100 Million Learners Global Initiative FAQ's

Launched in January 2022, the Francis and Dionne Najafi 100 Million Learners Global Initiative provides accredited online, world-class entrepreneurship, business, and leadership education to learners across the globe, at absolutely no cost to the learner. This program aims to empower individuals worldwide to enhance their skills, expand career opportunities, and drive economic and social impact in their regions. Dependent on the pathway, learners can receive digital badges, non-academic certificates, and Thunderbird and ASU-accredited certificates that carry global recognition, making top-tier education accessible without financial barriers. By gaining practical skills in entrepreneurship, business, and leadership, participants can enhance their employability, boost their earning potential, and drive innovation in their local economies. With the Foundations course available in over 40 languages, the initiative ensures that learners worldwide, regardless of their location, can study in their native language and at their own pace. The Global Initiative will further advance Thunderbird’s mission to educate visionary leaders who innovate with a global digital mindset to shape organizations of the future.

The Global Initiative offers three pathways with four programs for learners:

1. Foundational Programs: 
   1. Entrepreneurship and Business Essentials Bootcamp: A fast, 8-module learning experience, the Entrepreneurship and Business Essentials Bootcamp is designed for learners who want a quick, accessible introduction to entrepreneurship and business essentials. Ideal for those seeking a short, flexible starting point. Earn a digital badge when you finish.
   2. Global Entrepreneurship and Innovation Foundations: A comprehensive 18-module program, Global Entrepreneurship and Innovation Foundations, is designed to build strong entrepreneurship, business, and innovation skills across all core competencies. Ideal for learners who want a deeper, more comprehensive foundational experience. Earn a digital badge by completing all modules. 
2. Intermediate Program: A flexible intermediate pathway, consisting of five undergraduate-level courses, for learners ready to deepen their entrepreneurship, business,  and leadership skills. Earn a digital badge upon completion of each course and a certificate when you complete all five courses at no cost. Learners can also opt to earn undergraduate academic credit at a low cost as they prepare for advanced learning. The program offers content to deepen understanding and enhance skills in entrepreneurship and innovation.
3. Advanced Program: An advanced pathway consisting of five graduate-level courses designed for learners ready to take the next step toward their entrepreneurial and business goals and/or graduate education. This program delivers specialized, in-depth, and more rigorous content to prepare learners for leadership and sophisticated entrepreneurial endeavors. Earn a digital badge upon completion of each course and a certificate when you complete all five courses at no cost. Take it to the next level and earn academic credit at low cost—and apply your learning toward Thunderbird’s Master of Leadership Management online degree*.

The Foundational program offers two pathways:

• Entrepreneurship and Business Essentials Bootcamp
• The Global Entrepreneurship and Innovation Foundations includes modules that cover concepts essential to becoming an entrepreneur and launching and growing a business venture (such as strategic planning, leadership, financial management, ethical decision-making, branding and marketing, talent management, social impact, and business innovation).
  

The Intermediate program includes undergraduate level courses on global management principles, global marketing principles, global sustainability management,  global entrepreneurship and an introduction to accounting. 

The Advanced program includes graduate-level courses on global leadership and personal development, global entrepreneurship and sustainable business, data analytics and digital transformation, global marketing in the digital age, and financial and managerial accounting in the global context. 

The Global Entrepreneurship and Innovation Foundations is available in 40 languages. The full list of languages include:

• Arabic
• Bengali
• Burmese
• Czech
• Dutch
• Farsi
• French
• German
• Gujarati
• Hausa
• Hindi
• Hungarian
• Bahasa (Indonesia)
• Italian
• Japanese
• Javanese
• Kazakh
• Kinyarwanda
• Korean
• Malay
• Mandarin Chinese (S)
• Mandarin Chinese (T)
• Polish
• Portuguese
• Punjabi
• Romanian
• Russian
• Slovak
• Spanish
• Swahili
• Swedish
• Tagalog
• Thai
• Turkish
• Ukrainian
• Urdu
• Uzbek
• Vietnamese
• Yoruba
• Zulu

Courses in the Essentials Bootcamp, Intermediate, and Advanced Programs are only available in English at this time. 

To begin a course through the Najafi 100 Million Learners Global Initiative, learners must sign up for the program on the www.100millionlearners.org/welcome/ registration page or via their organization's affiliate link. Learners will select the language settings for their courses and the portal during this process. These settings cannot be adjusted later. Once the account is verified and you gain access to your Learner Portal, learners can enroll in any of our available courses. For guidance on registration and enrollment, please watch our Learner Sign-up Tutorial video.

