AI Foundations for Educators (AIF1)

Build Your Foundational AI Skills

In this asynchronous course, you'll build the conceptual foundation, practical skills, and professional habits needed to work with AI as a true partner in your teaching practice. Across this course, you'll move from understanding how AI systems actually work to developing fluency across an AI-use framework: a structured approach to six core AI capabilities applied directly to K-12 practice.

Register

To enroll in AI Foundations for Educators (AIF1), click the Register button above to access CSU’s registration system. Follow the prompts to create an account or log in to your existing account. Complete the registration form, select AI Foundations for Educators (AIF1) from the course menu, and add it to your cart. You may add other courses before proceeding to checkout to complete your payment.

All CSU courses offered in partnership with Ed3 Global are self-paced and fully online, so you can build your AI skills whenever it fits your schedule.

Course Modules

Module 0. AI Readiness Check: Develop a pedagogy-first AI mindset, establish simple guardrails for safe use, and set up an AI log and learning portfolio to guide your partnership with AI throughout the course.

Module 1. Understanding AI: Explain how generative AI and large language models produce responses, identify when AI outputs require verification, and apply practical strategies to verify AI-generated information before using it.

Module 2. Communicating with AI: Communicate effectively with AI by writing purposeful prompts, providing meaningful context, grounding responses in relevant sources, and creating reusable communication resources.

Module 3. Partnering with AI: Recognize six ways educators can partner with AI, select appropriate approaches for different teaching tasks, and use AI to draft a classroom project.

Sample Course Activity

What Our Learners Say

“I thought this course did an excellent job showing us actual applications of how to use AI as an educator as well as numerous tools.” ~ Teacher, Illinois

“This is by far the best professional development I have done all summer.” ~ Teacher, Missouri