The first M-DCPS AI professional learning session was introduced at Synergy. That early learning experience became the foundation for what would later develop into Fundamentals of AI and Prompt Engineering and, ultimately, the AI Institute.

The first formal AI Institute cohort launched with 133 participants and an expanding menu of professional learning experiences focused on foundational AI skills and practical classroom applications.

The Institute expanded to include a summer cohort for support personnel. By Fall 2024, the cohort had grown to 321 participants as role-specific offerings for teachers, administrators, and broader audiences continued to develop.

New sessions introduced increasingly specialized applications including NotebookLM, Illuminate, AI Studio, data analysis, communications, Canva, and other emerging tools. In Summer 2025, a dedicated administrator cohort provided school leaders with a focused summer learning opportunity, with sessions designed specifically around leadership priorities, administrative responsibilities, communication, data use, and decision making.

The curriculum continued to advance with learning focused on Gemini with students, Guided Learning, Gemini in Google Classroom, AI Studio, gamification, personalized learning, and more sophisticated instructional applications.

The newest cohort launches with a redesigned curriculum emphasizing purposeful AI integration, trusted sources, data informed decision making, instructional design, assessment, student AI use, productivity, and increasingly sophisticated applications of emerging tools.