Course Syllabus

ISOM 260: AI for Business • Spring 2026

01 // SCHEDULE

Session Schedule

13 sessions covering the full spectrum of AI in business.

01
Welcome to the AI Revolution
Course overview, expectations, and the landscape of AI in business today
02
How AI Actually Works
From neurons to LLMs — demystifying the technology powering the AI revolution
03
The Art of Prompt Engineering
Master the craft of communicating with AI — from techniques to API calls
04
Building AI Products + Intro to AI Agents
Ship a real product in 50 minutes, build your first AI agent, then read production code
05
Agents Meet the Real World
Real APIs, error handling, memory — take your agents from simulated toys to production-ready tools
06
Agent Patterns & Production Intelligence
ReAct reasoning, multi-agent architectures, and the patterns that separate demos from production systems
07
Knowledge Agents — RAG
Your agent is smart but doesn't know YOUR business — add company knowledge with Retrieval-Augmented Generation
08
Multi-Agent Systems in Practice
One agent is useful. A team of agents is powerful. Build pipelines, coordinate handoffs, and manage agent teams.
09
Agents for Your Industry
Pick your department. Build your agent. Apply everything you've learned to YOUR career.
10
Human-in-the-Loop & Agent Guardrails
The best agents know when to ask for help — approval gates, confidence thresholds, and production safety
11
Testing & Evaluating Agents
If you can't measure it, you can't trust it — build test suites, run evaluations, and prove your agent works
12
Final Project Workshop
From notebook to product, from prototype to pitch — teams form, scope locks, and building begins
13
Demo Day
Ship it — live demos, peer voting, and the culmination of your agentic AI journey
02 // GRADING

Grade Breakdown

Participation & In-Class Activities 15%
Weekly Homework Assignments 25%
Midterm Project 20%
Final Project & Presentation 30%
Peer Evaluation 10%
03 // POLICIES

Course Policies

Attendance

Attendance is mandatory. More than two unexcused absences will result in a grade reduction. Please notify the instructor in advance if you need to miss a class.

AI Tool Usage

AI tools (ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot, etc.) are encouraged for learning and assignments. However, you must disclose which tools you used and demonstrate understanding of the output.

Academic Integrity

All submitted work must be your own or properly attributed. Collaboration is encouraged on activities, but individual assignments must reflect individual effort.

Late Submissions

Assignments are due by the start of class. Late submissions receive a 10% penalty per day, up to 3 days. After 3 days, assignments receive zero credit.