Faculty in the Clemson University College of Education have developed three new microcredential courses for K-12 educators that focus on artificial intelligence and its ideal use in classrooms as a teaching tool. The courses provide a foundational understanding of AI in education, overviews of various AI tools, how educators can utilize those tools to enhance classroom activities and how educators can integrate ethical and responsible use of AI into class activities and discussions.
Dani Herro serves as the College of Education Dean’s Fellow for Humanistic AI and Emerging Technologies in K-12 Education and professor of learning sciences. She likes to emphasize the “humanistic” part of her title; her work alongside other faculty to design coursework about AI focuses on practical human use and how teachers can relate — as educators to students and as individuals to others — to a rapidly evolving technology that affects education and the world.
“It does not matter what industry you’re going into; the workforce wants people who are prepared for AI-infused careers,” Herro said. “Students must learn when not to use AI and when to treat it as a ‘cognitive partner.’ The use of AI or prompts should not consume 80% of learning time; it should accelerate deeper thinking and discussion, and we need trained educators who can foster that type of learning with students.”
Each microcredential course is four weeks long and includes readings, videos, peer discussions and hands-on activities that educators can apply directly in classrooms with students. Herro developed the courses with April Pelt, director of online education, and Ryan Visser, principal lecturer, based on current research-to-practice guidelines, AI literacy frameworks and resources from respected educational technology non-profit organizations.
Herro likes to use real-world examples of AI-infused lesson plans in the microcredentials to help teachers realize its potential. For example, a middle school lesson on South Carolina history preservation and architecture demonstrates how teachers can task students with finding reputable sources of information from audio files, websites, images and print sources, and then ask the students to use AI tools to transform these sources into a peer learning experience. In this scenario, students become podcast producers, providing lessons for one another that encourage reflection, analysis and connection to broader themes.
“This approach turns what could be a passive listening experience into an interactive learning experience, which is powerful for both educators and students,” Herro said. “When educators are familiar with the tools, there is much more emphasis on teachers and students learning how to refine prompts, verify results and think critically, not just copy and pasting a result.”
Educators in the three microcredential courses reflect on current school district AI policies and even write their own policy specific to their classrooms. Combined with practical lessons on prompt engineering, AI-integrated learning activity development and an overview of several generative AI tools, educators emerge with a suite of approaches to AI and a fully formed philosophy that they helped define on its use in the classroom.
An entire course on the ethical use of AI enables educators to learn about inherent biases and the fairness of AI tools, allowing them to help students critically evaluate and responsibly use AI. Even if an educator does not consistently apply AI in their discipline, they can learn about its ethical use to encourage students to use it responsibly.
The College will pilot the microcredential courses beginning in February 2026 with nearly 30 educators from six different school districts statewide. Participants will assist faculty in evaluating the courses and making improvements based on their expertise as educators and instructional leaders. The College plans to scale courses and offer multiple opportunities each year for South Carolina educators and others to participate.
Participants who complete all three microcredential courses can apply the credit to one three-credit graduate course in select College of Education graduate programs.
