Truace
Subscribe

AI integration in Pakistan's media and communication studies curriculum

Source article: Reimagining Media Studies Education in Pakistan through Artificial Intelligence: Curriculum Integration, Competencies, and Challenges

This paper studies how artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping media studies education in Pakistan. It uses primary policy data from the Higher Education Commission (HEC), mainly the 2025 revised curriculum for Media and Communication Studies and the national decision to make AI a compulsory course, together with recent international research. The paper shows that AI has moved from the edges of the media curriculum to its centre. In the new HEC scheme, a three-credit course called “AI & Data Analytics in Media…

By the Truvace desk2 min read1 sourcePeer-reviewedTRV-2026-1772· cite & verify
Reimagining Media Studies Education in Pakistan through Artificial Intelligence: Curriculum Integration, Competencies, and Challenges
Reading Wikipedia in the Classroom for Secondary School Students 07 by James Rhoda. CC BY-SA 4.0 · https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
Trace impact readingContested
P 69The P score combines the specificity and measured human impact of the grounded problem claim with the strength of this Trace’s cited sources.

Both sides are scored from claims and sources, not community votes.

G 67The G score combines the specificity and measured human impact of the grounded gain claim with the strength of this Trace’s cited sources.

In brief

The paper examines Pakistan's 2025 revised Media and Communication Studies curriculum from the Higher Education Commission. It finds that AI has shifted from the margins to the core, with a compulsory AI course for all undergraduates, a core data journalism course, and an optional specialization in data and computational journalism.

The reform matters because it defines what future media graduates are expected to know, including how to use AI responsibly and keep human judgement central. Its success is unresolved, since the authors say the reform is so far a first step on paper and depends on implementation in classrooms.

Main points

  1. The HEC made a three-credit AI and data analytics course mandatory for every undergraduate media student.
  2. A Data Journalism course sits in the core curriculum, and a full specialization in Data and Computational Journalism is optional.
  3. Competencies drawn from UNESCO and scholars include understanding AI, using tools responsibly, reading data and algorithms, and judging AI outputs.
  4. Barriers include the digital divide, limited teacher training, academic integrity concerns, weak Urdu and regional language support, and hard-to-enforce bans.

The gain

Pakistan's Higher Education Commission has moved AI to the centre of the media curriculum, requiring every undergraduate to take a three-credit AI and data analytics course plus core data journalism.

The problem

Turning the AI curriculum into real classroom learning is hindered by weak infrastructure, limited teacher training, academic integrity worries, and poor Urdu and regional language support.

The rundown

The study relies on primary HEC policy data, chiefly the 2025 revised curriculum and the national decision to make AI compulsory, combined with recent international research on AI in education.

It uses competency frameworks from UNESCO and leading scholars to outline the knowledge, skills, and values graduates need, with ethics and human judgement kept central alongside technical skills.

The paper identifies practical obstacles to implementation and closes with recommended steps for universities, teachers, and policymakers, arguing that the move from policy to classroom practice will decide whether reform succeeds.

What this doesn’t fix

The source describes the reform mainly as policy on paper and says its success depends on implementation, so classroom outcomes are not yet demonstrated.

Sources

  1. Peer-reviewedJournal of Global Social Transformation2026-10-15

The debate