Generative AI as an Instructional Design Tool: Visualizing Management Information Systems Concepts Through Microsoft Copilot Infographics

Abstract

Management Information Systems courses introduce interconnected technical and organizational concepts that can be difficult to communicate through text-heavy materials alone. This descriptive teaching case documents a semester-long visual learning ecosystem created with Microsoft Copilot for an undergraduate MIS course. The ecosystem included 20 chapter billboards, approximately 20 post-quiz answer infographics, approximately 50 focused concept posters, and more than 200 company-selection infographics. Chapter reading and quizzes accounted for 50% of the course grade. After each quiz, an instructor-reviewed answer infographic was released. Copilot-generated quiz infographics contained between zero and three incorrect answers, requiring item-level verification. When errors were present, students used discussion boards to identify and discuss incorrect AI responses. The remaining 50% of the course grade consisted of a company-analysis term paper supported by more than 200 company infographics. Grounded in multimedia learning, dual coding, and cognitive load theories, the case demonstrates course-wide production and deployment feasibility. It also shows how AI errors can be repurposed as prompts for critical analysis. Because no student-outcome data were collected, the paper reports instructional implementation and practitioner observations rather than causal effects on engagement or learning.