Classes & certificates

The world now recognizes mental health as a critical workplace issue. WHO, ILO, and ISO have developed standards to address psychological risks. This session explores the global shift and the 3 pillars of psychological health and safety to foster innovation, resilience and prevent burnout.

The messages we process internally often impact how we communicate with the world around us. This course helps individuals understand their inner voice, the types and forms of intrapersonal communication and the tools for successfully using this skill in personal and professional environments.

Master the skills necessary to communicate effectively with internal and external audiences in today's professional environment. Learn techniques of document structure, grammar and style proven to enhance credibility and influence. Learn credibility-damaging errors and tips for avoiding them.

In the era of AI, your unique value is your greatest asset. Uncover the talents that energize you with the CliftonStrengths assessment and learn to lead with intention in the modern workplace. Transition from simply working to contributing at your peak.

Learn to handle difficult conversations at work and to listen and be assertive without weakening relationships. Better understand the complex nature of interpersonal communication and explore why misunderstanding is so normal. Apply the skills learned to conflict resolution and give performance feedback.

Explore leadership characteristics and ways to strengthen your organization and support others' work. Learn about different leadership styles, public perceptions of leadership by sector and servant-leadership basics. Develop a personal leadership philosophy that contributes to your mission.

Neurodiversity reflects the natural variation in human minds and how people interact with the world differently as a result. In the workplace, building awareness for how neurodivergence appears within it is the first step towards realizing the innovation and creativity a supported team can generate.

Mentorship provides a powerful tool for personal and professional development for both the mentor and the mentee. Take this course to understand the role mentorship can play in creating connection and empowering your team.

Develop a deep understanding of what it means to "serve first" as a leader and explore your relationship to this ideal. Go beyond the philosophy and learn the practices and behaviors that embody this leadership style — and how you can integrate it to your own.

Project Management for Everyone is designed to offer a gradual and effective introduction to core project management principles. Establish an understanding of foundational knowledge, concepts and tools related to project management. This course is ideal for individuals with little to no prior experience in project management or those seeking additional reinforcement before progressing to "Fundamentals of Project Management."

The purpose of this final step in the Project Management (PM) Certificate is to give learners an opportunity to individually discuss their personal goals for applying best practices and skills of project management, to review important aspects of managing projects, to ask questions to further their learning and to demonstrate that they have achieved at least a basic level of understanding of project management.

Psychological health and safety at work is a risk management approach to helping humans be and do their best within your organization. Join us for this course preview webinar on "Psychological Health and Safety at Work."

Intentional, strategic, and constructive mentoring can be a powerful tool for building a greater sense of belonging and engagement at work. Learn the fundamentals of being a good mentor through the research and the storytelling and interactions with your learning community.

Learn how to ethically assess and strategically implement AI solutions that enhance your organization's mission. Gain practical skills in using AI tools for tasks like grant writing and impact reporting. Develop sustainable AI practices that prioritize and serve your organization's values.

The ability to present information with impact, persuasion and clarity is important to your career trajectory. This course equips you with the skills needed to present confidently, whether formal or informal, virtual or in-person.

A key challenge for today's leaders is helping employees to understand the need for change. They must help employees discover new ways of working and embracing these new ideas. We explore strategies for communicating the need for change and building employee commitment to that change.

We're seeing more organizations with employees who work from home, live in other states and often live in other countries. "Lead from a distance" by understanding the challenges and best practices. Build trust, navigate conflict, make decisions and conduct engaging meetings with virtual staff.

Communication across cultures often breaks down due to basic cultural differences that are misunderstood and frequently invisible. We introduce you to tools that enable you to identify and understand cultural differences and lay a foundation for strong cultural competency, domestically and globally.

Please join us for this free webinar, which previews our upcoming course, Mastering Modern Presentation Skills, offered online this spring through UW–Madison Continuing Studies.

Please join us for this free webinar, which previews our upcoming course, Design Thinking for Innovative Problem Solving, offered online this winter through UW–Madison Continuing Studies. What you'll learn Design thinking is a powerful and people-centered approach to solving complex challenges. In this preview webinar, we will introduce the five stages of the design thinking process and share how this method helps professionals (not just designers) drive creativity and innovation in real-world scenarios. You will also participate in a brief, interactive, fun activity to get a glimpse of the full course content. Learning Objectives Identify the five modes of the human-centered design thinking cycle: Empathy, Define, Ideate, Prototype and Test. Recognize that design thinking can be utilized to solve problems in various settings, not only in design. Course instructor Holly Anne Burns, founder of Burns Design Strategy and expert in innovation and collaboration, will lead the webinar along with program staff. Who should attend? This free webinar is open to anyone interested in learning how to solve complex problems using design thinking techniques. Whether you lead teams, manage projects, support learning and development, run a business, or are simply curious about innovation tools, you are welcome to join. Take the first step and join us for this interactive introductory session on November 13!You can learn more about the full course, coming in January 2026, here.