Online Courses for Teachers

The Impact of AI on Teacher Professional Development

By: Connie Ryan, Founder and President of PDI

The landscape of professional development has certainly changed since I began my work in the field over 30 years ago. At that time, I led training sessions in a hotel ballroom, standing over the glare of an overhead projector (yes, I am old). Teachers left their classrooms in the hands of a substitute while they spent the day with me, learning about topics such as using literature in the classroom, teaching with thematic units, and implementing whole language. I can hear the gasps just typing those words. But that’s what was “hot” back in the day.

Over time, overhead projectors gave way to computers, and live training sessions in hotels gave way to online training over the internet. The change was revolutionary. Teachers were able to learn anything they wanted from any place of convenience. I wanted to be part of that revolution. So, in 1997, I started the Professional Development Institute (PDI) to provide online training to teachers across the country. I wrote all the course content and taught every course myself. No problem. As a former teacher, I was quite accustomed to “doing it all,” a concept I am sure you are also quite familiar with.

As time went on, I was able to hire exceedingly talented teachers to help write the content and teach the growing variety of courses we offered. However, even as PDI grew, it was always my top priority to maintain the quality of the content we provided within our courses and the dedication of those who teach them. Both the teachers and their students deserve our very best.

As an educator who has dedicated the greater part of her career to professional development, it is difficult for me to watch the current influx of providers who simply rely on AI to write, and sometimes even teach, their continuing education courses. I think we can all agree that AI has many benefits, including some we have yet to discover. It most certainly has its place. However, are AI-written courses the best solution for teacher professional development? Some questions to consider include:

• Is the teacher receiving training that enhances their professional practices in order to drive academic impact in the classroom? How can AI truly understand the reality of the challenges teachers face as they try to teach a lesson plan to 20-50 distracted students?
• Is the professional development experience a solid investment of time and money for the teacher? Did the teacher gain knowledge or skills equivalent to the time invested to take the course? Was the district willing to reimburse for the course or provide salary advancement for completion?
• Is a student likely to have a higher probability of success in the classroom because of the training the teacher received? Was the training substantive and likely to lead to real results or merely a quick way to get some credit?
• Is the district getting its money’s worth in paying for AI-written courses that a teacher has taken in seeking salary advancement? At a time of severe budget constraints, isn’t it important that professional development courses that can lead to salary advancement truly benefit the students in the classroom? Shouldn’t we expect the courses to be written and taught by an experienced teacher/instructor?

Best practices in online professional development are clear in their guidelines for what constitutes an impactful experience. PDI follows these guidelines which is why every PDI course is approved for graduate-level credit through the University of California San Diego Division of Extended Studies. These guidelines include the following:

1. Given the inherent isolation of the online learning experience, teachers must be required to, or at least be given an opportunity to, interact with other teachers as part of their learning experience. These social interactions with fellow teachers are important as they provide opportunities to share ideas that enhance learning. (Parsons, et al., 2019) Artificial intelligence is not capable of showing the empathy and compassion that one teacher can show to another. PDI courses require such interaction in an assignment that has teachers exchange ideas through a course discussion board. These discussions are earmarked by grade level so teachers can truly benefit from others teaching the same content.
2. An experienced instructor (current or former classroom teacher) who guides and supports teachers through the course content and implementation of strategies is imperative. The instructor should also provide meaningful and substantive feedback that serves as a learning opportunity within the professional development course. (Higley, 2025) Artificial intelligence is simply not a replacement for solid classroom experience. All PDI courses are taught by experienced classroom teachers who are experts in the topic they are teaching and approved as adjunct professors through UCSD.
3. Effective professional development provides an opportunity for teachers to practice and reflect upon the strategies, lessons, and activities they learn in the course content through thoughtful assignments that impact student outcomes. (Bratcher, 2023) We have designed the final assignment in every PDI course to require active learning as well as reflection in the form of a cumulative project. This content application provides the opportunity for teachers to put into practice what they have learned throughout the course. All PDI course assignments are graded by an experienced instructor using a rubric made available in the course content. Feedback aids in the successful implementation of the content learned in the course, which is the goal of any type of teacher training.
4. At the core of any professional development experience is the content of the course. This content must be grounded in classroom reality from the voice of an experienced teacher. Those with deep knowledge of, and experience in, classrooms know the practices that are most needed and most effective. (Bradley, et al., 2023) The content is genuine and practical because it is written by someone who is actually present in the trenches day after day. The author walks in the shoes of the teacher. This cannot be accomplished with AI. It is not possible for AI to actually know what it is like to face 20-50 students in a classroom. Therefore, AI-generated content is not authentic. Consequently, PDI takes a solid stance that all course content is well-researched, aligned with evidence-based best practices, written by a very experienced classroom teacher, edited by PDI content experts, and approved by UCSD.

As we approach the beginning of a new school year, both teachers and administrators are pulled in many directions. Creating budgets, developing class lists, decorating blank bulletin boards, and ordering lab supplies are just a fraction of the typical tasks that need to be accomplished before students set foot in the door. However, there is one task we can make easier for everyone. Whether you are in the process of choosing your next professional development activity or the one who is in charge of approving courses for salary advancement, you can surely save time by using the handy rubric provided below. The rubric benchmarks are based on research for professional development best practices, most of which were included in this article. Use the rubric as a guide to help you determine the best choice for you, your school, or your school district.

At the end of the day, all educators have the same goal. We want to facilitate learning that fosters student growth and future success. Therefore, it is critical that professional development courses engage teachers with content written by real teachers and taught by real instructors so that it can make a real difference in the classroom.

The Professional Development Institute has been offering quality and affordable online professional development to teachers for over 28 years and served over 325,000 teachers nationwide.

References:

Bradley, J., Groth, C., Rirrer, A., & Evans, L. (2023, June). Professional learning vs. PD: The distinction matters. Learning Forward. https://learningforward.org/journal/accelerating-learning/professional-learning-vs-pd-the-distinction-matters/

Bratcher, K. (2023, May). 6 Hallmarks of Effective Professional Development. Carnegie Learning, Inc. https://www.carnegielearning.com/blog/effective-professional-learning

Higley, M. (2025, April). Why Meaningful Online Feedback is Important. eLearning Industry. https://elearningindustry.com/meaningful-online-feedback-important

Parsons, S.A., Hutchison, A.C., Hall, L.A., Parsons, A.W., Ives, S.T., Leggett, A.B. (2019, June). U.S. teachers' perceptions of online professional development. Teaching and Teacher Education, 82, 33-42. 10.1016/j.tate.2019.03.006