Eleven Fifty Academy putting AI at core of revamped curriculum

More than a year after its acquisition by Marion-based Indiana Wesleyan University, Indianapolis-based Eleven Fifty Academy is rolling out big, future-focused changes.

Perhaps the most significant: The school has begun focusing its instruction on topics related to artificial intelligence and pulling back on the coding and cybersecurity bootcamp-style courses on which it built its name.

“There’s a whole series of things we’re going to do around AI,” said Eleven Fifty Managing Director John Qualls. “The opportunity that we’re leaning into is that there’s going to be a massive amount of upskilling needed. And that’s our opportunity, I think.”

A few efforts that have already debuted:

◗ In February, Eleven Fifty and JEWEL Human Services, a not-for-profit associated with Eastern Star Church, teamed up to offer “Introduction to Artificial Intelligence,” a free 12-week course aimed at east-side residents.

◗ Eleven Fifty debuted workshops focused on AI basics for non-technical business leaders. A two-hour, $250 virtual workshop called “Prompt Engineering for Executives” debuted in April, and this week an “AI for Executives” in-person workshop was set to take place at Launch Fishers for members of the Indiana Technology and Innovation Association.

◗ In April, Eleven Fifty launched a weekly newsletter, plus two new podcasts: “Tech for Everyone” covers topics like AI, cybersecurity and software development, while “CyberGuardian Podcast” focuses on cybersecurity.

◗ An AI-focused conference is planned for June, though the date and venue had not been finalized as of IBJ’s deadline.

Other changes in the works at Eleven Fifty include moving away from its 12- to 15-week bootcamp format in favor of shorter courses, and changing its marketing strategy, including a likely name change for the school.

It’s also venturing back into community-based programs—something Eleven Fifty tried several years ago.

The classes at JEWEL, which run through mid-May, meet two nights a week and offer a mix of lectures and hands-on project work geared at familiarizing students with how they can use AI to help with projects like crafting a resume or writing a book. At the end of the session, students will receive free laptops.

“We want to make sure this community is empowered to go out and go after different types of jobs,” said Tamela Saunders, JEWEL’s director of community development.

About 15 students ranging in age from 18 to 60-something are taking the class.

Sometimes attendance wanes over time in community programs, Saunders said, but that hasn’t been the case with this course.

“They’re still coming; they’re still learning,” she said.

Saunders said JEWEL is already in talks with Eleven Fifty to offer the class again and to offer an AI-focused internship program for youth.

Eleven Fifty is also planning to launch free “Digital Literacy 101” and “Intro to IT” classes starting in June in both Crawfordsville and Lafayette.

“I feel like they’ve done a wonderful job of testing new delivery systems, new content, all those kinds of things. And I feel like the direction that they’re heading now is squarely in the crosshairs, for me, of where technology needs to go in Indiana and Indianapolis,” said Eileen Hulme, chancellor of IWU national and global.

Eleven Fifty’s new focus on AI seems like a smart strategy to Dennis Trinkle, the senior vice president of talent, strategy and partnerships at TechPoint. Based in Indianapolis, TechPoint works to strengthen the tech sector throughout Indiana.

“Being able to work with AI, it’s going to be terrifically important” to workforce development, Trinkle said. “Between now and 2030, there’s going to be much more demand for those skills than [supply of] individuals who have those skills.”

Eleven Fifty is not alone: Numerous other colleges, universities and professional credentialling organizations—including Indiana University, Purdue University, Ball State University and Ivy Tech Community College—have been rolling out AI instruction in recent years.

There’s plenty of room for everyone, Trinkle said.

“There’s going to be more demand [for AI training and education] than all of these players can address,” he said.

A long road

It’s taken time for Eleven Fifty to get to this point.

“We did inherit both good and bad—a good history, a strong history and some more recent financial troubles,” Hulme said. “I think we knew when we purchased it that it would take a while to find our footing.”

Eleven Fifty launched in 2014. When IWU acquired the tech academy in December 2022, it had suspended new enrollment and was facing wage claims from more than 10 employees who said they hadn’t received a paycheck in months.

