Learner Finds Short Course on AI Improves Job Performance
September 11, 2026 | by Heidi Wells, Global Campus | min read
Tori Weir
A five-week course she completed is helping Tori Weir do her job better, and she thinks it could do the same for others.
In May, the University of Arkansas and Ziplines Education announced a partnership to offer online workforce training courses that included core professional skills such as artificial intelligence. Weir's supervisor saw a LinkedIn post about one of the courses – AI Automations – and asked her whether she was interested in taking it.
Weir is a senior manager of strategic projects for Fulcrum Collective, a growth advisory and operations firm based in Northwest Arkansas. Fulcrum partners with brands and suppliers to help them navigate and grow within major retail ecosystems, including Walmart and Sam's Club, providing strategic guidance, operational support, and innovation across the supply chain.
She was an active user of AI in her day-to-day role and wanted to deepen her understanding of it.
I work with different teams on new developments, dashboards and projects to help automate any processes to streamline business," she said. "This course helped me identify what should and should not be automated and how to structure a workflow for AI automation deployment."
Expanding AI Use
Weir said she was already using AI tools, for example Microsoft's Power Automate and Microsoft Co-pilot studio, to create bots to speed up customer service responses.
"I wanted to build more and learn about more tools that are available," she said. "I am always looking for new ways to be able to automate without using (information technology staff) and developers. I wanted to learn what should be automated and how to build out that workflow."
One automation she built during the course, and is now using in her organization, is an AI-powered standard operating procedure management system.
"Employees submit a request through a SharePoint form, AI drafts the standard operating procedure using our standard template, it routes to a designated reviewer for approval, and once approved, the SOP automatically publishes to a centralized SharePoint library organized by department," Weir said. "What used to take hours of manual work now takes minutes. The AI Automations course gave me the framework to identify the right process to automate, map it from start to finish and build it out week by week, turning a real organizational problem into a working solution."
Beyond workflow automation, she also leverages AI coding tools, specifically Claude Code, to build and publish web-based applications for both internal and external use within her organization.
"I am not a developer, but with Claude Code I can build functional apps that we actually deploy," Weir said. "It has completely changed what's possible for someone in my role. What used to require a development team I can now do independently, that's automation of a different kind. It removes the bottleneck between having an idea and actually building it."
She said course participants do not need to know a lot about automation on the front end.
"Some people who were not as familiar with using these tools had a little trouble downloading things, but the instructors gave us very explicit step-by-step instructions," Weir said. "There were videos to walk you through the process."
Studying Online
A 2017 graduate of the University of Arkansas with a bachelor's degree in human resource and workforce development, Weir said the AI Automations course was her first experience with online education on this level. She spent about 50 hours in total on the course spread out over the five weeks.
"It was very manageable to complete," she said. "Everything was due by the end of the five weeks, but I recommend you turn in each assignment each week. It helps you understand what they're talking about in the live sessions."
In addition to the coursework available in an asynchronous format allowing learners to log in whenever it suited them, the course included live sessions with instructors during which learners could ask questions.
"We were also in an online community with the instructors and that was very helpful," Weir said. "They posted tools and tips and opened a chat labeled for each week. It included announcements we needed to know about. The instructors were very involved so you felt informed."
Recommendation
Weir said she would take another course like the Ziplines offering, and she would encourage others to give their online courses a try.
"If you are getting discouraged just reading the syllabus and think you don't have time – I felt like that initially – take that leap," she said. "There are trouble-shooting tools you can get access to. The learning outcomes outweigh the initial fear to leap into something new. I would advise someone to take the risk and try."
The course removed barriers for anyone curious about AI yet feeling intimated by the technical side, Weir said.
"It gives you something to bring back to your organization that adds value," she said.
Additional services included resume building and information about how AI can help you get a job, Weir said.
"You don't need a technical background," she said. "If you are curious and have the drive to be a problem-solver, it will benefit you."
Learn More
Other courses offered through the Ziplines and U of A partnership focus on project management, digital marketing and business analytics. The partnership helps advance the university's land-grant mission and aligns with the state's mandate to increase workforce development.
Ziplines Education is a national career accelerator partnering with more than 30 universities nationwide. It designs short-format certificate programs built for working professionals, adult learners and career changers. Courses are taught by practitioners, structured around real workplace projects and designed to be completed alongside full-time work.
The AI Automations course covers advanced AI skills:
- Identifying high-impact automation opportunities
- Exploring AI agents and agentic AI basics
- Mapping the process from point A to Z with step-by-step guidance
- Leveraging AI and no-code tools to build an automated workflow
- Getting buy-in from your company for your AI automation
Visit the Professional and Workforce Development website to learn more about offerings from Ziplines and the U of A.
Heidi Wells
Content Strategist
Heidi Wells is the content strategist for the Global Campus at the University of Arkansas and editor of The Online Learner. Her writing spans more than 30 years as a communicator at the U of A and a reporter and editor at Arkansas newspapers. Wells earned two degrees from the U of A: a master's in 2013 and a bachelor's in 1988.
Wells can be reached at heidiw@uark.edu or 479-575-7239.
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