1. Visit the 100ML Programs Page.
2. Register for an account if you haven’t already.
3. In your learner portal, review the available courses.
4. Once you are ready to enroll in a course, click “access course” to begin.

Yes, you can update the personal information associated with your learner profile. To update your profile information:

1. Login to the 100ML Learner Portal.
2. Click "Profile" under Account Settings.
3. Update your details.
4. Save Changes

Note - You will only be able to change the name associated with your learner profile once. If you need to change your name again, please email support: [email protected] . For further changes to your personal information, email 100ML Support and we will coordinate updates with the system administrator.

No, the language you select during registration determines your portal and course language and this cannot be changed later. If you want to access courses in a different language, you must create a new account and re-register with the new language selected as your default preferred language.

Each course will be accessible via the https://thunderbird.asu.edu/lifelong-learning/100-million-learners website.

Courses are delivered on-demand, meaning that learners can register, begin, and complete each course on their own schedule. All content is delivered via video recordings, readings, and interactive quizzes on the course platform.

All courses feature the following learning activities and elements:

• A course tour video to help learners begin and navigate the platform.
• Learning objectives in the first lesson to succinctly describe new skills to be acquired.
• Video lectures that are available online and supplemented by slides, captions, and transcripts in the target language.
• Readings that are available online and linked directly through lessons.
• Key concepts, recommended readings, and recommended discussion questions throughout each module.
• Quizzes and knowledge checks that offer unlimited attempts and are not time-restricted for when learners can complete them.

For courses in languages other than English, learners can expect all course materials, including text, learning materials, and activities, to be translated into the selected language. All faculty lectures and videos that are presented with English audio and on-screen text are accompanied by translated captions, transcripts, and lecture slides in the selected language.

Foundational program 

• Entrepreneurship and Business Essentials Bootcamp is designed for all education levels and can be completed by most learners within 10-12 total hours. Each module is approximately 1-2 hours of total work. Individual lessons can take 30-45 minutes to complete.
• The Global Entrepreneurship and Innovation Foundations course is designed for all education levels and can be completed by most learners within 25-35 total hours. Each module is approximately 1-2 hours of total work. Individual lessons can take 30-45 minutes to complete.

Intermediate/Advanced programs

The courses in these programs are designed with academically rigorous content aligned with university course standards. Most learners can complete these courses within 135 total hours. Lessons can take 3-5 hours to complete, while each module is approximately 10-15 hours of total work. The time to complete the for-credit optional final projects varies per course.  

Courses are on-demand and may be completed at each learner’s individual pace. All courses must be completed within one year of the enrollment start date.

Learners are encouraged to establish a pacing schedule that aligns with their lifestyle needs to ensure regular engagement, knowledge retention, and optimized learning outcomes.

To earn a badge and certificate of completion for a course, you must:

1. Complete all required lessons and activities within the course. Please note, a course is not considered complete unless ALL required activities show a completion checkmark AND all quizzes/exams have a score of 80% or higher. Simply watching videos or reaching the last module does not guarantee completion.
2. Score 80% or higher on all knowledge checks and quizzes.
3. Ensure all activities display a green checkmark (Canvas) or a blue check (non-Canvas versions of the Bootcamp) in the module/course menu.
4. Verify progress in your learner portal—course status must change from “in progress” to “complete." Once full completion is met, badges and certificates may take up to 24–48 hours to appear in the Learner Portal (Badges and Certificates tab).

Watch the Course Completion Tutorial Video for further guidance: Course Completion Guide​

If you are having difficulty within the course, please click on the “help & navigation” link located on the left-hand side of your course page. The “help & navigation” link provides additional information for assistance and troubleshooting.

Some courses or course content may be blocked due to restrictions in your country or may not be accessible behind the firewall. If you face access issues, contact [email protected] for guidance.

At the foundational level, by completing all modules and passing all course assessments with an 80% or higher, a learner will earn a digital badge and a completion certificate to acknowledge their achievement. At the completion of the five advanced courses or five intermediate courses, a learner will earn a digital page and receive a non-academic digital certificate in Global Management, Entrepreneurship, and Innovation from Thunderbird. Digital credentials will be issued upon course completion through their 100 Million Learner Portal. 

