Educators Can Dive Into AI’s Classroom Potential in New Course

Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to revolutionize the way students are taught. To help prepare them for this new world, a 16-hour course through the Lehigh Valley Writing Project at Penn State Lehigh Valley will allow educators to explore some of the many possibilities for using AI in their classrooms.

The course “AI for Educators” is designed to be asynchronous, which means students can participate in it at their own pace. The course has been developed for K-12 teachers who want to use AI to streamline administrative processes, develop lesson plans, promote digital literacy and citizenship, and more.

“AI for Educators” is designed to be a starting point for educational professionals who are still considering potential uses of AI in the classroom. It includes five modules covering topics such as how to utilize AI in cross-curricular lesson planning and how to communicate and explore ethical uses of AI.

Upon course completion, educators will receive an index of tools and resources on AI implementation, as well as a connection to a professional, digital literacy-focused community.

“We believe strongly in digital literacy–both students and teachers need to know it (AI) can be useful if it’s used correctly,” said Jamie Merida, continuing education program coordinator at PSU-LV, who developed the course content. “We want teachers to help them (the students) understand AI’s pros, cons, celebrations, and pitfalls.”

Lehigh Valley Writing Project director Nicole Moschberger said the self-paced element of the course was added with teachers’ busy schedules in mind.

“The self-paced feature is a real benefit,” she said. “Individuals who enroll can actively engage on the discussion board, and we do hope to see lively discussion and constructive peer feedback.”

One tenet of the Lehigh Valley Writing Project is the idea of ‘teachers teaching teachers,'” she added. “We hope this new community of teacher-learners will apply what they learn about AI in their classrooms, as well as share their experiences with colleagues.”

The course begins on Feb. 14. The cost to enroll in it is $149, and educators who participated in LVWP’s Fall 2023 Discussion Series are eligible for a discount.

To register, visit the course website.

This local news story was reported with generative AI assistance.