Explore emerging technology, experiment with AI, and build the skills to navigate the future of school, work, and life.
Technology is changing faster than ever—but which technologies will actually shape your future, and how can you prepare for what comes next?
Navigating the Future of Technology is a hands-on course that gives high school students the opportunity to explore artificial intelligence, emerging technologies, and the changing future of work. Students will investigate how new technologies move from exciting ideas to tools that transform organizations, careers, and everyday life.
Throughout the week, students will explore concepts such as information systems, emerging technology, artificial intelligence, generative AI, automation, and human-AI collaboration. They will experiment with generative AI, learn how to communicate effectively with AI systems, evaluate AI-generated information, and consider when human creativity, judgment, and decision-making are still essential. Students will also examine technologies beyond AI through hands-on activities involving areas such as robotics, virtual and augmented reality, sensors, IoT, and 3D design and printing.
Rather than simply hearing about the future, students will experience it. Through interactive challenges, technology demonstrations, team activities, and hands-on experimentation, students will evaluate emerging technologies and consider how they could change industries, careers, and society. The course culminates in a collaborative challenge where students apply what they have learned to imagine and communicate a technology-enabled solution for the future.
No prior technology or programming experience is required—just curiosity about technology and what the future might look like.
Sessions Offered
Session 1:
June 20, 2027 - June 26, 2027
Course Fees
Format
Residential
Non-Credit
This class is meant to be immersive and students will:
- Leave with more than exposure to the latest technologies—they will have a framework for understanding and evaluating technologies they encounter in the future.
- Be able to explain how people, processes, data, and technology work together; evaluate emerging technologies based on their potential benefits, limitations, and risks; and recognize how technological change can automate, augment, or transform human work. They will gain practical experience using generative AI, including writing and refining prompts, evaluating AI-generated information, recognizing limitations, and determining when human judgment is necessary.
- Will strengthen skills that are valuable in both college and the workplace, including critical thinking, problem-solving, communication, collaboration, creativity, technology fluency, and adaptability. Through hands-on activities and a culminating team challenge, students will practice turning ideas into solutions and communicating those ideas to others.
These experiences provide a foundation for further study in business, information systems, computer science, data analytics, artificial intelligence, engineering, and other technology-related fields. Just as importantly, students will leave better prepared to discuss how technology is changing their areas of interest and demonstrate that they can thoughtfully and responsibly use emerging technologies rather than simply consume them.
Related Careers:
- Management Information Systems (MIS) Analyst
- Logistics / Supply Chain Analyst:
- Business Intelligence (BI) Analyst:
- Operations Manager / Director of Operations:
Meet the Professor
Jonathan Moore
Instructor In-Residence, Executive Director of CT Information Technology Institute
Jonathan Moore is an Instructor-in-Residence in the Operations and Information Management Department at the University of Connecticut School of Business. He is also the Executive Director of UConn’s Digital Frontiers Initiative and leads Innovate Labs, experiential learning spaces where students explore and gain hands-on experience with emerging technologies.
Jonathan has taught a wide range of undergraduate and graduate courses related to technology and business, including Navigating the Future of Technology, Digital Technology Studio, Database Design and Management, Business Data Analytics, Business Information Systems, Systems Analysis and Design, and courses focused on emerging technologies. His teaching emphasizes experiential learning, practical applications of technology, and helping students understand how technology is changing organizations and the workplace.
Beyond the classroom, Jonathan develops and leads educational programs focused on emerging technology, artificial intelligence, and technology fluency. Through Innovate Labs, he creates opportunities for students to explore technologies such as AI, virtual and augmented reality, robotics, IoT, sensors, and 3D technologies.
Across his teaching and program leadership, Jonathan focuses on helping students build the technology fluency, critical thinking, problem-solving, and adaptability needed to navigate a rapidly changing technological world.
