Educators and Technology Leaders Explore AI Innovation Through Partnership With AWS and the Alliance for AI Transformation - aamu.edu

Educators and Technology Leaders Explore AI Innovation Through Partnership With AWS and the Alliance for AI Transformation

AAMU Hosts Inaugural Generative AI Boot Camp, Strengthening Leadership in AI Education

Alabama A&M University strengthened its role as a national leader in artificial intelligence education and workforce development by hosting its inaugural Generative AI Boot Camp in partnership with the Alliance for AI Transformation, Amazon Web Services (AWS) and AWS Machine Learning University (MLU).

Held June 23-24 at the Ernest L. Knight Center and offered in a hybrid format, the two-day program brought together approximately 150 educators, researchers, institutional leaders and information technology professionals from across the country to explore how generative artificial intelligence can transform teaching, research and workforce development.

The boot camp featured expert-led instruction from AWS Machine Learning University, AWS-MLU Fellows Dr. Kenneth Sartor and Dr. Yinshu Wu of Alabama A&M University, and the Southern Center for Broadening Participation in STEM. Participants engaged in hands-on training covering generative AI fundamentals, foundation models, large language models, responsible AI, prompt engineering, multimodal prompting and AI-powered instructional design using AWS technologies and PartyRock applications.

“AAMU was proud to host its first AI boot camp, which demonstrated our continued commitment to the use of AI and machine learning for classroom instruction, research and workforce development,” said Dr. Majed El-Dweik, vice president for research and economic development at Alabama A&M. “As AI continues to reshape industries, it is essential that universities prepare faculty, researchers and students to lead innovation responsibly.”

Alabama A&M is one of only five regional lead institutions for AWS Machine Learning University, joining Delaware State University, Howard University, City Colleges of Chicago and Oklahoma City Community College. Through the AWS Machine Learning University Educators Consortium and Transformation Alliance, AWS expands access to AI and machine learning education by providing faculty and institutional leaders with hands-on technical training, open-access curriculum and collaborative learning opportunities that help prepare the next generation of technology leaders.

Led by experts from AWS Machine Learning University, AWS-MLU Fellows at Alabama A&M and the Southern Center for Broadening Participation in STEM, the program advanced AI readiness, faculty development, ethical AI implementation and scalable institutional transformation across multiple disciplines.

Dr. Calvin Briggs, founder and president of the Southern Center for Broadening Participation in STEM, said the program was designed to strengthen institutions by preparing educators to lead AI transformation on their campuses and in their communities.

“The AWS-MLU Generative AI Boot Camp represented a critical investment in the future of higher education,” said Briggs. “Our goal was not simply to teach new technologies, but to build institutional capacity and empower faculty and other professionals to become architects of innovation across their campuses and communities.”

According to Dr. Marjorie Vela, head of strategic academic initiatives at AWS, the initiative continues to expand its national impact.

“With this boot camp, AWS-MLU has now trained more than 700 faculty members in generative AI this summer alone,” said Vela. “Every educator represents hundreds, if not thousands, of students whose learning experiences will be transformed because faculty chose to invest in themselves first. The future of higher education will be shaped by educators who are willing to learn, adapt and lead.”

As artificial intelligence continues to reshape higher education, research and the workforce, the boot camp equipped participants with practical tools to integrate AI into their disciplines, enhance student learning and prepare graduates for an AI-enabled economy.

Alabama A&M’s partnership with the Alliance for AI Transformation—a cross-sector consortium of four-year universities, community and technical colleges, K-12 school systems and workforce partners advancing AI-enabled transformation across education and workforce systems—further strengthens the University’s role in preparing students, educators and communities for an AI-driven future.

Building on the success of the inaugural boot camp, Alabama A&M and its partners will host the free hybrid AWS MLU Agentic AI Boot Camp on Tuesday, Sept. 1, and Wednesday, Sept. 2, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the AAMU Knight Center. The program will continue equipping educators, researchers and institutional leaders with practical strategies for integrating emerging AI technologies into teaching, research and workforce development.

Registration is now open for the free hybrid AWS-MLU AI Boot Camp.