A pilot for development of delivery formats and financing models for master level AI-courses for professionals

Purpose and goal

The purpose has been to produce short courses that satisfy professionals´ knowledge needs in the AI area, and meet their need for a balance between work and leisure. Three courses have been developed and given for 239 participants. The courses are at the basic level, in accordance with the identified need, and have the overall format with recorded material, which provides great accessibility, in combination with online meetings, to provide opportunities for good interaction with teachers and participants that can support learning. The courses have received positive reviews.

Expected results and effects

The educational format for the courses that have been developed in the project complements the already existing formats and has thus contributed to a development of lifelong learning at Chalmers. The project has contributed to lessons learned about the process for developing courses where collaboration between higher education institutions and need owners is an important component for the development of relevant and accessible courses. The evaluation shows examples from participants where knowledge from the courses has been able to be put into practice in the workplace.

Planned approach and implementation

Collaboration between need owners and teachers has been crucial in order to develop courses with relevant content and accessible format for professionals. A follow-up interview with participants approximately three months after the end of a course has provided examples of the participants´ opportunity to implement course content in their work. The participants have applied for the courses to a very large extent on their own initiative and not on behalf of their employers. Accessibility has been facilitated by that the courses have been short, free of charge and given at a distance.