2026. Faculty will gather frequent student feedback during the pilot phase to refine the approach and ensure the experience supports learning outcomes.

CEI’s English faculty, including Dr. Dana Cotton, Chair of Humanities and Social Sciences, Dr. Steve Harrison, English Faculty Lead, Roger Plothow, English and Communications Instructor, and Heidi Tighe, English and Communications Instructor are helping to lead the design of the new curriculum. The team’s work aims to establish a framework that other CEI instructors can build on to address AI use across disciplines.

By integrating generative AI into English 101, CEI continues its mission to provide students with relevant, real-world skills while fostering critical thinking, digital literacy, and responsible technology use.

For more information about CEI’s General and Transfer Education programs, visit cei.edu.