Full course description
Appreciative Inquiry Foundations + Certification Pathway
Build your strengths-based leadership skills—and become a certified Appreciative Inquiry Practitioner.
This learning pathway is for those who want to go beyond understanding Appreciative Inquiry and begin applying it with confidence in real projects, teams, and organizations.
The Foundations + Certification Pathway combines our self-paced Appreciative Inquiry Foundations course with a guided, cohort-based Certification program that helps you design, test, and complete an appreciative project supported by expert coaching.
If you want both the mindset and the mastery to lead strengths-based change, this pathway is the fastest and most supported way to get there.
A Two-Part Program:
Appreciative Inquiry Foundations (Register any time, complete by March 30, 2026)
Work through six online modules that introduce the core principles, practices, and applications of Appreciative Inquiry. The course is fully self-paced — you can complete the modules on your own schedule anytime before March 30th.
Appreciative Inquiry Certification (March 30, 2026 – May 8, 2026)
Across these six weeks, you’ll meet online each week with Dr. Lindsey Godwin, a cohort of peers, and guest experts. With guidance and support, you’ll design and lead an appreciative project that matters to you and your organization, building the confidence and mastery needed to apply AI in real-world settings.
What Makes AI Certification So Valuable?
The Appreciative Inquiry Certification is more than a credential. It’s a signal that you can lead with strengths, elevate engagement, and guide real transformation. In a world defined by complexity, rapid change, and burnout, AI practitioners bring something rare: the ability to help people and systems thrive.
1. You become a strengths-based change leader.
You learn how to shift conversations, teams, and strategy toward possibility — helping people tap into their best selves and co-create meaningful futures.
2. You gain credibility that opens doors.
AI Certification from the Cooperrider Center — the global home of Appreciative Inquiry — is recognized worldwide and rooted in decades of field leadership.
3. You learn by doing.
You apply AI to a real initiative and graduate with a Deliverables Portfolio that demonstrates applied competence.
4. You transform the way you lead, coach, teach, or facilitate.
AI gives you tools to elevate performance, build psychological safety, and spark innovation — through the art of better questions.
5. You join a global movement of positive-change leaders.
Certification connects you with practitioners across sectors: business, education, nonprofits, healthcare, and government.
The Details
Part 1: Appreciative Inquiry Foundations
A self-paced, on-demand course that builds your mindset, skills, and confidence.
The Foundations Course introduces you to the core principles, practices, and applications of Appreciative Inquiry (AI). You’ll learn to recognize strengths, craft better questions, shift conversations toward what’s possible, and facilitate appreciative processes with individuals and groups.
What’s Included
You’ll get immediate access to six self-paced modules covering:
- Appreciative Inquiry 101 – Rewiring for Possibility
- The Science of Strengths – Why AI Works
- The Art of the Question
- Leading with the 5-D Cycle
- AI at All Levels: Self, Teams, Organizations, Systems
- Designing Your AI Leadership Project
Each module includes lessons, examples, tools, reflective exercises, and opportunities to apply AI right away.
Timing
You’ll need to complete the Foundations coursework by March 30th so you can move on to Certification. You can complete the modules at your own pace. We find most learners spend 8–10 hours per module, completing about one module per week. You'll continue to have access to all Foundation materials for a year after registration.
Practice with the Appreciative Inquiry Virtual Assistant (AIVA)
You’ll also have access to AIVA, our AI-powered virtual tutor, available anytime to help you:
- Understand course concepts
- Practice appreciative conversations
- Strengthen your questioning skills
AIVA supports your learning but does not complete assignments.
Foundation Outcome
After completing Foundations, you’ll be fully prepared — and eligible — to begin the Certification program.
Part 2: Appreciative Inquiry Certification
A guided, cohort-based experience that helps you apply AI to a real project — and become certified.
The Certification program is where skills become practice. You’ll work with a supportive cohort, expert faculty, and professional coaches to design and lead an appreciative project that matters to you and your organization.
