Two female teachers studying AI Essentials for Educators course in cafe environment

Short Course

AI Essentials for Educators Course

20 November 2024

Empower your teaching with artificial intelligence and gain confidence using the latest AI tools for teachers. Designed for educators at all levels, this course helps you harness AI’s potential to future-proof your teaching.

HOW TO APPLY

Price

Domestic learners

$395 NZD incl GST where applicable

International learners

$821 NZD incl GST where applicable

Qualification

Short course

Duration

20 hours

Entry times

3 November 2025*
2 February 2026
9 March 2026
27 April 2026

*For the best learning experience, we recommend 5 hours of study per week over 4 weeks. Learning must be completed within 2 months.

Enrolments open for November and February

Enrol for 3 November

Enrol for 2 February

Overview

As part of our AI for educators series, this course will help you gain core generative AI competencies. You can also learn how artificial intelligence can strengthen and streamline your assessment process, and how to combine academic integrity and AI to empower student achievement (coming soon).

As Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools become widespread, educators must learn how to make the best use of AI in their teaching and learning, to boost effectiveness and efficiencies – and keep up with their students!

There’s a lot to get to grips with, which is why our University of Canterbury academic experts are here to help you demystify the use of AI. In this short course, you’ll learn the fundamentals of how AI works and explore how you can harness the latest innovations in AI and generative AI to support you in your teaching practice.

This course is designed to be hands-on, giving you a starting point to explore a range of AI tools, learn how to use them and implement appropriate safety measures, and to explore how generative AI can be used in your own context.

Explore the essentials of AI for educators and build your confidence in using generative AI tools in your teaching in just 20 hours.

This course is ideal for

Primary and pre-primary teachers
Intermediate and secondary teachers
Tertiary lecturers and educators
Leaders in education

What you'll learn

Fundamental AI concepts for educators
Types of AI tools and examples of common generative AI tools that are useful for educators
How to evaluate the implications of using large language models (LLMs) in education

This course aims to introduce a fundamental understanding of AI and frame this around how it is impacting learning and assessment. Learners will be introduced to broad concepts around AI and specifically the generative attributes of AI, and become familiar with and confident in using it for teaching and learning.

Testimonials

Sara

AI Essentials for Educators

"Very comprehensive, well designed course. I really enjoyed the hands on, interactive elements."

Kuao

AI Essentials for Educators

"The course gave me insights into the tools that are most likely to help in my teaching practice rather than having to wade through a myriad of choices from the various platforms. A lot more of the mysteries have been lifted. Anā te mihi ki a koutou o Waitaha."

Jenelle

AI Essentials for Educators

"This is a really good course as an introduction to AI and has widened my understanding of how I can effectively use it and also how I need to support my students to use it effectively."

Brendon

AI Essentials for Educators

"Not too time consuming. Very relevant, and a range of ways to interact/learn."

Kim

AI Essentials for Educators

"I thought I knew a lot about AI in education, but this course taught me so much. This course really opened up my eyes and made me realise how much learning teachers need to do in this space, even in primary schools."

Kellie

AI Essentials for Educators

"This course has given me confidence and knowledge of different AI tools to check out, and how to use them with caution."

Meike

AI Essentials for Educators

"Good quality materials and resources provided. I consider this overall value for money."

How it works

AI Essentials for Educators is flexible, enabling you to plan your study around your other commitments. You can choose to complete the 20 hours of study when it suits you during the learning period.

We recommend completing around 5 hours of study per week over 4 weeks, but you'll have 8 weeks to complete all learning.

Study anywhere online and feel supported everywhere

Nervous about studying online?
You'll start your course with an optional UC Online Essentials course, giving you a chance to get familiar with the learning management system (LMS). Learn more about how online study with us really works.

Online, not alone
Study anywhere, feel supported everywhere. This accelerated learning course is designed to help you gain new skills quickly and effectively — maximum learning and minimum time commitment. This means there will not be a dedicated course facilitator, but our Enrolment Support and Learner Support teams are always here to help.

Qualification
This is a standalone course that recognises the achievement of specific skills, experience, or knowledge. There are no academic points associated with this course.

Recognition
Upon successful completion of the course you will be issued a digital badge to recognise your learning achievements.

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Course outline

The course is divided into three modules you'll work your way through over the learning period. Each module includes specific learning objectives, educational content across a range of media, activities to apply what you've learnt, plus a 'temperature check' survey to make sure you're getting what you need as a learner.

Module 1: Introduction to AI concepts
Learn about fundamental AI concepts and critically evaluate the implications of using large language models (LLMs) in educational settings.

Module 2: Integrating AI into teaching
Identify a range of AI tools that could be used in your classroom for teaching and research. Practise designing effective prompts to support some common activities that educators may engage in when using generative AI.

Module 3: Ethical implications of GenAI for teaching
Understand and analyse ethical issues related to the use of generative AI in education and propose policies for its responsible use in teaching and assessment.

Assessments
To complete this course, you need to have attempted all activities and quizzes, as well as the final reflection activity.

Ready to start learning?

Enrol now for November or February.

Enrol for 3 November

Enrol for 2 February

Requirements

There are no prerequisites for this course – it is open to anyone who has confidence listening, reading, and writing in English.

This course is designed for teachers, educators and academics – if you're not a teacher, please contact us via info@uconline.ac.nz to check if this course is right for you.

Technology requirements

We recommend a laptop or desktop computer and a reliable internet connection.
A PDF reader (like Adobe Acrobat Reader DC) to download PDFs with assessment instructions.
Word processing software (like Microsoft Word or Google Docs) to complete your assignments.

Course fees
Course fees must be paid before learning can begin, either via online credit-card payment, or by contacting info@uconline.ac.nz to request an invoice. Please note: fixed invoice payment dates apply, so we recommend getting in touch with us as soon as possible to request an invoice, as this option is subject to availability.

Group discounts
Get your colleagues together to take advantage of our group discounts:

10% for 3 - 6 learners
15% for 7+ learners

Contact our Enrolment Support Team to learn more and enquire now.

Withdrawals and refunds
Once learning begins, you are eligible for a withdrawal with refund up until the end of day 3. After this date, refunds may be available if your circumstances are exceptional, for example if you've experienced a serious medical event.

Our people

Kathryn MacCallum, Associate Professor of Digital Education Futures at the University of Canterbury.

Dr Kathryn MacCallum

Associate Professor, Digital Education Futures, University of Canterbury, School of Leadership and Professional Practice in Education

Kathryn MacCallum is an Associate Professor of Digital Education Futures and head of the University of Canterbury’s School of Leadership and Professional Practice in Education.

She’s established a strong research background that focuses on integrating digital tools into a tertiary curriculum.

She’s led and been involved in several research projects that explore the role of technology (and more recently AR and VR) to support learners.

Dr David Parsons

Research Director, academyEX, and Adjunct Professor, University of Canterbury

Dr David Parsons has broad international experience in academia and the software industry. He holds a PhD in Information Technology and has research interests in the role of AI and digital technologies in education, agile and lean thinking, curriculum design, and contemporary software development.

He has produced over 200 publications, including several technology-focused books, and has developed and delivered micro-credentials in digital skills for the workplace and software development processes and tools.

Please note: our academic team develop and present video content within their courses, but are not always available to answer queries. Our learner experience team will be available to answer queries via support@uconline.ac.nz

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