BU Virtual is Boston University’s online education unit, advancing the University’s mission through workforce-focused graduate programs for today’s working professionals. In collaboration with BU’s schools and colleges, we design and deliver flexible, high-quality online degrees and certificates that reflect the depth, rigor, and intellectual vitality of a leading research university. Our programs are built to support learners navigating a rapidly evolving world of work—whether deepening expertise, building new skills, or transitioning into emerging fields. Through BU Virtual, learners gain access to a global community and academically rigorous experiences that connect theory with practice, preparing them to grow, lead, and adapt in an ever-changing professional landscape.
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Very proud of the teams at Questrom School of Business, Boston University and BU Virtual to see the AI in Business program come to life. Congratulations to everyone involved, and welcome to our inaugural cohort of more than 200 students. Looking forward to seeing the impact they’ll have. https://lnkd.in/gSsz6Vab cc: Paul Carlile, Lisa Haueisen Rohrer, Liz Wagoner, Audrey Holst, Benjamin Woody, Wendy Colby, Adelaide Adams
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Digital transformation requires global leadership and Boston University is recognized by the Digital Leaders Report for preparing people to contribute to today’s AI and tech economy based on career outcomes.
Interesting to see the release of the new Digital Leaders 2026: AI & Tech Careers Edition, with Boston University recognized among the top 25 institutions globally and among the top 6 U.S. institutions. What caught my attention is the report's emphasis on graduate outcomes and career pathways in AI and the technology economy. As universities continue to expand AI-related education, it's encouraging to see growing recognition that success is measured not only by what we teach, but by how well we prepare learners to contribute in a rapidly evolving world. That means staying connected to industry, embracing interdisciplinary approaches, and continually evolving how we design learning experiences to meet changing workforce needs. Outcomes matter. BU Virtual Boston University Institute for Excellence in Teaching & Learning #HigherEducation #AIinEducation #OnlineEducation https://lnkd.in/gKwZUXaD
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Great conversation this morning at UPCEA #SOLAR2026. Thank you to an outstanding panel for a thoughtful discussion on what it takes to lead online education at a time of profound change in higher education. Peter Stokes Donna Ritchie Douglas Harrison LaMar Bunts Boston University BU Virtual Institute for Excellence in Teaching and Learning #HigherEducation #OnlineLearning
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Your AI just handed you a confident answer. Should you trust it? Not necessarily, and that's the lesson Jeffrey Considine brings to BU's computing and data sciences programs. He's teaching professionals to ask harder questions: Is the evidence real? Did the model just swap your problem for an easier one? Is this answer tailored to what you need, or what the machine can produce? In a world where AI shapes decisions on hiring, strategy, and risk, understanding foundations matters more than mastering tools. That's why BU Virtual's new Online MS in Enterprise AI and Online MS in Data Science focus on why systems work, so you know when they don't. Keep reading ➡️ http://spr.ly/6048BEbnFM
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This week I had the opportunity to connect with higher ed leaders from across the U.S. and around the world, representing all types of institutions such as large R01s, online institutions, community colleges, and specialized professional schools. While every institution operates within its own context, many of the same themes emerged. AI is reshaping how we teach and assess learning, support faculty, and develop institutional policies. Yet amid rapid technological change, one principle remains constant: Education is fundamentally about empowering people. Our challenge as educators is to equip learners with the skills they need in a world where knowledge, careers, and technology continue to evolve at an unprecedented pace. I found "Building Blackboard Together 2026" an especially fitting name for the conference. The future of higher education will be shaped through collaboration between institutions, educators, technology partners, and industry leaders who are willing to rethink teaching and learning together. Thank you Blackboard for recognizing Boston University in the Leading Change category and for your continued partnership with BU Virtual as we work to reimagine the future of digital learning. Our goal is not to just innovate around the edges but meet society's new demands. Looking forward to the future while continuing to learn from the past... #HigherEducation #Edtech #AI #DigitalTransformation #OnlineLearning #LifelongLearning #TeachingandLearning
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I am extremely pleased to share that Boston University has received Blackboard's 2026 Catalyst Leading Change Award, recognizing institutions that use technology to drive transformational change across their campuses and the broader academic community. This recognition reflects the incredible work of colleagues across BU Virtual, Institute for Excellence in Teaching and Learning , Boston University Information Services & Technology, academic leadership, and faculty partners who embraced our Campus LX Transformation Initiative. Campus LX was our opportunity to rethink the digital teaching and learning experience at Boston University— establishing a shared foundation that supports excellence across residential, hybrid, and online education. By adopting Blackboard Ultra as part of this broader vision, we are providing faculty and learning design teams with modern tools, integrated support, and a more connected digital learning ecosystem that empowers them to create engaging, high-quality learning experiences for students. More importantly, this work establishes a foundation for continuous advancement, enabling us to evolve teaching and learning together as new technologies, pedagogies, and student needs emerge. I'm especially grateful to the many individuals across our teams whose expertise, collaboration, and commitment made this possible. Transformational change is never the work of one person or one unit—it is the result of a shared vision, strong partnerships, and a community committed to improving the student experience. Thank you to everyone who contributed to Campus LX and to Blackboard for this recognition. I'm excited about what comes next as we continue advancing digital learning and academic innovation at Boston University. https://lnkd.in/gwWCwRvX Jennifer Noble Jackson Romy Ruukel Mariana Stoyancheva, MBA, JD Kaylin Goncalves, MSM, PMP®, CSM® Josh Mackler Ernie Perez Jana Mulkern, EdD Jennifer Willingham MacLeod Karen Jacobs, EdD Lyndsey McMahan, PhD, LCSW Mark Lewis Andrew Abrahamson #CatalystAwards #TeachingandLearning #HigherEducation #AcademicInnovation #FacultyDevelopment
