NDL 2: AI-Supported Precision Design for Neurodivergent Learners - EDC-X747AA

Course Description

Credit Validation for Ed3 Participants Only

This course helps educators move from individual strategies to a repeatable design process for supporting neurodivergent and physiodivergent learners, with Artificial Intelligence (AI) serving as a thinking partner at each stage. Educators learn to identify where a task or learning environment creates friction for a specific learner, analyze the cognitive demands embedded within a classroom task, make targeted adjustments that preserve rigor, and design scaffold-and-fade plans that build learner independence over time.

Throughout the course, AI serves as a pattern-spotting, analytical, and design partner by helping educators surface hypotheses for evaluation, generate differentiated materials to consider alongside professional judgment, and configure customized tools to support the intentional fading of instructional supports. By the end of the course, participants will have practiced a three-stage design cycle—Notice, Design, and Sustain—and produced a Learner Variability Snapshot, a Task Calibration Lab, and a Scaffold-and-Fade Plan grounded in an authentic classroom context.

• Notice & Analyze
• Design with Precision
• Sustain

Learner Outcomes

• Distinguish between learner strengths and task demands by using variability domains and cognitive demand types to identify classroom friction through observational rather than diagnostic language
• Analyze classroom tasks by evaluating cognitive demands with Artificial Intelligence (AI) and making targeted adjustments that reduce unnecessary strain while preserving rigor
• Design scaffold-and-fade plans with configured AI tools by identifying observable readiness signals that build neurodivergent and physiodivergent learners’ independence while maintaining educator discernment

Course Details

PLEASE READ ALL COURSE DETAILS

Number of Units: 0.5 graduate level extension credit(s) in semester hours.

Who Should Attend: This course provides continuing education for Ed3 Participants.

University of San Diego – Graduate-Level Extension Credit Information

The University of San Diego partners with this program to offer graduate-level extension credit(s) in semester hours through the Credit Validation Program. To earn units, participants must register for and successfully complete coursework through the external program provider.

Credits earned through USD’s Credit Validation Program are widely accepted by many school districts and universities across the United States for purposes such as license renewal, required professional development hours, short-term skill building, salary advancement, credentialing, and potential advanced degree pathways.

These units do not apply toward a master’s or higher degree program at the University of San Diego; however, they may be transferable to advanced degree programs (e.g., MA, EdD, PhD) at other institutions that accept external graduate-level credits.

Participants are responsible for confirming acceptance, transcript requirements, deadlines, and applicability of units with their employing district or intended institution prior to enrollment.

Directions to Enroll for Credit 

Step 1: Register with the Partner Organization (Echelon Scholars)
Complete your registration directly with the partner organization. Follow their instructions to begin the course and pay any required enrollment fees.

• Homepage: Ed3
• Enroll: Use AI with Purpose - Browse Courses
• Contact Ed3

Please Note: USD does not provide course materials, manage instruction, or assign grades. All coursework is evaluated by the program’s instructor or coordinator.

Step 2: Complete the Course 
Participate fully in the course through the partner organization and complete all required assignments, activities, and assessments. (Some courses, specifically DoDEA courses, may require participants to purchase units before the course ends; please check the enrollment window for details.)

Step 3: Register for University Credit
After confirming your registration with the partner organization and completing your program, return to USD’s website.

• Locate the same course on our listings page
• Click Add to Cart
• Click Check Out
• You will be prompted to either log into your USD Student Account or create one, and then pay for your units

If this course displays Request Information, it means the course is either not yet open for enrollment (please check the enrollment dates) or enrollment has already closed. If enrollment has closed, you may still contact the organization directly to see if they will accept a late enrollment or if the course will be offered again in the future.

Step 4: Partner Organization Submits Grades
After you finish, the partner organization will submit your final grade to USD.

Step 5: Receive Your Transcript
No further action is needed. Once your grade has been processed, USD will issue an official transcript reflecting your earned university credit. Transcripts are mailed to the address listed in your USD student account. 

Transcript Process: Once we receive your certificate of completion, we will begin processing your transcript. Participants are responsible for ensuring that their mailing address is accurate and up to date in their USD student account to avoid delays in transcript delivery.

Transcript Delivery Timeline:

• U.S. addresses: 2–3 weeks
• International addresses: 3–4 weeks

For detailed information regarding the University of San Diego Credit Validation Program, please consult our Participant Guide.