Teaching and learning
AI Media Production: learning by making.
Through Harvard’s Division of Continuing Education, Nick J. Manley teaches practical approaches to creative work with generative AI — helping learners move from experimentation to thoughtful, production-ready workflows.
Creative technology with purpose
Nick’s AI Media Production teaching connects emerging tools with the fundamentals of strong creative practice: clear intent, visual and sonic judgment, iteration, collaboration, and responsible decision-making.
The emphasis is not on novelty for its own sake. Learners explore how generative AI can support real creative goals while keeping human direction, craft, and accountability at the center.
What learners explore
Generative image
Develop visual concepts, explore styles, and create compelling images through structured ideation and iterative refinement.
Generative video
Use AI-assisted tools to prototype motion, develop sequences, and expand the possibilities of visual storytelling.
Generative audio
Explore sound, voice, music, and audio workflows while considering quality, context, consent, and creative intent.
Prompt engineering
Learn how to write, test, refine, and document prompts that produce more consistent and useful creative results.
Creative workflows
Connect ideation, prompting, selection, editing, review, and delivery into repeatable workflows for real projects.
Responsible AI
Examine authorship, attribution, bias, privacy, consent, copyright, representation, and the responsible use of synthetic media.
Learning by making
Nick’s teaching practice is grounded in active production. Students learn through inquiry, experimentation, critique, and the process of creating work for real audiences.
Each project is an opportunity to build both creative confidence and practical judgment: knowing what AI can do, where it needs human guidance, and when a different approach is better.
Teaching across media and education
Nick has also taught media production at Harvard University, Emerson College, and Texas A&M University, connecting media practice with education, technology, and public engagement.
Teaching interests
- AI media production and generative workflows
- Prompt engineering for creative work
- Media production and visual storytelling
- Emerging technology and learning
- Creative collaboration
- Critical and responsible innovation
Bring practical AI media learning to your community
Looking for a workshop, course, guest lecture, or learning experience focused on generative media and responsible AI?