To keep abreast with the demand for workers with AI skills Coursera has updated existing courses in its catalog from Google and IBM and included new ones from Microsoft to teach GenAI skills. They are all covered by a Coursera Plus subscription, which currently has a Save 30% offer for new subscriptions.

Marni Baker Stein, Coursera's Chief Content Officer, announced 20 new and upgraded GenAI-related Professional Certificates and Specializations. Her blog post coincided with Coursera Connect 2024, its annual flagship conference. This took place last week with a specific focus on how generative AI is transforming both work and learning. To know more here's the keynote given by Jeff Maggioncalda, Coursera's CEO.  

One point made in the keynote was:

and the blog post also reported that 66% of leaders wouldn’t hire someone without AI skills and also referred to a study from the University of Toronto that revealed that more than half of people globally aren’t sure how ChatGPT is useful to their work. 

Coursera's new and updated courses, which lead to Professional Certificates or Specialization microcredentials address both these issues. We have already reported on the Google and IBM offerings that have been updated, see Generative AI Training For All On Coursera and Google AI Training on Udacity and Coursera.

New offerings come from Microsoft with five Specializations all focused on Copilot. The first in the list, Microsoft Copilot: Your Everyday AI Companion Specialization is at Beginner level. Learners can complete it within a month if they devote 10 hours per week to it. It comprises three course, the first of which is  Introduction to Microsoft Copilot requiring 6 hou rs. As explained in the  blurb for the first module, Unlock AI with Copilot:

In this introductory course, you'll embark on a journey into the world of generative AI and Microsoft Copilot. We'll demystify the concepts behind this transformative technology, exploring its potential and limitations. You'll gain a clear understanding of what generative AI is, how it works, and the diverse range of tasks it can perform. You'll be introduced to the specific capabilities of Copilot within the Microsoft 365 and Dynamics 365 ecosystems. We'll showcase how Copilot harnesses the power of AI and machine learning to revolutionize your productivity across various applications. From automating mundane tasks to generating creative content, you'll discover the myriad ways Copilot can enhance your workflow.

This module, which is estimated to take an hour to complete comprises 8 videos, 5 readings and 1 assignments.

The second module, Take Advantage of Microsoft Copilot, takes 3 hours to complete and has 15 videos, 8 readings and 2 assignments and the third, Engineer your prompts to get the most out of Microsoft Copilot, takes 2 hours to complete and has 5 videos, 2 readings, 3 assignments and 1 Peer Review.

The other two courses in this Specialization are Applications of Copilot in the Workplace, requiring 5 hours and Copilot Best Practices, Ethics and Regulatory Implications, another 5 hours.

The next new Specialization is Microsoft Copilot for Data Science and while it too is at beginner level with three modules totalling 21 hours of effort, it has a very different emphasis. It explains its rationale in its first course with:

According to a 2023 Gartner study, 67% of mature organizations are creating new roles fo GenAI and 87% of these organizations have a dedicated AI team. Copilot for Data Science is tailored to help existing and aspiring data scientists prepare for these roles, through a robust specialization designed to integrate Generative AI (GenAI) into everyday data science practices.

The first course is Generative AI for Data Science with Copilot, and its blurb states:

This course provides a comprehensive introduction to Generative AI in data science. You'll explore the foundational concepts of generative AI, including GANs, VAEs, and Transformers, and discover how Microsoft Copilot leverages these models to streamline data science workflows.

Its three modules are:

•  Foundations of generative AI and Microsoft Copilot (2 hrs)
• Generative AI use cases in data science with Copilot (1 hr)
• Data security and privacy in generative AI (2 hrs)

Its other two courses are Data Preparation and Evaluation with Copilot, requiring 7 hours and Data Analysis, Visualization, and Communication with Copilot, 6 hours.

Three new Specializations expected to launch on September 30. Two of them, at Beginner Level look at using Copilot for Marketing and Sales respectively while the one that is relevant to programmers is Microsoft Copilot for Software Development Specialization. This is at Intermediate Level with four modules and is estimated to require 1 month at 5 hours per week. The course blurb claims that it enables you to:

• Master the art of coding with Copilot: Learn to code faster, smarter, and more efficiently.
• Build amazing applications with AI as your co-pilot: Create innovative software with GitHub Copilot.
• Understand the basics of generative AI and the fundamentals of AI in business.
• Revolutionize your development process: Optimize code reviews, documentation, and project planning with Copilot. 

Its four courses are:

Introduction to Generative AI for Developers With Copilot (4 hrs)

Introduction to GitHub Copilot (3hrs)

GitHub Copilot for Project Management (3hrs)

Optimizing Your Workflow with GitHub Copilot and VS Code (20hrs) 

The final course has two modules with 4 hours devoted to the first, Building an Application using GitHub Copilot with VS Code and 16 hours to Advanced Practical Coding Applications of GitHub Copilot. All these Specializations are covered by the Coursera Plus Subscription which means that you can pick and mix what you want to study, go at your own pace, and earn certificates for all the courses you successfully complete

The offer that Coursera currently has on offer gives 30% discount on a Coursera and is until September 30th

More Information 

Microsoft Copilot: Your Everyday AI Companion Specialization

Introduction to Microsoft Copilot

Applications of Copilot in the Workplace

Copilot Best Practices, Ethics and Regulatory Implications

Microsoft Copilot for Software Development Specialization

Generative AI for Data Science with Copilot

Microsoft Copilot for Software Development Specialization 

Introduction to Generative AI for Developers With Copilot 

Related Articles

Coursera Plus For A Year's Worth Of Study

Generative AI Training For All On Coursera

Google AI Training on Udacity and Coursera.

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