Created to meet rising demand for accessible, workforce-ready AI education, the certificate stands out for its hands-on format. Participants don’t simply learn about AI, they build a toolkit they can use right away, including prompt libraries and practical workflows tailored to their roles. The program culminates with a capstone presentation, where participants demonstrate an AI solution such as a chatbot, automated workflow or AI-enhanced process.

The course was designed and is taught by a team of instructors: Mustafa Akben, Rebecca Macy and Scott Oakes. Mustafa Akben, director of artificial intelligence integration, said the course is structured to move learners from curiosity to confident implementation.

“We designed our program to be deeply hands-on so that participants can start applying what they have learned from day one,” Akben said. “By the time they finish, they have both studied the theoretical foundations of AI and built a functional tool that is immediately implementable in their specific professional context.”

For alumni participants, the inaugural cohort offered a mix of technical skill-building and a mindset shift — seeing AI as a strategic partner rather than an intimidating unknown. Kenisha Walton ’99 said the experience helped her realize she could “do” AI and treat it as a strategic partner. Kenneth Page Jr. G’06 said he was surprised by “the bottlenecks that can be solved” through automation. Tracey Campbell ’99 called the program “game changing,” noting it helped her work more efficiently day to day. Haydn Stucker ’23 said the class helped him shape ideas into “realistic applications.”

The certificate is taught by ������Ƶ faculty with expertise in AI and its real-world applications, creating an environment that fosters discussion, peer learning and ongoing connection.

“Teaching AI to ������Ƶ alumni through ������Ƶ NEXT is especially meaningful to me as both an ������Ƶ alum and a faculty member in the Love School of Business,” said Scott Oakes, assistant teaching professor of management. “Bringing practical AI into real business contexts for fellow alumni feels like a true full-circle moment.”

While the program emphasizes practical skill building, it also reflects ������Ƶ’s broader approach to learning, which is high-touch, community-driven and designed for real-world relevance.

“We wanted participants to feel supported as they explored AI in ways relevant to their own contexts,” said Kristin Walker, associate director of professional and continuing studies. “Hearing them describe leaving with deeper understanding, practical tools, renewed confidence and a sense of momentum was exciting to see.”

Offered through , a program of the Office of Professional and Continuing Studies, the certificate reflects ������Ƶ’s commitment to meeting the emerging needs of the modern workforce while creating learning pathways that remain accessible to busy professionals. The inaugural cohort marks an important milestone in this work, with future cohorts planned.

Discover upcoming opportunities to deepen your AI skills with ������Ƶ NEXT.

The course, taught by Marna Winter and Evan Small, invited educators from across the region to re-examine their own teaching practices. Throughout the hybrid course hosted both in-person on ������Ƶ’s campus and online, participants explored a facilitative teaching approach and how this model can be used to create powerful, relationship-driven, community-based learning environments.

“Facilitative teaching actually makes my work feel like less of a burden,” said a course participant, a testament to the power of an educator’s role of employing facilitation practices in learning environments.

The course introduced participants to the behaviors, actions and mindsets of facilitative teaching as another option for them to consider in their teaching practice. Participants in the course ranged from K-12 educators, university professors and educators who work in informal or nonprofit settings. Course content asked them to reflect on their teaching practice and explore ways to infuse student agency, risk, and choice into their pedagogy. 

“This course utilized a parallel process model, employing facilitative pedagogies as theoretical design while also modeling facilitative teaching strategies for the participants that they could use in their own classes,” said Small. “One of our goals was to establish a supportive community where participants felt free to challenge their own practices and experiment with new teaching strategies.”

Participants developed facilitative teaching strategies for their own educational settings, implemented the activities, and then reflected on this process.

“It was uncomfortable to resist the urge to intervene too much,” said one participant. “I’m used to guiding the class more directly, so stepping back and letting them struggle or figure things out independently took some getting used to.”

This ability to step back and allow students to develop autonomy and the ability to co-create their own learning is a key aspect of facilitative teaching.

The course ended with a capstone experience in which learners thought about how they would incorporate facilitative teaching practices in their profession.

