Artificial Intelligence Cloud Solutions Strategy

The UBC Micro-certificate in Artificial Intelligence Cloud Solutions Strategy provides you with the knowledge and hands-on experience to feel confident planning and implementing AI cloud solutions for your organization’s technology infrastructure.

Come away with a practical understanding of the technical, business, societal and ethical implications of AI solutions for cloud services and the ability to make informed decisions to upgrade your organization’s technology infrastructure.

By the end of this program, you’ll be able to:

• understand the fundamentals of AI and cloud computing and their impact on businesses
• evaluate commercially available solutions and use ready-made, purpose-built AI cloud services or your own models with Machine Learning (ML) cloud services and understand the AI and ML market and its key players
• design and develop a framework for implementing AI strategies within cloud services to improve operational efficiency, customer experiences and business outcomes
• identify the four basic categories of AI services: prediction, structured data, unstructured data and neural networks
• understand the cost-benefit analysis of AI cloud solutions and how to make the best use of your investment
• assess and choose the right infrastructure for high-performance and low-cost instances optimized for ML

Technical and coding skills are not required to take this program. It is designed to accommodate professionals in non-technical or tech-adjacent roles, including:

• leaders and professionals, from business and operational managers, owners and CEOs, and digital transformation leads to business intelligence and financial teams, who are currently using or considering a cloud service and planning to integrate AI
• experienced and established professionals looking to keep pace with ever-evolving technology, enhance their practical skills and accelerate career growth

Tech consultants, UI/UX designers and a variety of architect roles can also benefit from the knowledge and skills offered in this program.

Each course costs $950. The total cost of the program is $1,900.

All fees are in Canadian dollars and subject to change. Fees are subject to GST where applicable. Fees may be paid by Visa®, Visa® Debit, Mastercard®, American Express®, money order or certified cheque.

For details on financial support options, please see Financial Assistance.

For details on UBC’s payment policies, please see Refunds, Cancellations and Transfers.

This micro-certificate program consists of two courses of four weeks each. Combined, the courses take approximately 55 hours to complete. Learners can choose between two distinct pathways to earn the micro-certificate. To complete the program, you must finish two courses within one of the following learning pathways.

Once completed, the UBC Micro-certificate in Artificial Intelligence Cloud Solutions Strategy can be applied towards a 190-hour Senate-approved vendor-agnostic UBC Cloud and Technology Transformation Certificate program.

This part-time 100% online program is instructor supported with real-time classes combined with independent study. Real-time classes are recorded in case you miss one.

Outside of class, you can access online materials when it suits your schedule. Each week, you’ll have an opportunity to review readings and videos, apply your knowledge in exercises and case studies, contribute to a discussion board and connect with other students.

Expected effort

Expect to spend approximately five to seven hours a week completing all learning activities, including attending the real-time online classes.

Technology requirements

To take this program, you need access to:

• an email account
• a computer, laptop or tablet, using Windows or macOS
• the latest version of a web browser (or previous major version release)
• a reliable internet connection
• a video camera and microphone

Assessment

You are assessed on successfully completing weekly activities, including your contributions to discussion posts and applied case study projects (based on real-life scenarios). These activities are marked using a proficiency scale. Your instructor also provides you with informal feedback in the real-time classes.

While you are not assessed on your attendance of the real-time sessions, we encourage you to attend as they offer an opportunity to learn and interact with your instructor and other participants. All sessions are recorded in case you miss one.

Our program instructors are experts with extensive industry and adult education experience.

Ricardo Trujeque, Course Author and Instructor, is a versatile entrepreneur and passionate educator whose 20-year career intersects technology, communications and education. Ricardo focuses on next-generation educational content and experiences. He has co-founded several software as a service (SaaS) companies that span digital media content distribution, marketing automation, language assessment, disaster resilience assessment and, currently, immersive environments for training and education.

Lawrence McDaniel, Course Instructor, is a full-stack web developer and business analyst with expertise in financial modelling, analytics, machine learning and big data. He holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of North Texas with majors in computer science and mathematics, and minors in physics and English.