Faculty Success Initiative · September 30, 2026

Using GenAI to Create Custom Cases, Simulations, and Course Resources

Dr. Jose Mendoza Academic Director and Clinical Associate Professor
MS in Integrated Marketing, NYU SPS
01 · The faculty problem

The company data problem

The resource we need for an assignment often does not exist in a usable form.

  • Companies cannot share sensitive data.
  • Public cases may be dated or overly polished.
  • Available materials rarely match our learning outcomes.
  • Individual exhibits may contradict one another.
02 · The opportunity

GenAI can help faculty build the company they need for the learning experience they designed.

The objective is not more content. It is better instructional conditions: relevant evidence, credible decisions, and aligned resources.

03 · Types of custom learning resources

One learning need can become many types of resources

Course-specific learning need
Case studiesNarratives, exhibits, evidence, and consequential decisions.
SimulationsRoles, changing conditions, feedback, and decision consequences.
Data & exhibitsDatasets, market reports, dashboards, and research stimuli.
Activities & rubricsPractice tasks, graded work, criteria, and feedback structures.
Teaching materialsSlides, guides, visuals, examples, and supporting resources.
04 · The Consumer Behavior example
PITH

A fictional brand. A real research experience.

PITH was created for a semester-long Consumer Research Project—not as a branding exercise.

Four PITH functional beverage bottles: Focus, Calm, Social, and Green
05 · The process I followed

After determining the need, I followed eight connected steps

01

Add course context

Provide the syllabus, course description, policies, schedule, and existing assessments.

02

Add learning outcomes

Define what students should learn and the evidence they should produce.

03

Build the brand story

Define purpose, audience, voice, promise, and the organizing idea.

04

Build the brand case

Establish the context, problem, research questions, and decision.

05

Build the brand elements

Create identity, packaging, labels, product imagery, and campaign assets.

06

Develop instructional materials

Create research context, project briefs, teaching resources, and stimuli.

07

Develop activities and rubrics

Align deliverables, milestones, research requirements, and evaluation criteria.

08

Iterate

Check coherence, clarify boundaries, refine the resources, and improve the experience.

06 · Consistent resources

From brand guide to research stimuli

The same positioning, language, hierarchy, and visual codes carry across every student-facing resource.

PITH brand system board with logos, colors, packaging, social media, and campaign examples
07 · The Consumer Research Project

Students investigate the brand—not merely admire it

  • Synthesize secondary market research
  • Conduct at least one focus group
  • Complete semi-structured interviews
  • Connect evidence to consumer-behavior theory
PITH campaign system with product lineup, social media, retail display, cooler graphic, and sampling table
08 · Bound the evidence

A credible case also defines what students cannot conclude

Students may evaluate

  • Brand concept and story
  • Visual identity and product architecture
  • Packaging, labels, and communications
  • Relevance, credibility, and perceived value

Students may not claim

  • Taste or mouthfeel
  • Product efficacy or health effects
  • Repeat purchase
  • Market demand from a qualitative sample
09 · Companion resources

Four prompts reproduce the workflow

PROMPT 01

Brand Story + Case

Creates the brand foundation, unresolved student case, platform, and instructor note.

01_PITH_Brand_Story_Prompt.docx
PROMPT 02

Brand Elements

Creates the identity, product system, labels, campaign assets, and student brand book.

02_PITH_Brand_Elements_Prompt.docx
PROMPT 03

Class Resources

Creates Brightspace lessons, teaching slides, exercises, research tools, and stimuli.

03_PITH_Class_Resources_Prompt.docx
PROMPT 04

Graded Activities

Creates the project brief, staged work, assessment map, activities, and analytic rubrics.

04_PITH_Graded_Activities_Prompt.docx
10 · Add course context

First, give the AI the course context

Attach or paste
  • Course syllabus and description
  • Course learning outcomes
  • Weekly topics and sequence
  • Existing assignments and rubrics
  • Policies, constraints, and deadlines
Prompt: Build the course context brief 
You are helping me design a custom instructional case and resource set for [COURSE]. Use the attached syllabus as the authoritative source.

Extract and summarize:
1. Course purpose and learner level
2. Stated course learning outcomes
3. Relevant topics and weekly sequence
4. Existing assessments, weights, and deadlines
5. Policies and constraints that must be preserved
6. Gaps or ambiguities requiring instructor review

Do not create or change course policy. Distinguish source facts from recommendations. Before generating any materials, return a concise course-context brief and a short list of questions for me.
11 · Add learning outcomes

Then, define what the entire activity should teach

Each outcome should specify
  • What students will do
  • The concept or skill they will apply
  • The evidence they will produce
  • The course outcome it supports
  • How performance will be assessed
Prompt: Define the activity learning outcomes 
Using the approved course-context brief, propose 3–5 measurable learning outcomes for the complete case and resource activity.

Each outcome must state what students will do, the course concept or skill they will apply, and the evidence they will produce. Align every activity outcome with an existing course learning outcome.

Prioritize analysis, interpretation, decision-making, and evidence-based recommendations. Do not add outcomes the activity cannot realistically assess.

Return a table with four columns:
Activity Learning Outcome | Course Outcome | Student Evidence | Assessment Criterion

Flag every proposed outcome for instructor approval before continuing.
12 · Build the specification
Ready-to-use GenAI specification

          

        

      


      

        
13 · Faculty oversight

        

          
Generation is the beginning of the work

          

            
Alignment
Does every artifact support the intended learning outcome and decision?

            
Consistency
Do names, dates, numbers, claims, and constraints agree across materials?

            
Accuracy
Are calculations, citations, concepts, and disciplinary details defensible?

            
Boundaries
What may students infer, and what remains outside the evidence?

            
Disclosure
What is synthetic, adapted, or provided only for educational purposes?

            
Access
Are the materials readable, navigable, inclusive, and appropriately challenging?

          

        

      


      

        
14 · Keep measurement feasible

        

          
A practical four-part measurement plan

          

            
01Use one rubric criterionTie it directly to the targeted learning outcome.

            
02Ask three student questionsClarity, realism, and contribution to learning.

            
03Keep a faculty logRecord confusion, errors, time, and needed revisions.

            
04Compare and iterateUse a prior assignment or the next course section as a baseline.

          

        

      


      

        
15 · Closing recommendation

        

          
Start small

          

            
01Add Course Context

            
02Add Learning Outcomes

            
03Build the Brand Story

            
04Build the Brand Case

          

          
Dr. Jose Mendoza · Faculty Success Initiative
fsi.jose-mendoza.com

        

      

    

  


  
  
  
  
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