Instructors can explore using certificate content in their courses or enroll for personal professional development

Sean Corp, Communications Lead

All current University of Michigan faculty across the Ann Arbor, Dearborn, and Flint campuses can now access Google Career Certificates and Essentials courses at no cost. 

In May, the Center for Academic Innovation and Google announced an agreement that allowed more than 65,000 students enrolled at all three campuses no-cost access to the Google-created credentials covering in-demand skills in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, data analytics, digital marketing, UX design, and project management. 

Almost immediately after the access for students began, center leadership started to hear from instructors throughout U-M who were interested in accessing the materials for potential integration into their courses, said James DeVaney, the founding executive director of the center. 

“When we announced free access for students, the reaction was extremely positive from within the instructor community. And almost immediately, we had faculty from Dearborn, Flint, and Ann Arbor asking if there was any way they could integrate these within their courses,” said DeVaney, who also serves as a special advisor to the president and the associate vice provost for academic innovation at U-M. 

When the immediate interest from faculty across the three campuses became clear, the center contacted Google to develop a new agreement that would extend the partnership to faculty at no cost. 

Instructors are able to explore opportunities to share certificate content with students as supplemental material to reinforce course concepts, integrate content directly into the curriculum, or enroll in a certificate for their own professional development. 

To gain access, faculty must fill out an online form. Once the request is processed, staff from the center will email an enrollment link. All requests will be processed within three business days. 

Any instructors hoping to integrate Google Career Certificate content into their curriculum should direct students to Michigan Online, where they can use their U-M credentials for free access. Instructors may also request a template of written directions from the center that helps guide students through the process. 

Google Career Certificates included in this program have received credit recommendations from the American Council on Education (ACE) of between 6 and 15 college credits. Faculty interested in exploring this option can contact the Center for Academic Innovation, which has staff available to advise on the considerations for integrating these certificates as credit-eligible options within their curriculum.

These certificates join more than 280 open online courses taught by Michigan faculty available at no cost to students, faculty, staff, and alumni on Michigan Online. Additionally, all students, faculty, and staff have free access to more than 4,000 online courses and learning opportunities from other institutions via the Michigan X Coursera program.