Search with Sense

Teaching Ethical AI Research Skills

Course Details

Choose a session. Registration deadlines March 24 and July 1

4 Self-Paced Online Course Modules

16 Credit Hours

Recommended for K-12 school librarians with all levels of AI knowledge.

$289 (March) | $303 (July) | Save with early bird and group rates.

THINGS ARE GETTING COMPLICATED FAST.

Students are turning in papers with sources that don't exist.
The writing is polished. Maybe a little too polished.
Teachers and administrators are asking, "Is this plagiarism?" and you don't have a clear answer.
Students aren't even reading the text anymore. They just have AI summarize it for them.
You know if you ban it, they'll use it anyway.
You wonder of this will be the end of critical thinking as we know it.

This course helps you draw a clear line between using AI and replacing thinking.

About This Course

Teach students to use AI to support their research, not replace it.

Self-Paced Course Materials:
Available for 6 months starting on each registration deadline date.

Students are already using AI tools while they research, write, and synthesize information. This self-paced course helps you teach ethical, transparent AI use in a way that strengthens research skills, improves credibility, and makes expectations clearer for students and staff.

This is a fully self-paced, asynchronous course. You will have six months of access to move through the material. For more details, check out the What to Expect tab.

PART OF A PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATION SERIES

Search with Sense: Teaching Ethical AI Research Skills is one course in The AI-Ready School Library: 3-Course Certification Series. Enroll individually, or purchase the full certification bundle at a reduced rate. (Best value.)

View certification bundle details

Enroll in Spring Session

Enroll in Summer Session

Need an invoice or PO? Orders of $600 or greater can choose invoice at checkout. For orders under $600, submit this form, and we will process your order manually.

Need approval? Email this course to your supervisor.

TRAINING A TEAM?

A shared approach to ethical AI research makes expectations clearer for students and easier for staff to reinforce.

Multi-seat discounts are automatically calculated in the cart.

Buying for a larger group? Explore all purchasing options

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What You'll Learn Who This is For Course Modules Course Advisor & Instructor What to Expect

AFTER COMPLETING THIS COURSE, YOU'LL BE ABLE TO:

Teach students how AI tools can support each stage of the research process without replacing critical thinking.
Guide students in identifying credible information, verifying AI-generated content, and spotting hallucinated or fabricated sources.
Model and teach transparent AI use, including when and how to acknowledge AI assistance appropriately.
Design research lessons and activities that integrate AI responsibly while reinforcing strong inquiry habits.
Create student-facing guidelines and instructional materials that clarify expectations around AI use.
Apply practical privacy, bias, and district-policy considerations when selecting and demonstrating AI research tools.

WHO THIS COURSE IS FOR

If you are someone who:

Is seeing AI show up in student research assignments and wants clearer guardrails.
Feels uneasy about fabricated citations, overreliance, or unclear attribution.
Wants to protect academic integrity without banning tools students are already using.
Needs practical ways to teach credibility checks in an AI-influenced research landscape.
Is being asked for guidance by teachers, administrators, or families.

This course was built for you.

This course is especially helpful for:

School librarians and library media specialists supporting research instruction.
Educators collaborating on inquiry projects and research-based assignments.
District or system leaders developing AI use expectations for students.
Library teams who want consistent, ethical AI research guidance across grade levels.
Solo librarians balancing instructional leadership with policy clarity.

If you want ethical, research-centered AI instruction you can explain and defend, you will see yourself in this course.

THIS COURSE CONSISTS OF 4 ON-DEMAND MODULES:

Module 1: Automate & Organize — Streamlining Library Operations with AI

This module focuses on using AI to eliminate routine bottlenecks and streamline daily library operations. You’ll explore tools that support cataloging, inventory, transcription, translation, and 24/7 FAQ coverage. The module also examines how AI can assist with collection development by analyzing usage patterns and suggesting diverse, high-interest titles to address gaps.

Module 2: Promote & Connect — Using AI to Support Research

In this module, you’ll explore how AI can support student research from start to finish. Learn how tools can help students define topics, generate keywords, locate high-quality sources, organize information, and synthesize research into meaningful outcomes. You’ll also examine ways AI can break down complex academic texts to make research more accessible and manageable for all learners.

Module 3: Teach & Program — Co-Creating Instruction and Engagement with AI

Librarians are educators, and AI can serve as a powerful planning partner. This module covers how to design lessons, interactive programs, makerspace activities, and AI-supported research experiences that promote inquiry and engagement. You’ll also learn how to guide students in using AI ethically and responsibly in their academic work.

