Designing Social Presence Across Modalities

(Course 3 of 3 for those taking the Human Centered AI in the Age of SEL bundle; courses can also be taken individually)

Overview

Knowing that AI shapes how people learn together is only the beginning. The next step is designing for it.

In this course, educators and learning leaders move from awareness to action. You'll learn how to build interaction structures that sustain human presence, surface diverse voices, and position AI as background infrastructure — not the center of attention. Whether you work in a classroom, a hybrid environment, or a professional learning community, you'll leave with a practical design you can implement right away.

This course is built around a simple but powerful idea: social presence isn't accidental. Belonging has to be designed. And when AI is in the room, the design choices matter even more.

Who Should Take This Course?

This course is designed for educators and learning leaders who facilitate interaction in any setting — classrooms, PLCs, teams, or courses. Instructional coaches, department chairs, school leaders, and L&D professionals will find this course especially relevant. Completion of Course 1 is recommended but not required.

What Will You Walk Away With?

• A clear framework for positioning AI as background infrastructure in learning environments

• An Interaction Blueprint tailored to your specific context

• Practical strategies for sustaining presence and equity across modalities — ready to implement within 1–2 weeks

The Asset you will develop through this course is the Interaction Blueprint, which will include:

• A mapped interaction flow for your specific environment

• AI placement decisions — where AI helps, and where it steps back

• Human facilitation moves

• Voice and visibility safeguards for underrepresented participants

• Design for continuity across time and space

The Skills you will develop in this course include the ability to:

• Distinguish genuine social presence from surface-level participation

• Design interaction structures that sustain connection across in-person, hybrid, and PLC contexts

• Position AI as background infrastructure rather than the active participant in learning

• Identify and address visibility gaps for underrepresented or overlooked voices

• Build a practical, equity-conscious interaction design for your own environment

Course Breakdown

• Introduction: From Awareness to Design

• Module 1: Reframing Social Presence

• Module 2: Designing AI as Background Infrastructure

• Module 3: Designing Across Modalities

• Module 4: Designing for Voice & Visibility

• Module 5: Interaction Blueprint

Time Commitment

Estimated time to completion is 3 hours.

Course Access

3-months

Certificate of Completion and Digital Badge

Upon successful completion of this course, you will receive a digital certificate and badge.  This digital certificate links to a webpage outlining the learning outcomes covered in the workshop. You can display your certificates on LinkedIn or your CV. You can also share it directly with your school or prospective employers.

Course Designer

Charles Buehler-Hoard, Ed.D., Founder and CEO of Northline Strategy

Dr. Charlie Buehler-Hoard is the Founder and CEO of Northline Strategy, bringing more than 15 years of executive leadership experience at the intersection of education, technology, and organizational systems. His work has centered on schools, private career colleges, accrediting bodies, and mission-driven institutions—leading enterprise-level initiatives in program design, instructional systems development, and professional development for educators and institutional leaders. Across multiple C-suite roles, including Chief Operating Officer, Chief Strategy Officer, and Chief Technical and Compliance Officer, he has consistently focused on translating strategy into coherent operating systems, governance frameworks, and aligned leadership practice.

Dr. Buehler-Hoard's current work sits at the intersection of AI strategy, systems thinking, and institutional leadership. He is particularly recognized for designing learning experiences and professional development programs that equip educators and executive teams to navigate technological acceleration with clarity and purpose—moving organizations beyond fragmented adoption toward integrated, enterprise-level approaches that strengthen decision-making and long-term value creation. He holds a Bachelor of Arts from Augustana University, a Master of Theological Studies from Harvard Divinity School, and a doctorate in Leadership and Innovation (Ed.D.) from Arizona State University.