Program overview

A year-long blended PD program made of:

• 10 microcourses (10–12 total hours of short, focused modules you complete asynchronously; each modular microcourse = ~1 hour of teacher work split into 3–6 bite-sized lessons).

• Monthly faculty micro-presentations — 15 minutes at a staff meeting (10 months = 2.5 hours total).

• Artifacts & portfolio: practical evidence of transfer (lesson plan adaptation, rubric, student-facing handout, classroom demo video or reflection).

• Badge pathway & capstone: earn 3 tiered badges (Awareness, Practitioner, Leader) culminating in a portfolio capstone validated by the Director of EdTech.

• Estimated PD credit: program qualifies for ~20 PD hours (10 asynchronous + 2.5 synchronous + 7.5 for portfolio/capstone and guided practice). Local districts / state authorities set exact CEU/clock-hour conversion; many guidelines treat 10 contact hours ≈ 1 CEU, and NEA/district guidance recommends micro-credentials be at least ~10 hours of work each. HeadStart.gov

Learning outcomes (by badge)

Badge 1 — AI Awareness (Intro) (≈ 3–4 microhours)

• Teachers can list common types of generative AI (text, image, audio, video).

• Teachers can recognize red flags for AI text/images and apply a short checklist to suspicious work.

Badge 2 — AI Classroom Practitioner (Practice) (≈ 6–8 microhours + artifacts)

• Teachers can use simple detection strategies, design equitable assessment alternatives, and write/communicate classroom AI policies with students and families.

• Teachers submit a classroom artifact (syllabus language, assignment redesign, rubric) for review.

Badge 3 — AI Leader (Implementation & Coaching) (≈ 8–10 hours + capstone)

• Teachers lead a short unit teaching students responsible AI use; coach at least one colleague; submit a portfolio with student-facing lessons and a reflection.

• Director of EdTech verifies and issues the Leader badge.

Microcourse modules

1. What is generative AI? (10–15 min) — definitions, examples, quick demo.

2. How to spot AI-written text (15–20 min) — red flags, prompt fingerprints, simple digital checks.

3. Recognizing AI images & deepfakes (15–20 min) — visual cues, metadata basics.

4. AI audio & video: synthetic voices & face swaps (15–20 min).

5. Assessment design to reduce misuse (20 min) — prompts, process evidence, oral defenses.

6. Student conversations about AI: language & restorative approaches (15 min).

7. Classroom policies & fair consequences (20 min) — progressive discipline & academic integrity.

8. Teaching students to use AI responsibly (30 min) — lesson template + student badge.

9. Privacy, data, and school/district policy (15 min) — FERPA-adjacent concerns and vendor checklists.

10. Coaching & leading AI PD (portfolio tasks + rubric) — final practices and evidence.

Each micro-module includes: a 5–8 min interactive video, a 5–10 min interactive quiz or reflection, a task (artifact), and a short knowledge check. Use spaced reminders/notifications and short spaced-rep quizzes to improve retention.

Monthly 15-minute faculty session topics (10-min talk + 5-min Q&A)

• Month 1: Why AI literacy matters — quick demos and one takeaway for every teacher.

• Month 2: Red flags for AI text — show two student examples.

• Month 3: Alternatives to high-stakes essays — process journals, drafts, digital notebooks.

• Month 4: Family communication templates — sample email & FAQ.

• Month 5: Assessing multimodal AI (images/video) — classroom protocols.

• Month 6: Teaching students to cite AI use — classroom practice.

• Month 7: Student privacy & vendor vetting checklist.

• Month 8: Using AI tools to accelerate teacher work (lesson planning ethically).

• Month 9: Success stories — teacher showcases and evidence.

• Month 10: Portfolio clinic — finalize artifacts and badges.

Software & tools

These tools are affordable, easy to author, support micro-lessons, and integrate open badges or xAPI for evidence.

Authoring & microlearning platforms

• EdApp / SC Training (microlearning-first) — mobile-friendly microlearning LMS with templates, spaced repetition, and rapid authoring . Great for bite-sized lessons. SafetyCulture Training

• TalentLMS — simple LMS with microlearning and SCORM/xAPI support for districts wanting more LMS features. e-learningpartners.com

• Moodle (plus H5P) — open-source LMS that pairs with H5P for interactive microcontent (if a district prefers self-hosted). H5P authoring gives interactive videos, branching scenarios, and quizzes that embed in Moodle. H5P

Badge & credential platforms

• Badgr — Open Badge issuing and backpacking; integrates well with Canvas/Moodle and supports portable Open Badges. Ideal for K–12 and free tiers exist. badgr.com

• Credly — enterprise-grade credentialing & verification if you want public professional recognition and analytics. Good for district-level, externally verifiable badges. info.credly.com

• Digital Promise Badge Engine — an example of an education-focused badge engine for issuing micro-credentials in K–12 contexts. Digital Promise

Interactivity & artifact collection

• H5P (interactive content you can embed into Moodle/Canvas).

• Google Forms / Microsoft Forms for short micro-checks and artifact uploads.

• Video collection via simple phone uploads to your LMS for teacher demonstrations.

Optional detection & demonstration tools (for teacher awareness, not perfect detectors)

• Turnitin/Rubric tools (if available) to check for textual similarity.

• Free AI detection demos and browser extensions exist — use as discussion starters and teach limitations (no detector is 100% reliable).

How many PD hours & how to document them

• Each microcourse is ~1 hour of teacher-facing time (3–6 microlessons of 10–20 minutes each). NEA and micro-credential guidance recommend micro-credentials be substantial (often ~10 hours of work) if they are to count toward advancement or pay. A conservative, district-friendly approach: issue each badge only after ~8–10 hours of demonstrated work (microlearning + artifacts + short synchronous activities). National Education Association

Example PD credit mapping (district-friendly)

• AI Awareness badge — 3 hours → 0.3 CEU (or local clock hours as district decides)

• AI Practitioner badge — 8 hours → 0.8 CEU

• AI Leader badge + capstone — 12 hours → 1.2 CEU
  Total program ≈ 23 PD hours (can be rounded or aligned to local state clock-hour rules). Always pre-approve with your district PD office to ensure state clock-hour acceptance.

Research & evidence

• Systematic review of microlearning showing positive effects on learning outcomes and themes for best practice. ScienceDirect

• Empirical study: microlearning improved learning and self-efficacy among health profession students (shows cross-domain transferability and design principles). PMC

• Systematic research syntheses and practitioner guidance on micro-credentials and badges for educators (NEA & Digital Promise): frameworks for designing meaningful badges and linking them to teacher practice. National Education Association

Sample rubric for issuing a Practitioner badge

Criteria (each scored: 0 = missing, 1 = partial, 2 = proficient)

1. Completed all microlessons and knowledge checks (evidence in LMS).

2. Submitted a redesigned assignment that reduces AI misuse (artifact).

3. Submitted a student-facing AI policy/lesson (artifact).

4. Completed a 10-minute microteaching or reflection video (uploaded).
   Pass: ≥6/8. Director of EdTech or designated reviewer approves.