Across Australia, AI tools are landing in classrooms faster than schools can train teachers to use them.
Research shows that about two-thirds (66%) of Australian lower secondary teachers now use AI in the classroom — well above the OECD average of 36% — yet only 32% have access to approved tools, despite 96% saying they'd take up free training if offered.
Recognising the need for educators to get their head around this technology, a new global partnership is stepping in to help.
Adelaide University’s Computer Science Education Research (CSER) Group, South Australia, has joined a global partnership with the UK-based Raspberry Pi Foundation to deliver the resources to teachers nationwide. Adelaide University announced the partnership on 2 September 2026.
The program, Experience AI, was developed by the Raspberry Pi Foundation and Google DeepMind. It is funded in Australia by Google.org.
Teachers receive ready-to-use classroom materials, no prior AI knowledge required. “Teachers will have access to lesson plans with speaker notes, slide decks, videos, student activities, and assessments,” said Dr Rebecca Vivian, CSER Project Lead and Senior Research Fellow at Adelaide University, South Australia.
“Students will get to experience cutting-edge AI education tools and classroom activities to demystify how AI systems function in student-friendly ways.”
The materials cover how AI works and the harder questions it raises, including data privacy, misinformation, deepfakes and the responsible use of generative AI tools.
A free AI teaching program aligned to the Australian Curriculum
CSER project officers will support teachers to implement Experience AI in alignment with the Australian Curriculum, Version 9.0. The curriculum integrates digital literacy and AI concepts from Foundation to Year 10.
CSER has been delivering free, online professional learning to Australian teachers since 2014. Its focus areas include digital technologies, AI, cybersecurity and mathematics, making it one of the country’s most established providers.
Philip Colligan CBE, chief executive of the Raspberry Pi Foundation, welcomed Australia to the program’s global network.
“We are looking forward to equipping teachers with the skills needed to teach AI confidently, ensuring it’s both engaging and relevant for their students,” Colligan said.
“We aim to ensure that young people in Australia develop a foundational understanding of AI technologies and the role that they can play in their lives.”
Designed for teachers with no specialist background
Experience AI was built for non-specialist teachers. It can be delivered across a wide range of subjects and requires no prior technical knowledge.
The program’s reach reflects its design. As of February 2025, Experience AI has been downloaded in more than 160 countries and reached an estimated 1.2 million learners worldwide.
In 2025, Experience AI won the UNESCO King Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa Prize for the Use of ICT in Education (UNESCO, 2025). Australia joins 195 countries now participating.
The resources cover two areas:
- technical foundations: how machine learning works, how data is used, what AI systems can and cannot do
- broader societal implications: ethical thinking, bias, and AI’s role in everyday life
The resources are intentionally cross-curricular and require no specialist infrastructure. They’re designed so that any teacher, in any subject, can start without delay.
What this means for school leaders
For principals and curriculum leaders, the CSER–Raspberry Pi partnership offers something practical. The AI teaching program is free, research-backed and curriculum-aligned. It is designed to scale without requiring specialist infrastructure or significant prior upskilling.
CSER project officers will work alongside teachers to build confidence in delivery rather than leaving implementation to individual educators.
“It’s exciting to be piloting the Experience AI program in Australia, and joining 195 other countries in expanding AI education,” Dr Vivian said.
Expressions of interest for six hours of free professional learning are open now through the CSER website.