Courses - USC Union | University of South Carolina

Courses

The iCarolina Learning Labs at USC Union are proud to offer FREE courses for the community, faculty, staff, and students. Available courses are listed below.

Spring 2025 Courses

In partnership with the College of Information and Communications, we are pleased to announce two free courses on AI in the iCarolina Lab in the Carnegie Library. If you attend both sessions, you will receive a certificate at the end of session 2 acknowleding your attendance.

AI-4-SC | Session 1: "Generative AI for Beginners" hosted by Glen Caruso - AI Educator and Technology Innovator

Course Date: Monday, January 27, 2025

Course Time: 6:00PM - 8:00PM (includes breaks)

Location: Union County Carnegie Library, Rieta Drinkwine Resource Room

Enrollment Cap: 20 Participants

Learn About Glen Caruso

Glen Caruso is a leader in next-generation technology with over 20 years of experience at Microsoft, Oracle, and Adobe, where he helped global brands like Coca-Cola and MetLife leverage AI to enhance operations and boost growth.
As an instructor at the University of Georgia’s Grady College, Glen spent nearly a decade teaching cutting-edge courses on Generative AI and digital strategy, equipping students with job-ready skills for an AI-driven world.
Now, as President of The Digital Curators, Glen leads seminars that simplify AI for universities, businesses, and communities. His workshops—featured at institutions like the University of South Carolina—demystify AI, showing participants how to use it to streamline tasks, boost productivity, and build competitive career skills.
Glen’s mission is to make AI practical and empowering, helping people harness its potential to achieve more in work and life.

This AI-4-SC Training Program is a 90-minute interactive seminar designed to demystify AI and give participants hands-on experience with Generative AI tools. The session is tailored for adult learners, including small business owners, job seekers, and those with limited technical experience. The goal is to show how AI can simplify daily tasks, enhance productivity, and support professional growth.

Participants will learn the basics of AI in simple, relatable terms, see live demos of time-saving AI applications, and practice using ChatGPT to write emails, brainstorm ideas, and create social media posts. A dedicated resume workshop will help attendees update their resumes using AI and tailor them for specific roles. The seminar concludes with an open discussion and resources for continued learning. The approach is friendly and accessible, with real-world examples and guided exercises that build confidence and practical skills.

AI-4-SC | Session 2: "Utilizing AI in your Business" hosted by Marcia Purday

Course Date: Wednesday, January 29, 2025

Course Time: 6:00PM - 8:00PM (includes breaks)

Location: Union County Carnegie Library, Rieta Drinkwine Resource Room

Enrollment Cap: 20 Participants

Learn About Marcia Purday

Marcia Purday, APR, is a seasoned public relations and advertising professional with expertise spanning Fortune 100 companies, nonprofits, higher education, and government organizations. With an MBA and BA from the University of South Carolina, she has led initiatives in strategic planning, media relations, and integrated marketing. As an instructor at USC’s School of Journalism and Mass Communications, Marcia equips students with skills in strategic communication campaigns and the integration of generative AI (genAI) as tools. With a commitment to ethical AI use, Marcia provides practical ways to help small business owners and nonprofit leaders address marketing challenges, improve customer communication effectiveness, and foster administrative innovation.

This 90-minute session equips small business owners and nonprofit leaders with hands-on experience using generative AI tools to tackle common challenges in operations, marketing, customer engagement, and administration. Participants will learn to:

Discover AI solutions tailored to their specific business challenges.
Craft effective prompts to get the most out of AI tools.
Save time by automating repetitive tasks and improving processes.
Create practical, actionable strategies to integrate AI into their daily operations.

Interactive demonstrations, prompt-writing workshops, and personalized action plans ensure beginners leave with practical skills to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and drive business growth.