6th edition · Only 16 seats per group

Upgrade your (student) life with the power of generative AI!

A 6-week course on campus, starting the week of 2 November 2026. Pick a Tuesday or Wednesday group. February and April 2027 groups (incl. Mondays) are open too.

Free for EUR students. €20 deposit, refunded when you finish.

November applications close Friday 23 October

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Edubadgeofficial EUR certificate

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16 maxper group

6weekly sessions

2.5hper session, on campus

16students max per group

€0instead of €350

Why now

Can generative AI change the way you think and create? 🧠

Will AI take your job? Maybe not, but someone who knows how to use AI might. Organisations are training their teams to use generative AI and automation to solve complex problems.

This isn't just about preparing for the job market. It's about shaping it. 🌍

75%of knowledge workers already use generative AI at work

66%of business leaders wouldn't hire someone without AI skills

39%of people using AI at work got AI training from their employer

Source: Microsoft & LinkedIn, 2024 Work Trend Index

The programme

What you'll cover in 6 weeks

Built for beginners. Use AI for studying, writing and research, think about its ethics, and learn prompting that gets you the result you want.

Week 1

Intro to GenAI

What LLMs are, what is (and isn't) AI, and how the main models differ. Your first prompting challenge, and a start on your final project.

Week 2

Prompting for brainstorming

Chain-of-Thought and Tree-of-Thought prompting to brainstorm better, plus generating images with AI and where it falls short.

Week 3

Prompting for research

Detailed prompting and AI research tools. You'll build your own GPT and start researching your final project topic.

Week 4

Prompting for writing

Use AI for outlines, paraphrasing and summarising, and try out AI tools for video.

Week 5

Generative AI ethics

Sustainability, copyright, deepfakes and more: the challenges that come with the opportunities.

Week 6

Final project presentation

Show your results, process and insights to a panel of AI enthusiasts.

8 groups · 3 rounds

Pick your group

Every group has 6 weekly sessions of 2.5 hours on campus, with no more than 16 students. Tap a group to choose it in the form.

November 2026 Closes 23 Oct

Starts the week of 2 November

February 2027 Open

Starts the week of 1 February

April 2027 Open

Starts the week of 5 April

Seats go first come, first served, with 16 students per group.

Valued at €350

€0

Free for Erasmus University Rotterdam students, thanks to the Community for Learning and Innovation.

€20 deposit · refunded when you finish 😉

Deposit & refund terms

How it works

Free, with a little commitment

Save money

A €20 deposit holds your seat. You get it back when you complete the course.

Commit to success

Plan 4 hours a week: 1 hour of prep and 2.5 hours of training.

Earn recognition

Show employers your new skills with an Edubadge, EUR's official platform for extracurricular certificates.

Once the seats are gone, they're gone.

Meet your trainer

Maria Francesca Burger

Trainer for all GenAI Essentials groups

Maria is a project manager and data consultant at Generation C. She has led projects in automation, data strategy and AI chatbot development. After teaching and co-creating several LifeVersity courses, she's back to share her passion for generative AI.

Created in partnership with

Community for Learning & Innovation, Erasmus University Rotterdam

Only 16 seats per group

Upgrade your (student) life with the power of generative AI!

Our 6th edition starts the week of 2 November 2026, with three groups on campus: Mondays 16:00–18:30, Tuesdays 17:00–19:30 or Wednesdays 17:00–19:30. Applications for November close on Friday 23 October, or when the seats are gone. Registration is also open for the February and April 2027 groups.

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Explore Benefits

Do it now, it's free.*

Can Generative AI Challenge the Way You Think and Create? 🧠

Will AI take your job? Maybe not, but someone who knows how to use AI might. In Microsoft and LinkedIn's 2024 Work Trend Index, 75% of knowledge workers said they already use generative AI at work, and 66% of business leaders said they wouldn't hire someone without AI skills. Yet only 39% of people using AI at work had received AI training from their employer.

There is an increasing need for organisations to train and reskill their teams to use new generative AI, automation tools, and an increasing emphasis on the ability to leverage them to solve complex problems and innovate. This isn't just about preparing for the job market; it's about shaping it. 🌍

Here's what you will cover in this course

Designed for beginners, this 6-week program will help you develop a growth & positive mindset about generative AI; understand what is (and is not) Generative AI, what are its limitations & future perspectives; apply tools in the university context (writing, studying, researching) while considering ethical limitations and outside of the university context, and apply adequate prompting strategies to reach your desired outcome.

Week 1: Intro to GenAI

We will explore what LLMs are, what is (and is not) AI, the evolution and future of it and the differences between existing language models. You will do your first prompting challenge and will start to think on the Final Project you will be working on during the next few weeks.

Week 2: Prompting for efficient brainstorming

In this session, you will explore and apply Chain-of-Thought and Tree of Thought prompting, and how to use them to help you brainstorm. You will also explore generating images with GenAI and its limitations.

Week 3: Prompting for in-depth research

In this session, you will dive into elaborated prompting and AI tools that can help you to research a topic. You will also create your own GPT to help you work on different tasks. You will start researching the topic of your final project.

Week 4: Prompting for assisted writing

We are going to take prompt engineering one step further and start using it to help us on the writing process, generate outlines, paraphrase, summarising and more. We will also explore GenAI tools for video generation.

Week 5: Generative AI Ethics

This week is all about ethics. Generative AI is full of opportunities and advantages but it also brings several challenges and ethical discussion surrounding topics like sustainability, copyright, deep fakes and more...

Week 6: Final Project Presentation

Over the weeks, you worked on your Final Project where you applied AI to a chosen context. In this session, you will have the opportunity to showcase your results, process and insights to our panel of AI enthusiasts.

This course is valued at €350 but you can get it for free.

You just have to pay a €20 deposit fee to secure your spot that you get back once you finish the course😉.

Warning: Once the spots are gone, they are gone.

Pick your group

November 2026 · applications close Friday 23 October

Group A · Mondays 16:00–18:30 · 2 Nov to 7 Dec
Group B · Tuesdays 17:00–19:30 · 3 Nov to 8 Dec
Group C · Wednesdays 17:00–19:30 · 4 Nov to 9 Dec

February 2027 · registration open

Group A · Mondays 16:00–18:30 · 1 Feb to 8 Mar
Group B · Tuesdays 17:00–19:30 · 2 Feb to 9 Mar
Group C · Wednesdays 17:00–19:30 · 3 Feb to 10 Mar

April 2027 · registration open

Group A · Mondays 16:00–18:30 · 5 Apr to 10 May
Group B · Wednesdays 17:00–19:30 · 7 Apr to 12 May

Every group: 6 weekly sessions of 2.5 hours on campus, with a maximum of 16 students. Choose your group in the form below.

Created in partnership with

Important Information

Erasmus University Rotterdam students can enjoy the GenAI Essentials course for free, thanks to the support of the Community for Learning and Innovation at Erasmus University Rotterdam. To secure your spot, a small deposit fee of 20€ is required during registration. Learn more about it here.