The University of Arkansas at Little Rock has launched three courses as part of its extended education program, designed to teach Arkansans how to utilize AI tools in both business and personal life.
Marla Johnson, UA Little Rock’s technology entrepreneur-in-residence, spearheaded the addition of these classes to the college. Her background includes a degree in education and experience starting businesses that were on the cutting edge of technology, including Aristotle, Inc.
After founding Aristotle, the state’s first Internet services provider, in 1995, she began teaching workshops on the basics of using the Internet, such as how to browse the web and send an email. After coming to UA Little Rock, she decided she wanted to start doing something similar for a new emerging technology — AI.
“There is a huge need, a huge drive, a huge demand for education about AI,” she said.
The three new courses are the following: Supercharge Your Marketing Strategy with AI, Basics of AI for Better Living and Customized AI Solutions for Business.
The Supercharge Your Marketing course focuses on teaching entrepreneurs and business owners how to utilize AI.
“It’s going to be imperative for their business success, but also their quality of life that they learn and understand how to use these AI tools so that they can be competitive,” Johnson said.
She said that there are a lot of interesting and successful business people in these classes right now, including a person who manages a federal grant, a woman who runs a coworking space and a woman recovering from a brain tumor that left her mostly blind and is trying to rebuild her career in marketing using AI tools.
In addition to the success of that class, the Basics of AI for Better Living class saw about 20 students from all walks of life for its first meeting. The next Basics of AI class will be offered Oct. 17.
The class is a one-and-a-half-hour class that is going to be offered monthly to the public.
“It’s designed to be fun and un-intimidating,” she said.
Finally, there is a customized AI Solutions for Business class, which tailors training to each company and its needs. This class helps organizations build their own AI-driven tools. You can schedule a free consultation by contacting Johnson at mkjohnson@ualr.edu.
Johnson recognizes the fears people may have around AI, but hopes education can help.
“That’s a lot of what’s driving me is to give people the tools that they need so that they can confidently use AI and not stumble into sharing information in a chatbot that they shouldn’t,” she said.
You can find more information and register for courses by visiting the UA Little Rock extended education website.
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