The Complete Guide to Using AI in the Education Industry in Columbus in 2025

Columbus educators and campus leaders are now working from a statewide playbook: InnovateOhio and the AI Education Project released an Ohio AI Toolkit for K–12 in February 2024, the AI in Education Coalition published a statewide strategy in December 2024 to guide district policy and professional development, and Ohio adopted ISTE-aligned Learning Standards for Technology in February 2025 with full implementation slated for 2025–26 - meaning AI literacy, data skills, and digital citizenship will be mapped by grade band across Columbus classrooms next year.

Districts can use the Toolkit and Strategy to craft local AI-use policies, pursue TechCred-funded PD, and pilot classroom prompts tied to standards; the practical payoff is clear: a teacher-ready roadmap that turns abstract AI risks into graded learning outcomes and actionable PD pathways for Columbus schools.

Ohio AI Toolkit for K–12: official guidance for K–12 AI use in Ohio schools, Ohio AI in Education Strategy: statewide policy and professional development guidance, Ohio Learning Standards for Technology: ISTE-aligned technology standards (2025–26 implementation).

Bootcamp	Length	Early-bird Cost	Registration
AI Essentials for Work	15 Weeks	$3,582	Register for the AI Essentials for Work bootcamp (15 Weeks)
Solo AI Tech Entrepreneur	30 Weeks	$4,776	Register for the Solo AI Tech Entrepreneur bootcamp (30 Weeks)

Ohio's policy landscape has shifted from pilots to a coordinated state playbook: InnovateOhio's AI Toolkit (released February 2024) and the AI in Education Coalition's statewide strategy (Dec.

2024) give Columbus districts a practical roadmap for turning high‑level goals into classroom practice by combining a five‑step policy‑development method with a seven‑part inventory of templates and resources covering privacy, data security, ethics, and teacher guidance; districts can use these resources to craft clear AI‑use policies, align local plans with state recommendations (like adding AI literacy to educator preparation and curricular standards), and rely on vetted classroom prompts and policy templates rather than starting from scratch.

See the official InnovateOhio strategy and toolkit for policymakers and practitioners and the Ohio Department of Education's AI page for implementation notes and PD opportunities: InnovateOhio AI Strategy and Toolkit for Education Policymakers, Ohio Department of Education - AI in Ohio's Education resources and implementation guidance.

Initiative	Date	Key contribution
InnovateOhio AI Toolkit	Feb 2024	Seven‑part toolkit + five‑step policy development; templates for teachers, parents, and policymakers
AI in Education Coalition Strategy	Dec 2024	Statewide recommendations for K–12 policy, standards alignment, and professional development
InnovateOhio AI Forums (Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus)	Nov 16, 2023	Stakeholder convenings that identified educators' need for classroom implementation support

“AI technology is here to stay, and as a result, InnovateOhio took the lead on hosting forums over the summer to discuss the impacts. The predominant request was educators wanting help implementing the technology in the classroom. This toolkit is a resource for those who will prepare our students for success in an AI world. It continues our work to ensure Ohio is a leader in responding to the challenges and opportunities made possible by artificial intelligence.”

Columbus's AI adoption is being driven by Ohio State University and its Center on Education and Training for Employment (CETE), which pair translational R&D with hands‑on pilots: CETE's Artificial Intelligence in Education & Training program develops curriculum, PD, and family‑facing resources and piloted immersive workshops at Metro Middle School using Meta Quest 3 VR stations to teach AI‑powered soft skills and boost parent and teacher confidence, while Ohio State's new AI Fluency initiative will embed AI education into every undergraduate program starting fall 2025 so that the Class of 2029 - and future Buckeyes - graduate with demonstrable AI proficiencies; the practical payoff for Columbus is a local pipeline from classroom pilots to campus‑wide credentialing that readies both educators and students for AI‑infused careers and classroom practice.

See CETE's AI program and literacy project for school partnerships and resources, and Ohio State's AI Fluency announcement for curriculum rollout details: CETE Artificial Intelligence in Education & Training program, Artificial Intelligence Literacy for Families and Schools (CETE), Ohio State AI Fluency initiative announcement.

