Google and MIT RAISE collaborate on a free generative AI course for educators

The course will help teachers save time, personalize instruction, and enhance lessons with generative AI tools.

Google and MIT RAISE, part of MIT Open Learning, announced today a free Generative AI for Educators course. The online, two-hour, self-paced course is designed to help middle and high school teachers use generative AI tools to personalize instruction to meet student needs, develop creative lessons and activities, and save time on administrative tasks. Teachers who complete the course will earn a certificate that can be presented to their district for professional development credit. The course combines Google and MIT RAISE’s technological expertise and shared commitment to promoting useful and responsible AI education. Teachers and administrators can access the course on the Grow with Google website.

“MIT RAISE believes knowledge of generative AI is a key factor in creating a more equitable future for education,” says Cynthia Breazeal, director of MIT RAISE and dean for digital learning at MIT Open Learning. “We’re thrilled to collaborate with Google to offer the Generative AI for Educators course — providing middle and high school teachers with no-cost AI training. This course empowers educators to confidently integrate AI into their teaching, creating richer and more accessible learning experiences for all students.”

Breazeal and Lisa Gevelber, founder of Grow with Google, wrote the following blog post about the new course.

Think back on your favorite teachers. Maybe they made complex subjects seem simple and teaching seem effortless. But the truth is, teachers spend countless hours preparing engaging lesson plans, thoughtful assessments and creative class materials.

AI can be a valuable assistant to teachers in these moments. That’s why Grow with Google, in collaboration with MIT RAISE (Responsible AI for Social Empowerment and Education), is launching a no-cost Generative AI for Educators course, designed to help teachers build essential AI skills, it’s part of a shared commitment to promoting useful and responsible AI education.

In just two hours of self-paced study, teachers can learn how to use generative AI tools to help:

Create engaging lesson plans and materials. For example with generative AI, they can input their specific lesson plan and tailor it to student interests like explaining science using sports analogies.
Tailor instruction for different abilities. Imagine a teacher who has 25 or 30 kids in their classroom. With generative AI, that teacher can easily modify the same lesson for different reading levels in their class.
Save time on everyday tasks like drafting emails and other correspondence. For instance, if a student is out sick teachers can create summaries of that day’s lessons to help make sure the student doesn’t fall behind.
At the end of the course, teachers will earn a certificate that they can present to their district for professional development (PD) credit, depending on district and state requirements.

School districts across the country will offer this Generative AI for Educators course, including Albuquerque Public Schools, Anaheim Union High School District, Chicago Public Schools, Miami-Dade County Public Schools, and Sun Prairie Area School District in Wisconsin.

Whether you’re a Superintendent interested in offering PD credit for your district, or you’re a teacher interested in enrolling in the course, learn more at grow.google/GenAIforEducators.

Breazeal and Gevelber’s blog post was originally published at blog.google.