Partner Spotlight · University of West Alabama
Training an Entire State's Teacher Pipeline: Inside Our UWA Partnership
The University of West Alabama just published its own story about how AI certification is changing teacher prep across the Black Belt region. We wanted to share our side of it, because we think this partnership is a model worth copying.
Independently Reported Source
Everything here comes from our firsthand work on this partnership and from UWA's own newsroom coverage, written by Lisa Sollie and published July 23, 2026. Don't just take our word for it. Read the university's account for yourself: "AI certification helps UWA's Black Belt teacher corps enhance classroom instruction".
Let me tell you about one of our favorite partnerships. When we first connected with the Julia S. Tutwiler College of Education at UWA, their Black Belt Teacher Corps was already doing something special. Since 2016, they've been recruiting and preparing teachers for rural, high-needs districts in one of the most underserved regions in the country, then sticking with those teachers through their first years on the job with mentoring, leadership training, and scholarship support.
The challenge? Their scholars are spread across the entire state of Alabama. Some are still undergrads. Others are already teaching, deep in the grind of their first few years. How do you deliver professional development that actually reaches all of them? That's the problem we got to help solve.
trained across Alabama
The first cohort started with just 10 students. Today, roughly 105 scholars across Alabama are part of the program, undergraduates and practicing teachers alike. (Figures reported by BBTC director Susan Hester in UWA's coverage.)
Why "first three years" is the whole story
BBTC director Susan Hester made a point in UWA's article that we think about constantly: the first three years in the classroom are when teachers are most likely to walk away from the profession. Professional development in that window can't be one more burden. It has to be virtual, self-paced, and immediately useful, or it simply won't happen.
That's why the certification was designed as a gamified, bite-sized experience that takes roughly eight hours to complete, on the educator's own schedule. No travel to Livingston. No lost planning periods. Just practical skills a teacher can use the next morning: how to differentiate instruction with AI, plan interventions ethically, and boost engagement.
"AI won't replace teachers—it provides a launchpad."
Susan Hester, BBTC Director, as quoted in UWA's newsroomWhat educators actually said
The most credible voices in the UWA piece aren't ours. They're the teachers'. Tap through their perspectives below (paraphrased; full quotes are in the original article):
Jenny McQueen
BBTC graduate · Silverhill Elementary, Baldwin County
For Jenny, the training was an eye-opener on differentiation. She told UWA it showed her how to find resources fast and tailor them to individual students far more efficiently than she could before.
Colton Smith
Third-year teacher · Morgan County Schools
Colton described the certification as simple, quick, and easy to use, and ranked it among the best professional development experiences of his teaching career, because the strategies transferred straight into his classroom.
Jaquada Brooks
Senior · Beginning internship fall 2026
As a pre-service teacher, Jaquada valued being able to finish the course on her own time. She said it changed how she approaches lesson planning across ability levels, and it gave her confidence to treat AI as a support tool rather than a crutch.
Danielle Worhl
Third BBTC cohort
Danielle highlighted intervention planning: AI can generate standards-aligned intervention strategies in minutes, freeing her to work directly with the students who need extra support while the rest of the class works independently.
The playbook behind the partnership
None of this happened by accident. Former dean Dr. Jan Miller and associate dean Dr. Reenay Rogers rolled up their sleeves and shaped this program with us every step of the way, making sure it worked for educators, not just students. We even co-presented the training with Dr. Rogers at CAEPCon last September, and we've been invited back this year. If you lead a College of Education or a teacher pipeline program, here's the playbook:
Co-design with faculty
Deans and associate deans consulted on every module, so the training speaks the language of educator preparation: ethics, differentiation, and engagement, not generic AI hype.
Meet teachers where they are
Fully virtual, self-paced, gamified, and about eight hours total. Built for scholars spread across an entire state, including working teachers with zero spare time.
Extend past graduation
The certification follows graduates through their first three years in the classroom, the exact window where meaningful PD supports retention.
Certify, don't just train
Every participant walks away with a credential: a concrete, resume-ready outcome that programs can report to funders and stakeholders.
Our takeaway
Every voice in UWA's story, from the director to graduates to current students, lands on the same idea: AI, taught responsibly, gives teachers time and confidence back. It streamlines the invisible labor of differentiation and intervention planning so educators can spend more of their day where it counts: face to face with students. UWA has been a genuine frontrunner here, and we're proud the university chose to tell this story publicly.
Bring AI certification to your teacher pipeline
Whether you run a College of Education, a TRIO program, or a workforce initiative, we'll co-design a certification pathway that fits your scholars.
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