What happens when teachers participate in a four-week AI certification training? A new study by the University of Cologne reveals the powerful effects: educators gain digital skills, feel more confident using AI tools in class, and are more motivated to explore new teaching methods. This research-based evaluation highlights the real impact of AI professional development and how it prepares teachers to integrate artificial intelligence into their daily classroom routine.
19. May 2025
Majority of Educators Feel More Confident in Using AI After Certification Training
3,770 educators in four rounds – that’s how many have already participated in our four-week certification training in Artificial Intelligence, enhancing their knowledge on the use of AI tools in schools and classrooms.
But how do AI trainings affect the competencies, attitudes, opinions, and motivation of educators? An empirical study by the University of Cologne delved into these questions: 186 educators participated in an evaluation of the four-week certification training in Artificial Intelligence. The Digital Education working group with a focus on Artificial Intelligence, led by Prof. Dr. Sebastian Becker-Genschow, along with Julia Lademann and Jannik Henze, examined the changes in AI-based competencies as well as attitudes, opinions, and motivations of the participants regarding AI.
Key Findings
The most significant development was the supportive use of AI in designing lesson plans or creating teaching materials. While before the training, AI was used by just over a third of the educators (38.2 percent), afterwards it was 86.6 percent, an increase of nearly 50 percent. As part of the certification training, educators create a lesson using fobizz’s AI tools and can directly apply these tools in their next class.
In corrections and evaluations, about 8 percent used AI support for evaluations or corrections prior to the training; after the training, 18.28 percent of the educators did.
The majority of respondents see AI in schools more as an opportunity (88.2 percent after the certification training) and not as a threat.
Source Image: University Cologne, AG Digitale Bildung, Institut für Physikdidaktik
Use of AI in the Classroom Encourages Students to Learn Independently
The vast majority (96.2 percent after the training) agree that AI will significantly change everyday classroom life, primarily to the benefit of the students. The same number of educators are confident that AI offers a good opportunity to support students.
More than half of the educators (66 percent) believe after the AI training that the use of AI in the classroom encourages students to learn more independently.
AI Training Strengthens Educators’ Confidence in Their Own Abilities
Almost all surveyed educators (97.9 percent) see it as the school’s task to impart AI skills to students. This also results in the educators’ expectation for the development of their own AI skills, which 99.5 percent of the respondents consider important. After the training, 85.5 percent of the participants feel well prepared to integrate AI technologies into their own teaching, compared to only 25.8 percent before. The significant increase (59.7 percent) suggests that the training has substantially contributed to strengthening the educators’ confidence in their own abilities and to reducing existing reservations.
“It is encouraging to see that our training not only has a positive impact on educators but also stands out for its scalability. This allows us to reach a large number of educators and sustainably promote AI skills,” explains Dr. Diana Knodel, CEO of fobizz.
Source Image: University Cologne, AG Digitale Bildung, Institut für Physikdidaktik
The results of the study were presented at a press conference, attended by Dominik Scheider, a former participant of the certification training. Dominik Scheider is an educator and coordinator for digital teaching development at the German School Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and shared his personal experiences from participating in the certification training. While AI tools were new to him before participating, they are now almost a daily part of his lesson preparation.
“Artificial intelligence went from being my enemy to being my assistant—now I can implement things that I know are important in everyday school life, but for which I previously didn’t have time.”
Dominik Scheider, Educator & Coordinator for Digital Teaching Development
About the AI Literacy Training
In the AI Literacy Training, educators learn the basics of Artificial Intelligence over approximately four weeks and discover how to prepare their lessons with AI tools and work with their students using AI tools in the classroom. Over the past two years, more than 7,000 educators have participated in the certification training.
The next AI certification training starts in September 2025. Register now to enhance your AI skills!
The study was conducted from January to February 2024. A total of 1,000 educators participated in the training, with 186 educators participating in the evaluation. The participants of the evaluation study consisted of 22 percent male and 78 percent female educators, with an age range from 26 to 66 years (average age 43.5 years). The data on school types reflects the diversity of educational institutions where the participants teach: 32 percent from high schools, 16 percent from comprehensive schools, 15 percent from vocational colleges, 11 percent from primary schools, 9 percent secondary schools, 3 percent main schools, 4 percent special schools, and 10 percent other types of schools.
About fobizz
Fobizz | 101skills GmbH is the leading German-based platform for continuous education and professional development courses, as well as a provider of digitial tools (incorporating AI) for teachers and schools. Fobizz has dedicated itself to advancing the digitalization of teaching and enabling teachers to impart knowledge in artificial intelligence, media, and IT to their students in a simple and practical way. Fobizz sees itself as a daily companion for teachers, helping to alleviate their daily classroom challenges. Since its founding in 2018, the fobizz team led by Dr. Diana Knodel has already trained over 7,500 schools and more than 650,000 teachers worldwide on current digital topics and artificial intelligence.
Unlock Your School’s Potential with fobizz
Educators can start for free and experience the benefits of fobizz firsthand. For schools interested in exploring how fobizz can support their educational needs, we offer the opportunity to schedule a non-binding consultation at any time. Our team is ready to discuss how our tools and training programs can be tailored to meet the specific requirements of your school or district. Reach out to us todayto explore the possibilities and elevate your teaching experience!
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