What’s Included
- Weekly 90-minute live cohort meeting with Cooperrider Center Academic Director Dr. Lindsey Godwin and guest experts
- Two 60-minute one-on-one coaching sessions scheduled at your convenience
- Hands-on project work supported by tools, templates, and faculty feedback
- Support for you to complete your professional AI portfolio around a live appreciative project of your own design, including:
- Appreciative Topic
- Stakeholder Map
- Generative Questions
- Conversation Designs
- Idea + Insight Capture
- Opportunity Areas
- Outcomes + Learning Reflections
- Stakeholder Feedback
- Appreciative Topic
Time Commitment
Most participants spend:
- 90 min per week in a live Zoom session
- 8–10 hours per week on their project work (varies by project scope)
- Two 60-minute coaching calls, scheduled when convenient for you
We schedule the weekly Zoom meetings after we know who is enrolled, so we can account for everyone’s time zones — East Coast, West Coast, and often international participants as well.
All sessions are recorded, and while the experience is best when you are deeply connected to your learning peers, it’s fine to miss a few meetings if needed.
Certification Outcome
When you complete the Certification requirements, you’ll earn your Certified Appreciative Inquiry Practitioner credential from the David L. Cooperrider Center for Appreciative Inquiry. You’ll receive both a Certificate and a digital badge you can showcase on LinkedIn or in your email signature.
Putting it all together.
Register now and get immediate access to the Appreciative Inquiry Foundations course, available via our online learning platform, Canvas. Work through those 6 modules at your own pace between now and March 30th.
As you work through the Foundations, we will be in touch with all Certification participants via email to schedule our 6 weeks of meetings and guided learning. We anticipate weekly meetings beginning the week of March 30th and ending by May 8th.
Who This Pathway Is Perfect For
- Leaders and aspiring leaders
- HR, OD, and talent development professionals
- Coaches and consultants
- Educators and nonprofit leaders
- Anyone responsible for shaping culture, strategy, or transformation
If you want mastery, credibility, and real-world impact, this pathway was designed for you.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Do I need to complete Foundations before starting Certification?
Yes. Foundations prepares you with the core knowledge and skills needed for the project-based Certification program.
2. How long will I have access to the materials?
You’ll have full access to all Foundations content for 365 days. Certification materials are yours to keep permanently.
3. How many hours per week should I plan for?
Foundations: ~8–10 hours per module
Certification: 90 min live per week + ~8–10 hours of project work per week, + two one-on-one 60 min coaching calls.
4. What if I can’t attend every live session?
All sessions are recorded. We recommend attending live for the richest experience, though recordings are available should an unavoidable conflict come up.
5. Will I earn the official Appreciative Inquiry Certification?
Yes — when you complete both the Foundations and Certification requirements, you’ll earn your Certified Appreciative Inquiry Practitioner credential from the David L. Cooperrider Center for Appreciative Inquiry. You’ll receive both a Certificate and a digital badge you can showcase on LinkedIn or in your email signature.
Become the kind of leader the future needs: strengths-based, collaborative, hopeful, and possibility-oriented.
About the Cooperrider Center
The David L. Cooperrider Center for Appreciative Inquiry at Champlain College is the global hub for helping people learn about, apply, and amplify Appreciative Inquiry. Our goal is to enable and expand strengths-based organizational growth by providing coursework and certification in Appreciative Inquiry, and by connecting people and organizations with each other and with research and practice. Visit us at appreciativeinquiry.champlain.edu for more information.
Meet Our Experts
Dr. Lindsey Godwin, PhD, is the Robert P. Stiller Endowed Chair of Management at Champlain College and a globally recognized scholar-practitioner in Appreciative Inquiry. Trained at Case Western Reserve University under David Cooperrider and Ron Fry, she has published widely, edited multiple special issues and books on strengths-based change, and presented at conferences around the world. With deep experience consulting for organizations such as the United Nations, World Vision, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, and major school districts and associations, she brings both academic insight and real-world leadership to her teaching.
Dr. David Cooperrider, Honorary Chair of Champlain College’s David L. Cooperrider Center for Appreciative Inquiry, is a pioneer of Appreciative Inquiry (AI), a strengths-based approach to transformative change used across business, public service, education, philanthropy, and social science. He has advised five Presidents, Nobel Laureates, major corporations, and global organizations including the UN, facilitating historic multi-stakeholder initiatives and advancing the concept of Business as an Agent of World Benefit. David has authored 25 books and over 100 articles, received numerous awards—including the OD Network Lifetime Achievement Award and the Peter F. Drucker Distinguished Fellow award—and founded the Global Forum for Business as an Agent of World Benefit. Recognized globally for his scholarship and impact, he continues to shape positive institutions and inspire leaders to create a world where people, businesses, and nature can flourish.
Questions?
We're here to help! Email appreciativeinquiry@champlain.edu