Springfield, Ill. – September 12, 2026 -- The University of Illinois Springfield (UIS) has launched a partnership with nonprofit Ed3 to deliver AI literacy courses and stackable micro-credentials to K-12 educators statewide, starting September 8, 2026. The move follows the Illinois State Board of Education's July 9, 2026 release of comprehensive AI guidance for PreK-12 schools, which left districts needing a path to classroom implementation.
UIS pairs 25 years of eLearning infrastructure with Ed3's track record across 48 states
Through its Center for Academic and Professional Education (CAPE) and ION eLearning program, UIS brings more than 25 years of experience in online teaching, leadership, accessibility, and open educational resources training. Ed3, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, has supported over 20,000 educator enrollments across 48 states, totaling more than 900,000 hours of professional development.
Self-paced courses offer PDHs and CEUs with stackable credential pathways
The co-developed courses are fully online and self-paced, structured around research-based pedagogy rather than treating AI as an add-on tool. Educators can earn Professional Development Hours and Continuing Education Units, building credentials incrementally as they move from AI literacy toward what the partners term AI agency.
Ed3 CEO frames the deal as a model for state-level policy translation
Vriti Saraf, Founder & CEO of Ed3, said the partnership demonstrates higher-education institutions taking the lead on closing the gap between AI policy and classroom practice rather than waiting for it to resolve on its own. Russ Stoup, Acting Director of Continuing and Professional Education at UIS, said the collaboration expands access to pedagogy-first AI professional learning for teachers across Illinois.