A free course from Vanderbilt University to better equip educators worldwide with GenAI skills
By Marni Baker Stein, Chief Content Officer, Coursera
Today, we are excited to launch Generative AI for University Leaders, a course from Vanderbilt University specifically designed to help universities navigate the challenges and opportunities posed by generative AI. The course is taught by Dr. Jules White, Professor of Computer Science at Vanderbilt and will feature Jeff Maggioncalda, CEO of Coursera, and Andrew Ng, Chairman of Coursera, and Mayank Shrivastava, VP of Generative AI and Foundation Models at SAP, as guest experts.
GenAI will disrupt nearly every sector, but educators could have 3x more job tasks impacted by GenAI compared to other occupations. Research from NYU, Princeton, and UPenn analyzing more than 800 jobs highlights that 11 of the top 13 jobs expected to be most impacted by GenAI will be college professors. Meanwhile, 77% of faculty at four-year institutions do not feel their university is prepared for these AI-related changes. University leaders need to acquire GenAI skills to be more effective in their own roles and empower students to succeed in a digital future.
“Generative AI for University Leaders” will help university faculty and staff:
- Understand the fundamentals of GenAI and its impact on education: This course will help university leaders build a foundational understanding of how GenAI works, including its capabilities, limitations, and broader applications. It will explore concrete use cases of GenAI in higher education and its transformative implications.
- Align curricula with employer and student needs: As GenAI reshapes businesses, the course provides insights into skills that will be in high demand and how technology impacts the job market. Learners will also engage in hands-on activities using GenAI to explore how their unique degree programs might need to be updated to succeed with employers and students.
- Learn how GenAI will enhance university operations: The course will help university leaders develop a GenAI blueprint for their universities. It covers supporting innovation on campus, GenAI’s potential to increase accessibility, and the related policy implications.
To further help university leaders uphold academic excellence in the age of AI-assisted cheating, Coursera today announced a suite of Academic Integrity features. These features, including AI-Assisted Grading, Proctoring and lockdown browser, and AI-based Viva Exams will enable campuses to help detect and deter cheating and deliver authentic learning to students while increasing the value of online assessments, courses, and certificates.
After the recent success of courses like Prompt Engineering for ChatGPT (Vanderbilt) and Navigating Generative AI: A CEO Playbook (Coursera), launching a course with Vanderbilt geared specifically toward university leaders is a natural continuation of our shared vision to prepare learners and institutions for a rapidly changing world. We are excited to see how this course will equip university leaders with the essential skills to navigate and lead in the era of GenAI.
Click here to enroll in Generative AI for University Leaders for free today.
In the coming weeks, Generative AI for University Leaders will be available in 21 languages, including Arabic, German, French, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, Indonesian Bahasa, and Thai through AI-powered translations.