NEWBERG, Ore. — George Fox University has launched two free, self-paced online courses intended to teach students and the public how to use artificial intelligence, combining technical instruction with a Christian ethical framework, according to a university announcement.
“Our university has a strategic vision that we come up with each year,” said Brian Doak, the university’s vice president of digital programs and academic innovation. “One of these is to make sure that our students understand the kind of workforce skills that are needed to thrive in an AI world, and to make sure our faculty know how to use these tools as well.”
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The two courses, AI Basics: Fluency & Discernment and AI Advanced: Leadership & Wisdom, are delivered through the university’s online learning platform. Each course consists of five modules, each about an hour long, that include a video presentation, an automated quiz, hands-on learning activities, and supplemental resources.
The AI Basics course, Doak said, serves as a high-level overview of AI that starts with explaining the pathway our culture took to get to AI, the developments and technological leaps over the past few years, the businesses creating the technology, how to identify AI errors and hallucinations, and the technology at a base level.
“This is a powerful and actually, a strange technology,” Doak said. “We created our AI basics course precisely for people in that position.”
The AI Advanced course focuses on practical applications, guiding users from basic prompting to automation, AI agents, customization, and change management.
Both courses dedicate part of their modules to understanding the broader impact of AI usage in society, ranging from environmental strain to plagiarism to labor reduction. This comes as AI usage is increasing around the world and in the U.S., along with AI hesitancy. According to the AI Index Public Opinion Report published in 2026, 64% of U.S. adults say AI will lead to fewer jobs over the next 20 years, versus 5% who believe it will lead to more jobs.
Doak said it is partially the university’s job to prepare students for the workforce that awaits them after graduation. Being fluent in AI tools is now a marketable skill, and completing the course will earn students a certificate they can add to their résumés or LinkedIn profiles. According to a National Association of Colleges and Employers report published in April 2026, employers surveyed said 35% of entry-level jobs now require AI skills, up from 13% in 2025.
“Part of our mission is ‘Students First,'” Doak said. “What do our students need to know to be successful? Whether they choose to use AI a lot or not, it is an increasingly important skill for our workforce.”
The courses examine the use of AI through a Christian lens, but Doak said they are not exclusively for those of the Christian faith.
“By no means is this course limited to people with our faith perspective,” Doak said. “We think it would also be compatible with people from other faith perspectives … or people who are interested in hearing what it might be like to have an interaction with this from some ethical framework.”
After each module, users take a short quiz to reinforce the material.
The courses do not carry university academic credit. Participants who complete all five modules receive a Certificate of Completion from George Fox that can be added to a résumé or LinkedIn profile, according to the university. All instructors are George Fox faculty and executive leaders, according to the university’s course page.
Registration for both courses is open through the university’s course catalog. To enroll, participants create an account, verify their email, and set a password before beginning coursework, according to the university’s registration page. Course details and registration links are available at georgefox.edu/certificates/ai.html.