Institution	Role	Notable project
CETE (OSU)	R&D, curriculum & PD	AI Literacy pilots; Metro Middle School VR workshops
The Ohio State University	University‑wide curriculum integration	AI Fluency initiative - AI in every undergraduate program (starts Fall 2025)
Metro Middle School (Columbus)	Community pilot site	Family engagement sessions using Meta Quest 3 and VirtualSpeech

“Using AI responsibly means more than just knowing how to use the latest AI tools - it's about understanding their limitations, ethical implications and real‑world applications.”

Columbus educators looking for classroom-ready AI should begin with university‑sanctioned tools: Ohio State endorses the Microsoft Copilot chatbot (a GPT‑4–based assistant) for drafting aligned learning outcomes, scaffolded assessments using the TRACI model, and generating practice materials, and Adobe Express's AI image generator for producing accessible visuals and slide art that match lesson objectives; tutorials, Carmen embed options, and data‑protection guidance are provided for faculty and staff so adoption follows campus privacy standards - see Ohio State's Get Familiar with AI guide for step‑by‑step resources.

For teams using campus Microsoft 365 accounts, Copilot access and elevated Copilot agents (Researcher and Analyst) are managed through Microsoft 365 sign‑in and licensing, which lets instructors integrate Copilot into course workflows and speed iteration on rubrics and formative items without starting from scratch.

The practical payoff: teachers can move from policy to practice quickly, turning a short Copilot prompt into a graded, standards‑aligned practice set in minutes rather than hours.

Ohio State Get Familiar with AI guide - step-by-step resources for faculty, Microsoft 365 Copilot sign-in and licensing information for educators.

Sanctioned Tool	Classroom Uses	Notes
Microsoft Copilot chatbot	Draft ELOs, create TRACI‑aligned assessments, generate practice questions	GPT‑4 based; tutorials and Carmen embed options available
Adobe Express AI Image Generator	Produce AI‑generated visuals for slides, handouts, and activities	Multiple style options; supports integration into course materials
Microsoft 365 Copilot Agents	Researcher/Analyst agents for complex, multi‑step tasks and curriculum research	Available to faculty/staff with elevated Copilot licensing

Practical teaching strategies in Columbus classrooms start by turning Ohio State's instructor resources into lesson-ready workflows: use the Drake Institute's materials and the TRACI prompting framework to design prompts that map directly to learning targets and transparent syllabus statements, then iterate prompts with students as formative practice; districts can pair that approach with vetted course options from the state's CS Promise list (for example, 2Sigma's course that includes Python projects, ML libraries, and reinforcement learning concepts) to create coherent pathways from K–12 lessons to credentialed electives, and local PD calendars like ESCCO's events provide ready windows for teachers and leaders to rehearse prompts, calibrate rubrics, and align assignments to Ohio standards - so what this means in practice: prompt engineering becomes a repeatable curricular skill and CS Promise courses supply the room-level projects that let students demonstrate those skills in portfolio work.

Getting Started with Generative AI - Drake Institute workshop materials: sample course‑design prompts, AI‑SPARC handout, AI‑TiLT template

TRACI prompting framework - Task, Role, Audience, Create, Intent (structure prompts to produce rubrics, learning goals, and student-facing assignments)

SchoolAI: Lunch and Learn - ESCCO local professional development events

Drake Institute - Getting Started with Generative AI workshop materials and TRACI resources, Ohio CS Promise - approved AI and computer science courses and providers, ESCCO Calendar - local AI professional development and SchoolAI events.

Resource / Strategy	Classroom use
TRACI prompting (Task, Role, Audience, Create, Intent)	Structure prompts to produce rubrics, learning goals, and student-facing assignments
Drake Institute workshop materials (AI‑SPARC, AI‑TiLT, sample prompts)	Syllabus statements, transparent assignments, community of practice facilitation
CS Promise AI courses (e.g., 2Sigma “Introduction to AI”)	Dual‑credit/project course options with Python projects and ML modules for pathway alignment

Columbus educators can tap a clear PD pathway in 2025 that ranges from statewide, no‑cost summits to hands‑on vendor courses: the Ohio Department of Education's 2025 Ohio AI Summits convene five regional, free events (Cincinnati, Toledo, Mansfield, Wintersville, St.

