AI Tools for Teaching, Learning & Assessment, Renfrow, Summer 2026

Course Number:	EDU 5710 S05
Instructor:	Clarena Renfrow, M.Ed.
Location:	Online
Dates and Times:	July 11 - Aug 29, 2026. First meeting on July 11, 2026 at 10 am using Zoom. Other meeting times will be agreed upon by the group. The remainder of the course takes place in an independent, online format.
Credits:	3 Credits
Tuition:	$1,195

Course Description

This 3-credit graduate course provides an in-depth exploration of AI-driven platforms—Magic School, Brisk, Gemini and Notebook LLM (and others) —designed to revolutionize teaching, learning, and assessment. Participants will learn how to leverage these powerful tools to create learning experiences, streamline assessments, and enhance student engagement. The course combines theoretical understanding with practical application, equipping educators with the skills to effectively integrate AI into their instructional practices.

Audience: All educators with a Bachelor's Degree

Course Goals & Objectives

Course Goals: By the end of the course, participants will be able to:

Navigate and utilize the core features of Magic School, Brisk, Gemini & Notebook LLM.
Design and implement learning activities and assessments using these AI tools.
Analyze and interpret data generated by these platforms to inform instructional decisions.
Develop comprehensive lesson plans and instructional units that integrate AI tools to enhance teaching and learning.
Address ethical and practical challenges associated with AI in education.

Course Objectives: ISTE Standards for Educators:

Learner: Educators continually improve their practice by learning from and with others and exploring proven and promising practices that leverage technology to improve student learning.
Designer: Educators design authentic, learner-driven activities and environments that recognize and accommodate learner variability.
Facilitator: Educators facilitate learning with technology to support student achievement of the ISTE Standards for Students.

Course Schedule

Week 1

Modules 1 &2: Getting to Know Artificial Intelligence

Learning about new AI Tools, how to use them, and how they fit into education. Writing Effective Prompts for Generative AI. Students will learn the importance of prompting and how to create effective prompts in order to obtain desired outcomes. Included are case studies and activities.

Week 2

Modules 3 & 4: Using AI Responsibly

In Module 3, students will learn how to use AI responsibly by staying “human in the loop”: deciding when AI output is safe to trust, checking AI-generated content for accuracy, bias, and missing information, and using practical strategies to prevent and address plagiarism in the AI age—especially given the limits and equity concerns of AI-detection tools. Included are case studies and activities.
Module 4 provides ways to generate, organize, revise, and consolidate the curriculum and content that your students need to learn using AI tools to make your professional life a bit easier. Included are case studies and activities.

Week 3

Modules 5 & 6: Fostering Student Engagement

As educators, we’re on a continual quest to ensure that students engage in meaningful learning. AI can provide resources and ideas that increase the likelihood that students choose to engage. This module demonstrates how AI can assist in engaging meaningful learning. Included are case studies and activities. Several AI tools are highlighted in these modules that assist teachers in meeting the needs of all students and can help you provide your students with access to resources you may not have had before. Included are case studies and activities.

Week 4

Modules 7 & 8: Assessing Student Learning

In this module, you will learn how AI can assist teachers with the analysis of data, even organizing the data or creating visual data displays. By using AI, teachers can adapt and adopt assessments more quickly and get to the business of providing high-quality instruction based on the evidence collected. Included are case studies and activities.
Module 8 teaches how to create and use the right prompts, so that teachers can easily generate feedback content using AI, which will reduce the amount of time we spent identifying what feedback to share with students. Included are case studies and activities.

Week 5

Modules 9 & 10: Preparing Students for an AI Powered Future

This module empowers teachers and students by teaching learners about AI and its implications, educators can empower them to navigate this technology-driven world effectively all while increasing their engagement and active learning. It is important to go beyond simply introducing AI as a new tool and instead focus on how it can be used responsibly and ethically. Included are case studies and activities.
In module 10, you will be using AI as a support system and thought partner for lifelong learning.

Week 6

Final project planning: Develop a detailed implementation plan for AI tools in a specific educational context. These projects will be available about 1/2 through the course, so students have a long time to work on them.

Instructor

Clarena M. Renfrow, M.Ed., has been teaching Educational Technologies courses at the VTSU Center for Schools for 12 years and high school for 23 years. She also serves as a consultant/trainer for different school districts. She holds an AS in Business, BA in Education, and a M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction. She has also received certification as a Technology Integration Specialist through courses at the University of Vermont. In addition, she is a licensed teacher in the following areas: Business Education, Technology Integration, Online Teaching, and Work Based Learning. Ms. Renfrow has received several awards for her contributions in moving educational technologies forward to assist teachers and students: 2019 International Society of Technology in Education Recipient of the Making IT Happen Award, 2017 Goethe Institute STEM Transatlantic Outreach Fellow, and 2012 VITA Learn Project Ignite Teacher Award.

Required Resources

Costs for required resources, if any, are not included in the course tuition.

Hargrave, Fisher & Frey The Artificial Intelligence Playbook. 2nd Edition, Corwin Press, 2025. Purchase at Amazon

Khan, Richard R. The AI Glossary: Demystifying 101 Essential Artificial Intelligence Terms for Everyone. Toronto, Ontario, Canada, 2024.

Purchase at Amazon

The Software Tycoon Scaling AI Education to a Billion Kids. (2026, February 17). Colossus. https://colossus.com/article/joe-liemandt-class-dismissed/

Owston, R. (2024, June 12). Personalized AI Tutoring as a Social Activity: Paradox or Possibility? EDUCAUSE Review. https://er.educause.edu/articles/2024/6/personalized-ai-tutoring-as-a-social-activity-paradox-or-possibility

For more information

Clarena Renfrow
(802) 770-8478

For additional registration information

Center for Schools Team

(802) 468-1325