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This program is not currently accepting applications. Let us know if you would like to be notified when dates are confirmed for our next cohort.
Our world is defined by complexity, uncertainty, and rapid technological change most notably the rise of generative and agentic AI, which is transforming not just how people think, create, and collaborate, but what it means to learn and work, and the structures needed to support learning and working.
Learning professionals today must build and anticipate workforce capability and readiness, becoming enablers of performance rather than just deliverers of content. As it becomes increasingly clear that learning can no longer happen apart from work, those who design, lead, and support workplace learning face a new challenge.This certificate program helps you design learning that fits where and how people actually work, while strengthening the bridges between training pathways and workplace realities. Drawing on research and insights from the Harvard Graduate School of Education — including from cognitive scientist and innovation researcher Tessa Forshaw; workforce development and future-of-work strategist Angela Jackson; and cognition, emotion, and instructional design researcher Megan Cuzzolino, among others.
Learning professionals are being asked to help people learn faster, adapt better, and perform with confidence amid ambiguity. But doing that well requires rethinking how L&D operates, where learning lives, and what role the function plays in the business.
This program helps you step back and redesign. You'll examine your operating assumptions, prototype new approaches, and build practical frameworks you can apply immediately to make workplace learning more continuous, adaptive, and connected to performance.
Use AI to lift performance without removing the effort that builds durable learning
Build a learning function that adapts as fast as the work itself is changing
Move from delivering content to enabling real performance and behavior change
Two days grounded in the science of how adults learn. Each day pairs the research with a hands-on studio.Day One - The Science of How People Learn
Day Two - How an Organization Learns
"It is rare to find learning spaces that combine scientific ground, real-world relevance, and a sense of purpose". - Managing Director, Accenture
"The rich discussions on the neurobiological foundations of learning, metacognition, AI, and transfer were immediately actionable."-Instructor, Per Scholas
Click the "Register Today" button on our registration portal. Select the number of people you are registering, and click "Checkout." You will then complete a brief form with your contact information and a few questions about your work experience. Finally, click the payment button to complete your secure credit card payment. Your registration is confirmed once your payment is processed and you receive a registration confirmation email.
The program fee covers all program sessions and materials. You are responsible for your own travel, lodging, and meals. We will provide a light breakfast on both days, as well as coffee, tea, water, and snacks.This resource may be helpful as you plan your travel.
You may cancel free of charge until July 15, 2026, which is 14 days before the start of the program. If you cancel within 14 days of the program start date, you will be assessed a 50% cancellation fee. If you do not cancel and do not attend the program, you are not eligible for a refund.
All cancellation requests must be made in writing via email to hgseunbound@gse.harvard.edu before the deadline. We cannot accept cancellation requests on the day the program begins.
We offer a 10% discount for groups of four or more individuals registering together. Two or three individuals registering together are eligible to receive a 5% discount. Please email hgseunbound@gse.harvard.edu before registering for discount instructions. We occassionally offer other discounts. Multiple discounts can not be combined.
If we are forced to cancel the program due to inclement weather or other unforeseen emergencies, we will refund the program fee in full. We cannot, however, assume responsibility for travel, accommodations, or other expenses incurred by participants.
All participants must be at least 18 years old, and their academic and/or work experience should be a good match for the program.
Before the program, participants will be asked to complete a brief survey so that the faculty can understand your context, roles, and goals. There may also be a coupe of short, recommended reading swhich will be shared with you approximately two weeks prior to the start of the program.
Participants who successfully complete the program will receive an electronic Certificate of Completion from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. The certificate will be sent via email within two weeks of program completion. The program does not count toward a degree and will not appear on an official Harvard transcript.
International participants are responsible for understanding any visa and other entry requirements from both the United States and their country of origin, and for ensuring they have the documentation needed to travel and participate in the program. Resources for international participants can be found on Harvard's International Office website.
There is no formal dress code. However, we recommend business casual attire and comfortable shoes. The weather in Massachusetts can be unpredictable, so please check the forecast ahead of time and dress in layers to accommodate potential variations in room temperature.
By supporting a participant, your organization gains a practical roadmap for making learning more impactful, efficient, and AI-ready. The program focuses on making workplace learning:
Organizational Return on Investment
Download a one-page overview to share with your manager and funding decision makers.
If you have additional questions about this program or your registration, please contact hgseunbound@gse.harvard.edu.
Tessa Forshaw is a cognitive scientist, faculty chair of the workforce and workplace learning concentration, and director of the workforce learning and innovation initiative at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Tessa teaches design thinking, creativity, and innovation at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, Harvard Innovation Lab, and Harvard University Division of Continuing Education, and served on the teaching faculty at Stanford’s design school for several years. Previously, Tessa served on the executive leadership team at design firm People Rocket and worked on Future of Work-related topics at IDEO CoLab and Accenture. Tessa is a recipient of a Fast Company Design Award for General Excellence, two Core 77 Design Awards for Educational Product Design, and co-authored Innovation-ish (Wiley, 2025). Tessa earned her B.A. (Honours) from the Australian National University, M.A. from Stanford University, and her Ph.D. from Harvard University.
Dr. Megan Cuzzolino is a researcher and educator with expertise in cognition and development, instructional design, and public engagement with science. As the Project Director of the Next Level Lab, she provides strategic, intellectual, and operational leadership for the lab’s research and partnerships. Her scholarship investigates the role of transformative emotions in learning and motivation across diverse contexts, including a multi-year, cross-disciplinary project on the role of awe in workplace settings. She is also a contributing member of the Causal Cognition in a Complex World lab.
Earlier in her career, Megan served as a Science Education Analyst at the National Science Foundation and taught and developed science curricula for elementary and middle school students. She holds an Ed.D. and an Ed.M. in Human Development from HGSE and an A.B. in Psychology from Harvard College.
Max Lu is a doctoral candidate at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. His research interests lie at the intersection of technology, information, and learning science, with a particular focus on how people use technologies to improve their learning efficiency.
Before joining Harvard, he worked at Bloomberg Media and the Los Angeles Times on news innovations. He is also a co-founder of Dialogues on Asian Universities (DAU), a platform for global dialogue on Asian higher education. He obtained his master's and bachelor's degrees in engineering from the University of Toronto.