In April 2026, Michigan State University announced the first-ever AI-Ready Spartans: Education Innovation Grants Challenge, in which the university called upon the community to submit creative, forward-thinking academic projects centered on artificial intelligence (AI).
Three ideas from the College of Education community were selected. In Academic Year 2026-27, Spartans will design and build AI-centered courses, which could launch as soon as Fall Semester 2027.
AI in Education
Led by Aman Yadav, this 3-credit College of Education course will prepare future teachers, educational technologists and school administrators to think critically about the role of AI in education. The course will help educators understand how AI systems work, examine how bias and error enter these systems and evaluate when and how AI can be used responsibly to support pedagogical and assessment goals.
"Schools are adopting AI tools faster than the research can keep up. We have very little rigorous evidence about how these tools affect student learning, which means educators cannot afford to be passive consumers of AI.” said Yadav, a Lappan-Phillips Professor of Computing Education and associate director of the CREATE for STEM Institute. “This course prepares them to ask hard questions about how these systems work, where they fail, and whether they serve their students, so that decisions about AI in classrooms are driven by evidence and judgment rather than hype."
AI-Enhanced Research & Evidence-based Practices in Health Sciences
Led by Matt Harkey, this 3-credit course will teach undergraduates to apply AI tools across the health sciences evidence pipeline, from framing a clinical question to delivering an evidence-based recommendation. Students will learn to spot made-up citations, check AI's answers against published research and recognize bias in tools used to make clinical decisions, all while working with real-world research data.
“Every job in health care is becoming a digital job, and our students are going to enter a workforce where AI is already in the room,” said Harkey, an assistant professor in the Department of Kinesiology and co-director of the Athletic Injury and Rehabilitation (AIR) Labs. “This course also fits MSU's One Team, One Health initiative. That work is about health disciplines working together, and they're all using AI. We plan to teach students how to use it well and responsibly. MSU is serious about preparing Spartans for an AI-driven future, and I’m fired up about it.”
Advancing AI Literacy & Workforce Readiness: An MSU-Apple Collaborative
Led by alum Sarah Gretter, this non-credit learning opportunity prepares learners to develop the AI literacy and workforce skills needed to thrive in an AI-enabled economy. Offered through the Apple Developer Academy in Detroit, the program combines applied, challenge-based learning with AI tools, innovation practices and industry engagement, helping participants build the technical, creative and professional competencies needed to use AI responsibly in real-world settings.
“Artificial intelligence is transforming every industry, making AI literacy an essential workforce skill rather than a technical specialty,” said Gretter, Ph.D. ’17 (Educational Psychology and Educational Technology), managing director of the Apple Developer Academy and Apple Manufacturing Academy. “Through our continued collaboration with Apple, we’re creating learning experiences that help people understand not only how to use AI effectively, but how to think critically, collaborate creatively and adapt responsibly as technology continues to evolve. Together, we’re preparing learners to lead in a future where human ingenuity and AI work hand in hand.”
Related news: MSU alumni help cultivate the next generation of app developers (MSUToday)