“The class community was evident during the capstone experience teach-backs as we observed the participants supporting and guiding one another in reflecting on their own practices; a testament to facilitating teaching in practice,” said Winter. “Moving forward, we hope that participants take these skills and apply them into their own contexts to change teaching and learning practices.”

About ������Ƶ NEXT: Professional and Continuing Education: Over 30 courses and certificates are open for enrollment, with programming offered in-person and online, synchronously and on-demand. and view upcoming offerings.

The initiative arose from ������Ƶ’s Multifaith Strategic Plan, which called on the university to develop “opportunities for employees, alumni, adult, and professional learners to develop religious literacy competencies.” When CSRCS Director Brian Pennington went to look at how other DEI and bias training programs might have developed effective ways of offering those opportunities, he discovered that “few, it seems, had thought of religious diversity in the workplace as a professional or human resources issue worthy of attention in its own right.”

When he took that discovery to Jack Rodenfels, director of professional and continuing studies at ������Ƶ, they agreed that ������Ƶ was well-positioned to fill that gap. This fall, ������ƵNext released , an online training course addressing the need and importance of understanding and respecting diverse faith perspectives in today’s workplace.

According to Pennington, the real talent behind the course, however, was Helen Orr, assistant professor of religious studies, who wrote the scripts for the course and developed the supporting materials and activities. Orr is the online course instructor, leading the trainee through modules on dress and diet in the workplace, the workplace calendar, conflict in the workplace and stereotypes. Video Producer Andrew Bacon and Instructional Technologist Becky Kloepfer provided technical support and guidance.

Thanks to their work, professionals around the country will now have an opportunity to gain valuable insights and skills that enhance their understanding of cultural and spiritual diversity, preparing them to engage confidently with religious diversity in their work environments.

In spring 2019, the Office of Alumni Engagement launched , a digital platform that allows alumni to engage in learning sessions, serve as mentors in their industries and connect with the growing alumni professional network.

“Meaningful connections are often made through our regional alumni chapters’ programming,” says Brian Feeley, assistant vice president for annual giving and alumni engagement. “But as the national and international footprint of our alumni body continues to grow, it is more important than ever to provide on-demand digital opportunities for alumni to network and share knowledge with each other.”

Beyond alumni, there is also a desire to offer ������Ƶ parents and grandparents, as well as residents and other friends of the university, opportunities to formally engage intellectually and professionally with each other and the university. With this in mind, Martha and Spencer Love School of Business faculty member Haya Ajjan began to look at efforts that were underway across the university. She already had considerable experience with business partners as director of ������Ƶ’s Center for Organizational Analytics.

Working with a variety of departments, she coordinated the launch of , which started offering a rotating set of learning modules in spring 2020 that give people the chance to gain new skills, explore new fields, advance or change their career paths, and be engaged with passionate teachers. “We know that through our programs, participants will build lasting relationships with faculty and classmates that could help them uncover new opportunities in their careers,” says Ajjan, who chairs ������Ƶ’s Innovation Council.

Classes range from data visualization using Tableau to public speaking and personal branding, to certificate programs for women in business and Agile project management. A trip to Asia as part of the course offerings is also in the works.

“We are keen to offer educational programs tailored to our participants’ needs, whether their goal is to enrich their personal skills or to advance their organization capabilities,” Ajjan says.

With success in its pilot phase, ������Ƶ NEXT is set for continued growth as described in Boldly ������Ƶ. A full-time director for professional advancement and continuing education will join the university this year, providing leadership that will establish ������Ƶ NEXT as the umbrella for a wide range of continuing learning programs.

Jeff Stein, vice president for strategic initiatives and partnerships, says this will include offerings by the alumni office, the Life@������Ƶ learning program for area residents over the age of 50, the Collegiate Start program for local high school students, and programs that serve students, faculty and staff, including the Office of Leadership and Professional Development and the Student Professional Development Center.

Stein expects the ������Ƶ NEXT programs will continue to grow. “These days there are lots of options for gaining knowledge and skills, but lifelong learning through ������Ƶ is about much more than that,” he says. “You can have confidence in the accuracy of the material, the opportunity to interact with a teacher who knows you and adapts to your needs, and the joy of learning alongside other members of the ������Ƶ community.”