IWU did not inherit Eleven Fifty’s debts when it purchased the school’s curriculum, trademarks, trade names, domain names and social media accounts—those debts remained with Eleven Fifty Academy Inc., the not-for-profit that Eleven Fifty’s co-founder, Scott Jones, had established to operate the school. Jones parted ways with Eleven Fifty once IWU took over.

But after it took control, IWU did need to figure out how to turn things around and build a sustainable financial model for Eleven Fifty. So the university brought back Qualls, who had run the academy in its early years but left in January 2019, to oversee the transformation.

IWU was optimistic at first that some of the tech school’s financial support would come from philanthropic donations from public and private sources. IWU had even had some promising meetings with potential donors—but the money didn’t come in as IWU had hoped.

“It never really came to fruition like we thought it was going to,” Hulme said.

The tuition puzzle

Financial aid for students has been another challenge.

Eleven Fifty is not an accredited college, so students cannot use federal financial aid to pay for their education there.

IWU restarted admissions at the tech academy in February 2023. Through February 2024, Qualls said, Eleven Fifty graduated 240 students.

The school has a staff of 16, including employees and full-time contractors, down from the 23 it had in December 2022.

“I’m pushing hard to get us to a sustainable place so we can grow out of that,” Qualls said.

Until recently, Eleven Fifty had been able to tap into Accelerate Indiana, an income-share program similar to an interest-free loan. Students could qualify for up to $7,500 for qualified training programs, then repay that amount once they landed a job that paid at least 75% of Indiana’s median household income.

But that program didn’t cover the entire cost of boot camp tuition, which is currently set at $15,000. And Accelerate Indiana isn’t taking new applications right now. A message on the Accelerate Indiana website says the program has been put on pause.

“We will utilize the time during the pause to evaluate the pilot program outcomes, continue to seek alternative funding sources, and refine a plan to submit to the Indiana General Assembly leading up to the 2025 budget session,” the message says.

When Accelerate Indiana went on pause earlier this year, Qualls said, Eleven Fifty turned to a Wyoming-based company, Mia Share Inc., to offer a similar income-share program—but the terms aren’t as favorable as those of Accelerate Indiana.

The financial aid factor is why Eleven Fifty is dropping the bootcamp model. Instead, Qualls said, the school is transitioning to shorter-term (and less-expensive) programs of five weeks or less. “We believe this approach will allow us to serve students better through a lower-cost, modular approach.”

‘Painful changes’

In an effort to reduce costs, Qualls said he had to make some “painful changes” a few months ago. He moved 10 of the school’s 16 staffers from employees to full-time contractors and eliminated some marketing positions as part of a retooling of the school’s marketing strategy.

Rather than trying to market its online courses to a nationwide audience, Qualls said, he decided to focus on Indiana and its neighboring states. This is a more realistic target, he said, based on the amount the school can afford to spend on marketing. He’s also focused on building name recognition through new efforts like the newsletter and podcasts launched in April.

To date, IWU has invested $1.25 million in Eleven Fifty, Qualls said. That amount includes IWU’s original purchase price plus other investments, including the costs of finishing out the instructional cycle for the 65 students who were enrolled in Eleven Fifty at the time the school changed hands.

Qualls said he believes it will take $2 million total and two years—or through the end of this year—to get Eleven Fifty back to a sustainable business model that’s fully aligned with workforce needs.

Qualls and Hulme said Eleven Fifty is not yet at the break-even point but that they expect it to be there soon. Hulme said it might happen as early as this summer.

Finances aside, Hulme said IWU has already reaped other benefits from the acquisition. IWU was an early adopter of online education, and it already offers numerous non-degree credentials. But Eleven Fifty is delivering some valuable lessons about how the university can become even more nimble.

“Eleven Fifty also has taught us a lot about moving quickly and pivoting when things aren’t working and those types of things,” Hulme said. “And, you know, that isn’t necessarily a university’s forte. So it’s been a really positive addition, to us, to have the focus on Eleven Fifty just really be challenging and showing us a new way to do education.”•