Course | Search With Sense: Teaching Ethical AI Research Skills

Description

Students are already using AI while they research, whether adults feel ready for that or not. This course helps you set clearer expectations, teach stronger habits, and draw a more useful line between support and shortcut.

• Clearer ways to teach students how AI can support research without replacing thinking
• Practical guidance on credibility, citation, and ethical use
• More confidence helping staff and students navigate the gray areas instead of pretending they are not there

Take this course on its own, or complete all three courses in the series to earn the AI Literacy in Schools certification from School Library Journal.

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.

Things are getting complicated fast.

• Students are turning in papers with sources that don't exist.
• Teachers and administrators are asking, "Is this plagiarism?" and you don't have a clear answer.
• You know if you ban it, they'll use it anyway.

This course helps you set a more useful boundary around AI in research, so students still have to think, verify, and show their work.

Availability

Choose a session. Registration deadlines April 29, 2027 (Spring); and July 1, 2027 (Summer).

Need flexibility? Once materials are released, you can start any time during your 6-month access period and move through the course at your own pace.

Course Advisor & Instructor

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

Elissa MalespinaElissa Malespina is an award-winning school librarian, educational consultant, former school board member, and author who specializes in helping educators and librarians integrate AI 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, she is a proud mom, wife, and a fierce advocate for intellectual freedom and educational equity.

What You'll Learn

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.

Course Modules

This course consists of a 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.

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.

Invoice or PO options: Orders of $600 or greater can choose invoice at checkout. For orders under $600, please do not check out online. Submit a form on Library Journal's page, and they will process your order manually.

Course Format

This is a fully self-paced, asynchronous online course consisting of 4 modules. Each module includes video instruction, slides, readings, and reflective exercises designed to connect concepts directly to your daily work.

Expected Time Commitment

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

Course Access

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

Credit & Certificate

Complete all modules to earn 16 professional development credit hours and a School Library Journal certificate of completion, which will be emailed to you.

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

Credit may be available for this course and may vary by country or institution. Please verify eligibility with Library Journal.

Accessibility

All video recordings feature auto-captioning. If you require accommodations, please email the Library Journal's team upon registration and they will make our best efforts to support your needs.