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As AI becomes increasingly embedded in business, healthcare, technology and society, the hardest questions extend far beyond the technical. They are fundamentally human. How should organizations decide when AI should be deployed? Who is accountable when an AI system acts in unexpected ways? How do future AI leaders recognize risk before it becomes a crisis? In Boston University's online portfolio of master's programs in AI, these questions are part of the curriculum, not an afterthought. Dr. Seth Villegas, who teaches Responsible and Ethical Data Science and AI and Society and AI Ethics, brings a philosopher’s lens into the classroom for professionals building and leading AI systems. His work helps students develop the judgment to not only deploy technology, but defend the decisions behind it. Read more about Dr. Villegas’s approach to AI ethics and enterprise leadership: https://lnkd.in/erztV8D3
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Had the pleasure of representing BU Virtual at the Lifelong Learning Symposium hosted at Harvard's Division of Continuing Education. It was great connecting with new and old colleagues across higher education to discuss a shared commitment to expanding access to education and re-imagining how institutions serve today's learners from the ages of 16-99! The workforce needs are rapidly changing. Learners are seeking flexible, relevant, and career-connected education throughout their lives, not just at the beginning of their careers. The conversation is no longer about whether institutions should adapt, it's about how quickly we can respond and evolve the academic offerings, delivery models, and partnerships with industry. Special thanks to Attain Partners and Jason B. for bringing together so many thoughtful leaders to advance this important conversation. Supporting these "non-traditional" learners is core to higher education's mission and the time is NOW! #HigherEducation #LifelongLearning #AI #FutureOfWork #OnlineLearning
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More incredible pride for my BU Virtual team -- and the opportunity to work with a truly amazing and innovative faculty leader T.J. McKenna, Ph.D. who is thinking deeply about AI and education. This is a reminder that the best educational experiences are not created by one person alone -- they are built through collaboration!
Building AI that strengthens teaching instead of replacing it | Program Director, AI & Education, BU Wheelock | Director, Center for STEM Professional Learning at Scale | Author, Making Sense of Sensemaking
A month ago, the Field Atlas of AI in Education was a paragraph in an email I sent to our learning design team, half expecting to be told it was too much. This week, I ran a full test session with a working prototype. The Atlas is a shared, evolving knowledge artifact that students in our EdM in AI & Education will build together: real cases, real tools, real policies, analyzed by practitioners and inherited by every cohort that follows. Instead of discussion posts that disappear at the end of the term, students write for a real audience that will actually use their work. The part I tested this week is the AI interlocutor. It reads a student's draft entry and asks structured questions that push toward deeper analysis. It never rewrites. It never supplies the interpretation. In my test session it noticed that my draft failed to specify the funding context of the source I was analyzing, and instead of telling me what to add, it posed a design question back and let my answer determine the revision. That is the difference between AI that does the thinking and AI that demands it. None of this exists without Wendy Colby's incredible team at BU Virtual. Nour Mounajed and Michaela Dengg, Ph.D. did not just build what I described. They interrogated the idea, made design decisions I had not thought to make, and returned a system that is better than the one I imagined, in a month. That is not production support. That is intellectual partnership, and it is the difference between a course that talks about thoughtful AI and a program that embodies it. One of the great privileges of this work is getting to think alongside people whose craft sharpens your own. This team does that every time. So much of the best work in higher education happens like this: behind the scenes, between drafts, in design meetings nobody live-tweets. Learning designers rarely get public credit for the thinking that shapes what students experience. They should. Consider this a small correction. And it is exactly this kind of collaboration that makes our EdM in AI & Education what it is. We are not teaching about AI from a safe distance. Students learn inside systems built on the very principles we teach, designed by people who sweat every pedagogical decision. If you are an educator trying to figure out what AI means for your classroom, your school, or your career, this is the program where you will not just study that question. You will live it. https://lnkd.in/eaHrCisX Boston University Boston University Wheelock College of Education & Human Development
BU Virtual reposted this
Grateful to be part of Boston University that values both impact and connection, and proud of our BU Virtual team defined by talent, kindness, and shared purpose. As momentum continues to build - with seven new online programs launching this fall and ongoing efforts to expand access to high‑quality education - it was especially meaningful to pause and give back together. Yesterday, we gathered at Cradles to Crayons for a community service afternoon - a chance to spend time together in a way that was both fun and meaningful. It was a great reminder that, alongside our shared work, we are also a team that shows up for each other and for our community. Proud of what we are building, both in our work and beyond it. #teamwork, #onlinelearning, #highereducation