Clairsville) designed for K–12 leaders and classroom teachers and emphasize AI literacy and workforce readiness with limited capacity for registration (2025 Ohio AI Summit - regional dates & registration); OSU's Center on Education and Training for Employment runs an Artificial Intelligence in Education & Training program that offers research‑backed professional learning, curriculum resources, and a Generative AI Capacity Building initiative to train educators in ethical, classroom‑ready GenAI practices (CETE AI in Education & Training - PD and curriculum resources); for rapid, skills‑based workshops, local options include instructor‑led one‑day classes (Copilot, ChatGPT, Excel AI) from AGI - many priced around $295 - so a teacher can leave a single session with actionable Copilot prompts and rubrics ready for the next week's lessons (AGI AI classes - course catalog and dates).

The practical payoff: a teacher can move from statewide strategy to a classroom‑tested lesson in a single PD day or a short online course, supported by CETE materials for ongoing alignment.

PD Resource	Format	Practical takeaway
2025 Ohio AI Summits	Free regional conferences (5 locations)	AI literacy sessions and networking; capacity‑limited registration
CETE - Artificial Intelligence in Education & Training	Research‑based PD, curriculum, GenAI capacity building	Curriculum templates, family literacy projects, ethical GenAI training
AGI instructor‑led AI classes	One‑day workshops & online courses (Copilot, ChatGPT, Excel AI)	Hands‑on skills (many courses ≈ $295) for immediate classroom use

Family and community engagement in Columbus is shifting from one‑way notices to hands‑on literacy: Ohio State's CETE project runs the Artificial Intelligence Literacy for Families and Schools pilot that brought interactive workshops and Meta Quest VR experiences to Metro Middle School - an effort CETE reports has already increased parent and teacher confidence in using AI tools - while statewide supports include multilingual infographics from the School Community Network and a virtual Ohio Family Engagement Summit (Sept.

18–19, 2025) with dedicated sessions on AI in education; these layered options let families see student work (for example, Metro's Inspirit AI summer projects) and learn practical routines for home‑school conversations about AI, so parents move from fearing misuse to guiding ethical, standards‑aligned practice.

CETE Artificial Intelligence Literacy for Families and Schools - workshops, VR pilots, and parent resources, School Community Network family and community engagement infographics - multilingual resources, Ohio Family Engagement Leadership Summit - virtual registration and AI in education sessions (Sept. 18–19, 2025).

Resource	Offerings	Notes
CETE - AI Literacy for Families and Schools	Workshops, infographics, hands‑on VR family sessions	Piloted at Metro Middle School; reported increase in parent/teacher confidence
School Community Network Infographics	Family engagement tips (routines, communication, homework support)	Available in English, Spanish, Marshallese, Palauan, Chuukese, Kosraean, Pohnpeian, Yapese
Ohio Family Engagement Leadership Summit	Virtual sessions on family‑school STEM & AI collaboration	Sept. 18–19, 2025 - registration open

“We can't just be like, 'Oh, it's here to stay and we're just going to have to deal with it.'” - Courtney Johnson, Columbus City Schools librarian

Equity in Columbus classrooms means pairing AI tools with predictable access, multilingual family support, and human oversight so technology amplifies student identity instead of amplifying barriers: Ohio's AI Toolkit and state strategy emphasize privacy and ethical guardrails while local pilots - like CETE's Artificial Intelligence Literacy for Families and Schools - show that hands‑on workshops and VR sessions at Metro Middle School measurably raised parent and teacher confidence in using AI; practical steps for districts include device‑and‑connectivity lending programs, multilingual family materials, and opt‑in governance models to prevent data misuse.

National reviews warn that uneven home access is real - an analysis cited in recent K–12 AI pilot reporting notes 16.9 million children lacked high‑speed home internet in earlier surveys - and that algorithmic tools can misclassify students unless humans review recommendations, so Columbus leaders should require human approval for placement or discipline changes and build transparency clauses into vendor contracts.

Use the InnovateOhio/aiEDU Toolkit to craft those clauses and CETE family resources to operationalize multilingual engagement and hands‑on literacy; together they turn an abstract equity mandate into concrete school‑level actions that protect student identity while expanding opportunity.

