AI Foundations micro-credential course focused on practical, ethical AI use
Applied AI lab format emphasizes productivity, ethics and accountability as workforce demand for AI fluency accelerates. Begins March 3.
Lenoir-Rhyne University will offer a new eight-week micro-credential course beginning March 3 designed to help participants and working professionals use artificial intelligence productively and responsibly in academic and workplace settings.
Applied AI Foundations: Working Productively with AI will be offered during Mini Session Two of the spring 2026 term in an on-campus, applied lab format. The course requires no prerequisites and meets once a week for hands-on instruction focused on real-world application rather than coding or technical theory. The cost of the course is $499.
Part of the university’s Applied AI Microlearning initiative, the course is designed to stack into future micro-credentials, workforce programs and potential certificate pathways.
Designed for Immediate, Usable Skills
The course follows a simple promise: every class delivers a usable AI skill. Students leave each session with a practical capability they can apply immediately in school, work or daily life. Rather than focusing on algorithms or programming, the course teaches participants to treat AI as a digital co-worker. Students learn to build AI-assisted workflows, draft and refine content, synthesize information and evaluate outputs for accuracy, bias and context.
“This isn’t a theory class about algorithms. It’s an applied lab,” said John Andrews, MBA, Alex Lee Professor of Business. “Students build a personal AI workspace, design real workflows and practice evaluating outputs for accuracy and bias. The goal is confidence through use, not abstraction.”
Throughout the course, human judgment remains central. Each applied activity includes a Human Judgment Check, where students identify what the AI did well, where it fell short and what human decision closed the loop. By the end of the course, participants will have created a persistent AI workspace and an applied workflow portfolio they can continue using beyond the classroom.
Aligning with Workforce Demand
The micro-credential launches as AI fluency becomes a core workforce skill. Recent workforce research shows that a growing majority of knowledge workers now use generative AI on the job, and many leaders report they would hesitate to hire candidates without AI skills. Studies also show measurable productivity gains when professionals use AI responsibly, particularly when human oversight remains part of the process.
“Artificial intelligence is no longer optional in the workplace,” said Craig Schrieber, Ph.D., dean of the College of Business and Economics. “Employers are looking for professionals who can work alongside AI, not be replaced by it. This micro-credential equips our students and regional workforce with practical, immediately usable skills that increase productivity while reinforcing ethical decision-making and accountability.”
Focus on Ethics and Accountability
In addition to productivity, the course addresses risk and responsible use. National reports indicate that executives cite AI hallucinations and misinformation as top concerns and that organizations increasingly require documented human oversight in AI workflows.
Students in Applied AI Foundations learn source verification, bias identification and responsible decision accountability. The course reinforces that AI outputs are drafts, not decisions, and that users remain responsible for accuracy, ethics and impact.
Applied AI Foundations requires no coding experience and focuses on non-technical but in-demand skills such as prompt design, AI-supported writing, workflow automation and AI-assisted decision support. Through hands-on labs, guided builds and peer discussion, participants complete the course with practical tools, documented workflows and the confidence to work productively alongside AI.
Registration information and additional details are available on the Applied AI Foundations course page.
