Free AI for teachers course

Macquarie University has partnered with IBM to develop a free course on Artificial Intelligence (AI) for teachers and is available on Coursera via Open P-TECH.

The ‘Artificial Intelligence (AI) Education for Teachers’ professional learning course has been designed for primary and secondary educators, to bridge the gap between commonly held beliefs about what artificial intelligence is and how it can be embedded into all areas of the curriculum.

The course is aligned to the IBM AI Curriculum Framework, also co-developed with Macquarie University, which details the knowledge, skills and values needed to understand and work with AI to solve problems. The course is structured over 4 weeks at 4 hours per week, however learners can flexibly study faster or slower to suit schedules.

The course provides theory plus applied examples of the components that make up AI. Teachers can work their way through the entire course, or they can focus on key areas as desired. There is knowledge and skills transferability across multiple disciplines and learning areas from early childhood, primary, secondary and post-secondary.

“In our tech-driven society, teaching digital fundamentals like AI early on can help position students for future success,” said Betty Vandenbosch, Chief Content Officer at Coursera.

“We’re excited to partner with leading institutions like Macquarie University and IBM to help educators incorporate AI into their classroom discussions.”

Macquarie University School of Education course instructors, Dr Anne Forbes and Dr Markus Powling developed the course in partnership with IBM.

“Through our partnership with IBM we were able to bring together experts in education and leaders in innovation, to collaboratively create a course that will provide teachers with the knowledge and skills to understand AI and its implications for society, now and in the future,” explains Dr Forbes.

‘Artificial Intelligence (AI) Education for Teachers’ is available on Coursera and is open for enrolments. Enrolment is free.