Module 4: Lead & Evaluate — Ethical AI Use and Future-Ready Librarianship

This final module prepares librarians to lead AI integration with clarity and confidence. You’ll examine data privacy, algorithmic bias, and policy development, while also learning how AI can support impact reporting and advocacy. The focus is on positioning librarians as ethical, future-ready leaders in their schools and districts.

COURSE ADVISOR & INSTRUCTOR

Elissa Malespina, B.C.A.S.E., Teacher Librarian in New Jersey and Author of The AI School Librarians Newsletter

Elissa Malespina is an award-winning school librarian, educational consultant, former school board member, and author who specializes in helping educators and librarians integrate artificial intelligence into teaching and learning. She is the author of AI in the Library: Strategies, Tools and Ethics for Today’s Schools and writes The AI School Librarians Newsletter, a Substack publication focused on practical AI tools, ethical guidance, and instructional strategies.

Outside of her professional work, Elissa is a proud mom and wife, and a fierce advocate for intellectual freedom and educational equity.

WHO SHOULD TAKE THIS COURSE

This course is designed for K–12 school librarians and educators who want to teach ethical, transparent, and research-centered AI use while maintaining strong academic standards and clear expectations for students.

SESSIONS AND PRICING

Choose the session that works best for your schedule. Early bird pricing ends one month before the session deadline. Course materials unlock on the session deadline date.

Rate + deadline	Spring Session	Summer Session
Early bird deadline	—	June 1, 2026
Early bird price	—	$256
Standard deadline	March 24, 2026	July 1, 2026
Standard price	$289	$303
Materials unlock	March 24, 2026	July 1, 2026

GROUP OPTIONS

Training a team? Choose the setup that matches how you want to plan and pay:

Group course enrollment: Enroll 3+ staff in this course and save.

Bulk course credits: Prepay once, get the highest per-seat discount on every course, and assign seats later.

Unlimited annual licensing: System-wide access for a year with no per-course approvals.

Request Discounted Group Pricing

Questions? Email groupsales@libraryjournal.com.

COURSE FORMAT

This is a fully self-paced, asynchronous online course consisting of 4 modules. Each module includes video instruction, slides, applied examples, and reflective exercises designed to connect ethical AI practices directly to student research instruction.

EXPECTED TIME COMMITMENT

Each module is designed to take approximately 4 hours to complete, for a total of 16 professional development hours. You may move through the course at your own pace and on your own schedule.

ALL THE DETAILS

Artificial intelligence tools are rapidly changing how students gather, interpret, and present information. Librarians and educators must now teach not only traditional research skills, but also how to use AI responsibly within that process.

You’ll explore AI tools students can use to identify information needs, search effectively, evaluate critically, and credit sources appropriately. Along the way, you’ll practice using these tools, model ethical decision-making, and create lesson-ready materials that keep students grounded in strong research habits.

By the end of this course, you will have clear instructional frameworks, credibility checkpoints, citation guidance, and policy-ready language that help you teach ethical AI research skills with clarity and confidence.

ON-DEMAND ACCESS

You will have access to all course materials for six months from the material unlock date.

CERTIFICATE OF COMPLETION

Complete all modules to earn 16 professional development credit hours and a School Library Journal certificate of completion. Certificates are emailed upon completion.

If you complete all three courses in The AI-Ready School Library: 3-Course Certification Series, you will earn your AI Literacy in Schools certification from School Library Journal.

ACCESSIBILITY

All video recordings feature auto-captioning. If you require accommodations, please email course-support@libraryjournal.com upon registration and we will make our best efforts to support your needs.

SUPPORT

For technical or course-related support, please contact course-support@libraryjournal.com.

TESTIMONIALS

"My biggest takeaway from this course was that as school librarians, we have the unique ability to be the heart of our school in bridging the ethics between district direction and teaching about AI to our students. This role involves more than just policy communication; it is about actively integrating ethical AI use into the school’s culture. We can create educational resources and run workshops that address the nuances of AI use, including data privacy, algorithmic bias, and intellectual property rights. The goal is to help students use AI as a tool for deeper thinking, not a shortcut. This course gave me the tools to be a reliable and informed leader who can cultivate a responsible, ethical approach to AI throughout the entire school community."

– Tuhina L., Fall 2025 attendee

"I love the practicality of this course—the examples, the opportunity to create work that can go directly into my workspace for student use, and the interaction with others. I learned a great deal from colleagues about presenting citation information in different ways to make it more accessible for students."

– Helen V., Fall 2025 attendee

"The content is immediately useful. It’s inspiring me to introduce small steps through displays, student interactions, and conversations in a variety of environments. I’m also gaining expertise that I can share with colleagues when our new skills rollout happens next year—win, win, win."

– Fall 2025 attendee

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