A team from the University of Northern Iowa College of Education has joined a national effort to  modernize how future teachers are prepared for the classroom, with a focus on the growing impact of artificial intelligence in education.  

Representing UNI’s Educator Preparation Program, the team includes Magdalena Galloway, Robin Dada and Ron Rinehart. UNI is one of 10 institutions selected to participate in the initiative, which brings together a mix of public, private and teacher-preparation-focused universities from across the country.

The project, titled “Creating Contemporary Curricula Community of Practice,” also referred to as C4P, is led by ISTE+ASCD, the nation's leading professional association for educational technology. Participating institutions will work together to identify practical, scalable ways to update teacher preparation programs in response to AI’s growing presence in K-12 classrooms. 

Initial implementation and data collection will conclude at the end of the 2025-26 academic year, with a second phase completed by November. 

“The three of us traveled together in 2024 to Purdue University for the AI for K-12 Education conference while preparing to launch our AI in Education graduate certificate,” says Galloway, an associate professor of instruction. “We had substantial preliminary discussions focused on modernizing educator preparation programs through the intentional integration of AI tools, pedagogy and standards. That directly aligns with the C4P goals, so we were well prepared to join this challenge.” 

Galloway adds that goals include creating a shared experience for all UNI teacher education students, including a common vocabulary and consistent expectations across all programs. 

Additional UNI faculty will contribute to the effort. The team will meet virtually monthly with participating institutions and gather in person this June in Orlando to share successes and models of technology of integration before submitting final reports. 

University of Northern Iowa had previously signed the Alliance for Innovation in Teacher Education Pledge. Through that pledge and the C4P initiative, UNI expects graduates to leave with:

• foundational AI literacy as both learners and teachers
• practical experience using and evaluating generative AI tools
• a critical understanding of ethics, bias, accessibility, and pedagogy 
• confidence using technology to support diverse learners and equitable access 

“This strengthens how UNI prepares future educators to use technology intentionally, ethically and effectively, not just enthusiastically,” adds Galloway. “Beyond UNI, the overall goal is coherence, relevance and sustainability.”