Anne’s College and UTF Partner with American Councils for International Education to Provide Free Online AI Training
Tallahassee, Fla. – A partnership between Florida State’s Anne’s College, the Ukraine Task Force (UTF), American Councils for International Education and the Digital Education Council (DEC) is providing free online AI training to Ukrainian research faculty.
Dr. Dina Vyortkina, Associate Dean for Innovation and Instructional Technology at Anne's College and member of the UTF, has coordinated the effort to provide the DEC’s online course leading to a certificate for AI in Higher Education at no cost to the 36 Ukrainian researchers and contributed to the instructional design of the AI initiative in Ukraine. With support from the American Councils for International Education, the UTF has facilitated the public-private partnership.
“We have designed a comprehensive faculty professional development program for our colleagues in Ukraine,” said Vyortkina. “Completing AI literacy courses would be a great foundation for everyone before we embark on scalable AI initiatives that support teaching, learning, research and operations. We are looking forward to tangible outcomes and impactful changes.”
The DEC’s “Certificate for AI in Higher Education" course is currently being provided to FSU faculty and staff. The self-paced course allows participants to gain the knowledge and skills needed to integrate AI effectively in teaching and day-to-day work.
This 20-hour course is for users of any level, helping them understand the fundamentals of AI, its implementation in higher education, responsible practices and practical use cases. The course equips education professionals with the knowledge and skills to integrate AI effectively into higher education, driving innovation while maintaining academic integrity. Each module is practical, focused and directly applicable to higher education.
American Councils is providing the course as part of its mission to strengthen international ties and connections between countries and cultures through excellence in academic, professional and cultural exchange, language acquisition, educational development and research. Since 1974, their educational portfolio has grown to include 140 countries important to national security, prosperity and peace.
“We are deeply grateful to Florida State University for its outstanding commitment to Ukraine, American Councils BridgeUSA UPRR (Ukraine Program for Resilience and Reconstruction), our program participants and alumni and for investing so much energy and care into this work,” said Dr. Ksenia Ivanenko, Program Manager for Higher Education Partnerships and Capacity, Field Operations at American Councils for International Education. “At a time when Ukrainian higher education continues to demonstrate remarkable resilience under immense pressure, this initiative creates meaningful access not only to practical AI skills but also to international academic exchange that can strengthen institutions and support the next generation of teaching and research.
“It’s a strong reflection of the partnership we have forged through BridgeUSA UPRR with FSU so far—one built on trust, shared purpose and a long-term commitment to lasting partnerships between Ukrainian and U.S. universities, including new opportunities for collaboration in areas such as AI in higher education, research and innovation”,
All 36 Ukrainian researchers invited to participate are either alumni of the 2024 and 2025 BridgeUSA UPRR/ BridgeUSA Ukrainian Academic Fellows Program (UAFP) or have just been selected to participate in the 2026 BridgeUSA UPRR Program. By the end of June, FSU will have hosted 8 out of the 36 participants as part of the BridgeUSA UAFP/ UPRR Programs.
Ukrainian participants are encouraged to complete at least two AI courses provided by DEC by June 2026. They will also collaborate on resources and within their special interest groups to solve AI challenges and identify discipline-specific priorities. Ukrainian faculty will participate in regular webinars facilitated by FSU colleagues. Adapting existing university courses, embedding innovative approaches and AI tools, contributing to the co-creation of AI literacy courses tailored to higher education in the Ukrainian language and local context, conducting an institutional AI self-assessment, presenting the results at the conference and offering next steps are included in the program’s goals.
"We anticipate that this new area of collaboration will lead to new research collaborations and the sharing of best teaching practices between Bridge USA Alumni and peers at FSU,” said Ukraine Task Force Program Director Dr. Vilma Fuentes. “This may also pave the way for future grant-funded opportunities."
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