Menu

IDEAS

A microcredential takes educators from AI anxiety to agency

By Elizabeth Radday, Matt Mervis, Jennifer Preuss and Ryan Carey
Categories: Learning designs, Technology
February 2026
Many school districts face common challenges in navigating AI use, including disagreement about the appropriate role for AI, lack of clear policies, widely varying skillsets among educators, and inconsistency within and across schools. To address these challenges, EdAdvance, one of the six non-profit Regional Educational Service Centers in Connecticut, created an AI in K-12 Education microcredential course. Through a partnership with Southern Connecticut State University’s Office of Workforce and Lifelong Learning, participants who complete the six-week course earn a Credly microcredential badge. Over 600 educators from 15 states and three countries have taken the microcredential course to date. With the knowledge they build in the course, they are building scalable and sustainable systems of AI adoption and use that honor teacher agency and active learning.

Read the remaining content with membership access. Join or log in below to continue.

Sed ut perspiciatis unde omnis iste natus error sit voluptatem accusantium doloremque laudantium, totam rem aperiam, eaque ipsa quae ab illo inventore veritatis et quasi architecto beatae vitae dicta sunt explicabo. Nemo enim ipsam voluptatem quia voluptas sit aspernatur aut odit aut fugit, sed quia consequuntur magni dolores eos qui ratione voluptatem sequi nesciunt. Neque porro quisquam est, qui dolorem ipsum quia dolor sit amet, consectetur, adipisci velit, sed quia non numquam eius modi tempora incidunt ut labore et dolore magnam aliquam quaerat voluptatem.

Log In
   

AI in K-12 Education microcredential modules and activities

Module 1: Foundations

  • What is AI?
  • Machine learning
  • Ethical navigator
  • AI quests from Google Gemini

 

Module 2: AI Risks

  • Hallucinations
  • Deep fakes
  • The environment
  • AI companions
  • Bias
  • Academic integrity

 

Module 3: Prompting Pros

  • Prompting 101
  • Three types of prompts (clerk, colleague, coach)
  • Zero shot, single shot, multishot prompting
  • Using vision in prompting
  • NotebookLM
  • Prompting with unstructured data
  • Differentiation of texts
  • Gems and custom GPTs

 

Module 4: Shifting Assessments

  • Creating durable assessments and activities
  • Auditing assignment and assessments
  • The AI assessment scale (from Leon Furze)
  • Deep research and the future of assessment

 

Module 5: Multimedia

  • Creating images
  • Creating audio
  • Creating video
  • Voice in and voice out
  • Gamma multimedia presentations
  • Napkin AI

 

Module 6: Future Focus

  • Adaptive leadership
  • AI literacy
  • AI policy
  • Student-facing AI
  • Frontier models versus wrappers


Elizabeth Radday
+ posts

Dr. Liz Radday is the Director of Research and Innovation at EdAdvance. She is the co-host of ChatEDU, recently rated as the #1  podcast on AI in Education by Forbes magazine. She works throughout CT and the United States with schools on using artificial intelligence through keynotes, collaborative planning and instruction. Dr. Radday recently published her first book, Learning They'll Love: Engage Students, Meet Standards, and Spark Creativity with Personal Interest Projects.

Matt mervis
+ posts

Matt Mervis is co-host of the ChatEDU podcast and Director of AI Strategy at EdAdvance, Matt works with schools, higher education, workforce organizations, and corporate partners to support the responsible adoption of generative AI. Matt brings experience as a teacher, district technology director, professional development leader, and product developer, and is a frequent national speaker to diverse audiences on AI and the future of education and work.

Jennifer Preuss
+ posts

Jennifer Preuss is the Director of Assessment, Accountability, and Performance for Bloomfield Public Schools in Connecticut. She is responsible for districtwide data systems, assessment strategy, and supporting schools through MTSS and improvement planning. Jennifer is currently pursuing her Ed.D. in Educational Leadership at Sacred Heart University, where her research focuses on educator well-being and leadership systems that support sustainable improvement.

Ryan Carey
+ posts

Ryan Carey is a high school business education teacher and advisor for our school's chapter of the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA).  I hold a Master's degree in instructional technology.  I spent more than fifteen years as a professional in the business world prior to becoming a teacher.


Categories: Learning designs, Technology

Search
The Learning Professional


Published Date

CURRENT ISSUE


Recent Issues

LEARNING WITH AI
February 2026

Generative AI can be a powerful tool for professional learning design and...

WHAT STUDENTS NEED NOW
December 2025

For all students to thrive, we need to understand who they are and what...

LEARNING COMMUNITIES FOR LEADERS
October 2025

Leaders need opportunities to connect, learn, and grow with peers just as...

MAXIMIZING RESOURCES
August 2025

This issue offers advice about making the most of professional learning...

×

Register your interest

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.