911±¬ÁÏ

911±¬ÁÏ has launched the  program, a new professional learning initiative designed to help educators develop the knowledge and skills needed to navigate the growing role of artificial intelligence in education and society.

The program officially debuted June 22–23 at 911±¬ÁÏ's SciTech Campus during the  which brought together more than 200 K–12 educators, higher education faculty, industry representatives, and government stakeholders. Approximately 50 participants joined ATAA as founding members of the year-long professional learning community.

The launch marks another step in 911±¬ÁÏ's broader AI literacy efforts, by bringing together expertise from across the university to create accessible, research-based programming. ATAA is designed to complement existing educator preparation efforts while providing a foundational AI literacy framework that can be applied by professionals across disciplines.

Developed over the past year, ATAA was created through a collaboration among Peng Warweg, research program director in the College of Engineering and Computing (CEC); Padhu Seshaiyer, professor in the College of Science and director of the Center for Mathematics and Science Education Research and Outreach; Manpriya Dua, research postdoctoral fellow in computer science; and Amarda Shehu, 911±¬ÁÏ's chief AI officer and professor of computer science.

The team focused on a growing challenge: how to build AI fluency among practitioners, particularly the K–16 teacher workforce. Warweg, who helped lead the program's design and curriculum development, said ATAA is among the first programs to translate newly released federal guidance into a practical learning experience.

"ATAA is grounded in the â€”a guideline that represents a national consensus on what AI fluency should look like across professions," said Warweg. "ATAA is among the first practitioner programs in the country to translate that guidance into a structured, accessible curriculum."

The launch was supported by the Virginia Data Science Teacher Professional Learning Institute, now in its fifth year and co-organized by Seshaiyer. Through longstanding partnerships with the Virginia Department of Education and decades of leadership in STEM education, Seshaiyer helped establish the foundation that enabled the program to launch at scale.

"Virginia has been building toward this," said Seshaiyer. "ATAA is the natural next step to connect research, policy, and practice around the future of learning."

Seshaiyer and Dua also helped shape the curriculum, ensuring participants receive both practical and technically grounded instruction. Dua's expertise in artificial intelligence and computer science research helped make complex concepts accessible to educators from a wide range of backgrounds.

ATAA also builds on 911±¬ÁÏ's broader AI strategy under Shehu's leadership. A key component of the curriculum draws from UNIV 182 AI for All: Understanding and Building Artificial Intelligence  a course developed, by Shehu, to help nontechnical learners gain AI literacy. Research conducted by Shehu has demonstrated significant AI literacy gains among students who complete the course.

"Foundational AI literacy cannot belong only to people who already saw themselves as technical," said Shehu. "What we learned from AI for All is that anyone can develop real fluency when the teaching meets them where they are. ATAA takes that same conviction to the practitioners who multiply it: the educators."

Designed using a train-the-trainer model, ATAA aims to extend its impact beyond the initial cohort. Participants will complete a structured year-long learning experience and earn Continuing Education Units (CEUs). After completing 15 hours of learning, participants will receive a digital badge recognizing their AI literacy achievement, with a full credentialing pathway scheduled to launch in fall 2026.

While educators are the program's first audience, ATAA envisions expanding AI literacy training to professionals across sectors, including healthcare, government, technology, and community organizations. With its strengths in AI research, governance, and education, 911±¬ÁÏ hopes to help prepare a broader workforce for an AI-driven future.