InnovateOhio Ohio AI Toolkit - AI in Ohio's Education resources, CETE Artificial Intelligence Literacy for Families and Schools - Metro Middle pilot, Education Commission of the States review of K–12 AI pilots and equity risks.

Barrier	Local response
Digital divide (connectivity/devices)	Device lending, connectivity plans, multilingual family materials (CETE family literacy resources)
Algorithmic misclassification & bias	Human‑in‑the‑loop review, transparency clauses, Ohio AI Toolkit privacy guidance
Family engagement & identity support	Hands‑on workshops and VR pilots to build confidence and belonging (Metro Middle School)

“AI technology is here to stay, and as a result, InnovateOhio took the lead on hosting forums over the summer to discuss the impacts. The predominant request was educators wanting help implementing the technology in the classroom. This toolkit is a resource for those who will prepare our students for success in an AI world. It continues our work to ensure Ohio is a leader in responding to the challenges and opportunities made possible by artificial intelligence.”

Protecting academic integrity and student data in Columbus now rests on two practical pillars: clear district AI‑use policies and informed copyright practice.

At the same time, campus guidance on generative AI warns that copyright and fair‑use remain unsettled - outputs may only be protected where a human author adds sufficient expressive input - so lesson plans and student submissions should require source disclosure and faculty review to avoid infringement.

Combine state policy templates with campus copyright guidance so classrooms have both enforceable integrity rules and data‑protection practices that vendors must meet before any adoption.

implementing a policy for the use of AI in school districts

Ohio's AI in Education Strategy explicitly recommends implementing a policy for district AI use, which gives leaders a concrete starting point for rules on attribution, formative‑use limits, and human‑in‑the‑loop approvals for high‑stakes decisions; districts can also tap TechCred to reimburse staff professional development tied to those policies.

For detailed state guidance, see the Ohio AI in Education Strategy: district AI-use policies and TechCred guidance. For campus copyright considerations, see the OSU Copyright Corner: Fair Use guidance for Generative AI.

Risk	Practical district response
Academic integrity (plagiarism/misuse)	Adopt clear AI‑use policy with attribution rules and instructor review
Data protection & privacy	Require vendor contract clauses on student data, limit external model access, human‑in‑the‑loop for decisions
Copyright & fair use uncertainty	Require source disclosure, teach fair‑use factors, follow campus copyright guidance before publishing AI outputs

Ohio AI in Education Strategy: district AI-use policies and TechCred guidance, OSU Copyright Corner: Fair Use guidance for Generative AI.

Next steps for Columbus educators and leaders are practical and sequential: adopt a flexible district AI policy that follows the Ohio AI in Education Strategy as a baseline, schedule targeted PD so teachers can turn policy into practice (a single hands‑on Copilot or GenAI workshop can yield a standards‑aligned lesson by the following week), require human‑in‑the‑loop approvals and vendor transparency to protect student data and equity, and use campus resources - like Ohio State's AI Fluency rollout - for curriculum models and family engagement pilots.

For immediate skill building, enroll instructional teams in cohort training that focuses on prompt engineering, classroom workflows, and ethical use; one concrete option is Nucamp's AI Essentials for Work bootcamp (15 weeks, early‑bird $3,582) to equip staff with prompt-writing and applied AI skills they can deploy in class.

Anchor policy drafts and PD calendars to the state strategy and university models so district decisions are defensible, scalable, and aligned with Ohio practice: Ohio AI in Education Strategy, Ohio State AI Fluency initiative, and Nucamp's AI Essentials for Work offer the templates and hands‑on pathways local leaders need to move from caution to classroom readiness.

Program	Length	Early‑bird Cost	Register
AI Essentials for Work	15 Weeks	$3,582	Nucamp AI Essentials for Work registration and syllabus

“Through AI Fluency, Ohio State students will become ‘bilingual' - fluent in both their major field of study and the application of AI in that area. Grounded with a strong sense of responsibility and possibility, we will prepare Ohio State's students to harness the power of AI and to lead in shaping its future of their area of study.” - Ravi V. Bellamkonda