1. Log into the 100ML Learner Portal: 100ML Portal
2. Click on the "Badges & Certificates" tab.
3. Download your badge and certificate.

1. Download your badge/certificate from the 100ML Learner Portal.
2. Go to your LinkedIn profile and find the "Licenses & Certifications" section.
3. Click "+", then add:
   1. Course Name: [Insert Course Name]
   2. Issuer: Thunderbird School of Global Management
   3. Issue Date: [Date from your Learner Portal]
   4. Credential URL: [Insert Course Link]
4. Share your achievement on your LinkedIn feed using #100MillionLearners!

Courses within the intermediate and advanced pathways are available for academic credit. Academic credit is not available at the Foundations level. Learners must first complete all five courses within either the intermediate or advanced level program. Then learners must submit courses for grading by a faculty member. Learners must also submit an application and be admitted to the program of their choice: 

• Thunderbird degree program admissions requirements
• ASU Online admissions requirements

Learners who complete courses in the Advanced or Intermediate Program can earn academic credit for their work. Academic credit attainment processes vary by program.

A. How can I earn academic credit for courses in the 100ML Intermediate Program?

1. Successfully complete the course with a total score of 80% or higher.
2. Submit the final written project for the course.
3. Request faculty evaluation of the project (fee required per request).
4. Earn a final letter grade of B or higher for the course. This is calculated using faculty evaluation of final project and total course score.
5. Request credits for the course be added to an academic transcript (fee required per course).
   1. a. Credits may be applied toward ASU undergraduate degree programs or toward accepting programs at other accredited academic institutions.

B. How can I earn academic credit for courses in the 100ML Advanced Program?

1. Successfully complete all five courses with a total score of 80% or higher.
2. Submit the final written projects for the five courses.
3. Request faculty evaluation of the projects (fee required).
4. Earn a final letter grade of B or higher for each course. This is calculated using faculty evaluation of final project and total course score.
5. Apply and earn admission to eligible ASU/Thunderbird programs (fee required)
6. Requesting credits be added to an academic transcript (fee required).
   1. a. Credits may be applied toward Thunderbird’s Master of Leadership Management degree program or graduate certificate in Global Entrepreneurship and Innovation.
   2. b. Credits may also be applied toward accepting programs at other accredited academic institutions.

Completed and graded courses will be available for academic credit through application to a degree program at Arizona State University or specifically within a degree program at Thunderbird. Any and all ASU/Thunderbird degree program and admissions requirements will need to be met for application of academic credit.

1. Successfully complete a course in the intermediate or advanced program with a final score of 80% or higher.
2. Submit the final written project for the course.
3. Access the evaluation payment option in the learner portal (see instructions at the end of each course).
4. Submit payment to request faculty evaluation of a completed project.
5. Wait for faculty review and feedback (10-12 business days).
6. Earn an 80% or higher on your final project.
7. Scores for your final project and the course will be used to calculate a total score and final letter grade. Learners are eligible to attain academic credit when awarded a final letter grade of B or better in a course.

It may take up to 12 business days for a faculty member to complete course grading.

Once you have completed the final project evaluations and earned a final letter grade of B or better, learners can:

1. Apply for admission to ASU or Thunderbird. 
2. Upon admission, request credit conversion through the university.
3. If applying to another institution, request a credit transfer (subject to acceptance by the institution).

This may take between one and three months. Due to University processing times, this can sometimes happen more quickly than expected. 

As part of the Thunderbird School of Global Management’s commitment to accessibility, this program and each course are offered with no cost options to learners. When a learner completes a course, they can earn a digital non-academic certificate and digital badge. Completion of five courses within a program will yield an additional non-academic certificate. Low-cost options are available to earn academic credit in the intermediate and advanced programs. 

$25.00 USD per course for the Intermediate program courses and $100.00 USD per course for Advanced program courses. 

$500.00 USD per course (three credits) within the Advanced program and $100 for grading each course. For the entire certificate, this amounts to a $2,500 USD transfer credit fee. For each individual course within the intermediate program each course is $25 to grade and $400 per course (three credits).

Project evaluation request fees, program application fees, and credit processing fees all vary according to program level (graduate or undergraduate) as well as the individual degree program you may be applying to. 

* You cannot earn credit for all five courses at the Intermediate level at this time; two courses are available now.