LLM-Assisted, Iterative Curriculum Writing: A Human-Centered AI Approach in Finnish Higher Education

This paper presents a Large Language Model (LLM)-based system designed to support curriculum development, iteratively refined through extensive user testing and deployed within a major Finnish higher education institution over the past two years.Distinct from typical content generation tools, our system facilitates iterative human-AI collaboration by providing structured suggestions and analyzing course descriptions for alignment with institutional goals, accreditation requirements, and competency frameworks.We investigate how such a tool can reduce educators' cognitive load while preserving human expertise, detailing the system's technical architecture and iterative development grounded in a human-centered design approach.This involved prototyping, workshops, and user testing with curriculum coordinators and faculty across diverse departments.We present detailed findings, including quantitative metrics, qualitative feedback, and user quotes, demonstrating the system's evolving reception and potential to support complex educational planning tasks.