Recruiting students from across the U.S., Campus is the new alternative to online community college. Our online associate degree in business program consists of 100% live, online classes taught by professors who also teach at top-ranked colleges and universities. Read on to learn more about our talented teaching team.
In an era where the journey of education and career paths are increasingly intertwined and dynamic, Brandon Middleton's story stands as a testament to the power of interdisciplinary exploration and adaptability.
From the technical rigors of electrical engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign to the strategic depths of an MBA from UC Berkeley, and onto being the lead instructor for the Applied AI Concentration at Campus, Middleton’s focus has been to give students the in-demand AI tools employers are looking for. In addition to teaching in Campus’s online associate in business program, Middleton also teaches at Stanford University. His professional pathway is a vibrant mosaic of learning, teaching, and applying knowledge across diverse spectrums.
As Middleton himself reflects on the serendipitous turns of his career and the impactful engagements in teaching, his experiences underscore the evolving landscape of education and the crucial role of mentorship in shaping future professionals.
From Engineering to Business to Teaching
Before becoming a professor, Middleton’s higher education path led him from his hometown of Chicago to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign for his undergraduate studies. Not long after, this Chicago native found himself in the Bay Area in pursuit of an internship opportunity offered by Cisco during his junior and senior years. He later joined the company’s team after earning his Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering.
Following his graduation, Middleton continued his academic pursuits at UC Berkeley, where he took a turn toward the business world and decided to pursue an MBA while working full-time. After a few grueling years of hard work completing his MBA and starting new jobs at companies like Microsoft, Uber, and Twitch, Middleton was introduced to teaching opportunities at the Stanford d.school after connecting with a friend who was also from the South side of Chicago.
“Yeah, teaching for me was something that was kind of like serendipity,” Middleton noted. “I had a friend who was a VP of design at Nike. He came out to Stanford to get a business degree, and after he graduated, he stayed at the Stanford d.school for one year and did a fellowship. So during this one-year fellowship, he actually called me and a couple of other buddies to deliver some workshops.”
These workshops, initially crafted to empower underrepresented groups on campus, soon evolved into a broader teaching teaching opportunity. Middleton and his team's efforts to bring diverse perspectives into entrepreneurship, technology, and business education resonated deeply with others in the Stanford community.
"Some of these activations and pop-ups that we did were so well received that the actual teaching teams of different courses asked us to partner with them or asked us to do guest lectures, and that was a snowball,” Middleton shared. “My interest in teaching began to grow from there, and it's always been a cool thing that I can kind of pull from nine-to-five work, bring it into the classroom, and give students a really good example of how those skills are useful and applicable as opposed to something that they'll learn one day and never use a day in their life.”
Pulling from his practical experience from working at major tech companies throughout his career, the perspectives he’s gained from his technical undergraduate studies, and his business acumen, Middleton can create an impactful learning experience for students from a variety of backgrounds.
“I happen to teach design now at both Stanford and at the University of Illinois,” Middleton mentioned. “My students are from all the different disciplines. I teach folks from the business school, liberal arts, folks who are engineers, undergrad and grad students. I like that I’m able to kind of teach a subject using those frameworks and making the language accessible so that people from all different walks of life can understand it.”
Professor Fun Fact: Some students might be surprised to learn that outside of design and tech, Professor Middleton also had a bit of a music career that started in 2007. “When I first moved to the Bay Area after graduating, my first friends that I made on campus at Stanford were musicians,” Middleton noted. “I played keyboards and drums, and I used to rap in this band.” The highlights of his music career? Getting to meet with notable music artists. As Middleton explained, “We actually had Janelle Monae open up for us before she signed to the band, and I also got to open up for The Roots in 2009 which was kind of like the apex of my musical endeavors.”
Finding a Passion for Creating Online Learning Spaces
Online education offers unique opportunities for learning beyond traditional classrooms for students from across the country, even Middleton. Reflecting on his studies during his undergraduate program, he shared with us some details on how he took a few courses online while pursuing one of his internships with Cisco.
“Yeah, as a student I actually took a course or two online,” Middleton revealed to us. “I had an internship in the Bay Area and took a class from the University of Illinois remotely. That mode of learning was something that I quite enjoyed. So big fan of it from a user perspective.”
Middleton has also had his fair share of experience from an instructor’s perspective, starting his teaching career as an adjunct professor for Stanford in July 2019 - just a few months before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Now fast forward all these years, and my first time teaching fully remotely was during COVID,” Middleton pointed out. “Stanford students couldn't go on campus so we did Zoom school for that year and literally built out a whole curriculum and a whole system about how we were gonna do a quarter but never see each other, never shake hands, never do anything face to face in real life.”
Though the abrupt transition to online learning was challenging for many, Middleton sought to create a greater sense of community despite the social distancing. As he best puts it, “One of the good things about that quarter was our ability to invite other people into the experience.”
During the pandemic, Middleton and other prominent black professionals utilized the accessibility of online learning platforms, and created spaces for students and members of the community to take part in conversations with the Stanford community. Together, they created an online community college space of their own, called Stanford Community College.
“So for quite a few of the lectures, we had these things called community conversations where I pull in people with different expertise to come in and give guest lectures,” Middleton recalled. “And I thought, ‘Well if we're forced to do Zoom school, why not have my students be able to invite somebody from the community who couldn't necessarily afford Stanford tuition?’”
Middleton went on to share how the 10-week class saw great success, creating an online community of almost 1,000 people who were interested in auditing the course. As he explained, “I had 20 Stanford students and like 900 other people from around the world that hung out with us for that entire COVID quarter. The power of scale is something that hybrid and online can provide you.”
Artificial Intelligence is the Future
In addition to being well-versed in teaching college students in both online and in-person spaces, Middleton has identified a unique opportunity in his professional life and in the classroom: the use of generative AI. By guiding students through the exploration of online resources, Middleton equips his students with a comprehensive understanding of his course’s subject matter and enriches their educational experience in the Applied AI Concentration program.
“We can change any student's personal productivity by leaning into these emerging AI tools,” Middleton shared. “It’s going to flip a lot of things on its head while you're in college and then also after you leave college. If you can do with one person what it used to take three people to do - you're a super valuable asset.”
While these tools can help professionals get ahead in their careers, Middleton also works with his students to consider the implications of using generative AI based on large language models (LLMs) in their work, how to best make use of them, and the vigilance needed when reviewing what the programs will generate.
"So my focus for this fall has been introducing the students to the implications of AI, giving them a practical set of tools and showing them how they work and can be integrated into how the answer homework prompts or do group projects,” Middleton noted. “They become kind of AI-assisted. They’re asking questions about the validity of some of the feedback that they get from these systems as well, making them very critical of the output and not blindly just taking it and assuming that it's true.”
Middleton pointed out that while these tools can be wonderful resources for students and working professionals alike, they are not perfect. Generative AI tools have been known to generate false or inaccurate information. Though AI may not be taking over just yet, those who have a mastery of working with AI tools will have the skill set that can help them tackle the business world.
The Smart Way to Launch Your College Career
The Campus online associate degree in business program helps students knock out the first two years of college and supports them as they prepare for life after graduation.
Want to attend classes led by mission-driven educators like Brandon Middleton? Apply now to be part of the next trailblazing cohort of the Campus program today.
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