Scaling Meaningful Professional Learning for Educators Across Michigan

Key Takeaways

12 years of statewide collaboration between REMC and ALP has built a professional learning model that’s both scalable and deeply human.

Tens of thousands of educators served through free, high-quality courses, webinars, and leadership cohorts across Michigan.

80% course completion rate — four times the national average for virtual professional learning.

Equitable access statewide: educators in urban, suburban, and rural communities experience the same level of quality and support.

Continuous improvement built in: every course refreshed on a three-year cycle, with new topics such as AI literacy, design thinking, and digital badging.

Replicable model for other states: demonstrates how empathy, technology, and design thinking can power sustainable statewide learning systems.

Key Outcomes

80% course completion rate, compared to a national average below 20%
97 additional professional learning opportunities added in 2024–25
70+ courses rotated annually, all free to Michigan K-12 educators
Access across every region, from Detroit to the Upper Peninsula

Designing a Statewide Learning System That Keeps People at the Center

For more than a decade, the Regional Educational Media Center Association of Michigan (REMC) and Advanced Learning Partnerships (ALP) have worked side by side to strengthen how Michigan educators learn, teach, and lead in evolving digital environments. What started as a collaboration around technology access has grown into a statewide system for effective professional learning that reaches thousands of educators every year. When the pandemic disrupted classrooms and traditional professional learning, REMC and ALP were already positioned to respond. Years of statewide virtual infrastructure and established relationships meant educators across Michigan could keep learning, quickly, equitably, and at scale. While other systems scrambled to build online capacity, REMC and ALP expanded theirs, helping teachers stay connected and confident during one of education’s most uncertain moments.

Through this long-standing partnership, REMC and ALP have co-designed a model that balances innovation with empathy. They’ve turned professional development into something educators genuinely look forward to: courses that fit real schedules, coaching that honors experience, and opportunities that connect teachers across regions and roles. The partnership has fueled over a thousand virtual courses, dozens of new initiatives, and one of the highest completion rates for online professional learning in the country.

“This work isn’t just about technology; it’s about building confidence in change,” said Rachel Fruin, ALP’s Director of Professional Learning. “That’s what has kept this partnership strong over time — helping educators feel ready for whatever comes next.”

At its core, this is a story about how Michigan built scale without losing connection, proving that statewide systems can remain deeply human in design and delivery. From the early days of device procurement to today’s cutting-edge work in AI literacy and digital badging, REMC and ALP have shown what’s possible when a state invests in professional learning for teachers that keeps people at the center of technology.

This work isn’t just about technology; it’s about building confidence in change. That’s what has kept this partnership strong over time — helping educators feel ready for whatever comes next.

Rachel Fruin, Director of Professional Learning, ALP

The Challenge: Equitable Access and Meaningful Learning at Scale

Michigan’s geography creates both opportunity and complexity. Stretching across two peninsulas and hundreds of diverse districts, the state’s educators face unique barriers to equitable professional learning. REMC, a statewide nonprofit supporting 28 regional service agencies, had the reach to serve all educators but needed additional capacity to provide consistent, relevant, and future-focused learning across such a wide landscape.

Educators were asking for professional development that felt meaningful and practical. “We asked ourselves how we could serve a teacher in Detroit and a teacher in the Upper Peninsula with the same quality experience,” explained Melinda Waffle, professional learning coordinator at REMC. “That question has guided nearly every decision since.”

The challenge wasn’t only logistical. It was philosophical. REMC wanted to design professional learning that reflected Michigan’s values — accessible, innovative, and deeply human.

We asked ourselves how we could serve a teacher in Detroit and a teacher in the Upper Peninsula with the same quality experience. That question has guided nearly every decision since.

Melinda Waffle, Professional Learning Coordinator, REMC

The Partnership: A Statewide Model for K–12 Professional Learning

The partnership between ALP and REMC began through the 22i TRIG technology initiative, which aimed to help Michigan schools acquire classroom devices. People Driven Technologies and Dell Technologies won the bid and added a critical “value add:” professional learning for the educators who would use that technology. Dell contracted ALP to provide that learning, and REMC became the statewide network that made it possible.

When the initiative ended, the partnership continued because it worked. The collaboration is now sustained through REMC SAVE, a cooperative purchasing program that allows Michigan districts to access technology at competitive prices while generating professional learning credits that REMC invests back into educators. Through this structure, ALP and REMC have turned technology procurement into an engine for professional growth.

According to Myla Lee, ALP consultant and longtime REMC instructor, “Each organization knows the other’s gifts. That mutual respect, and the willingness to challenge each other, is what keeps the work strong.” REMC brings statewide infrastructure and relationships. ALP contributes instructional design, facilitation expertise, and implementation support. Together, they have built a partnership defined by trust, adaptability, and a shared commitment to meeting educators’ evolving needs.

Each organization knows the other’s gifts. That mutual respect, and the willingness to challenge each other, is what keeps the work strong.

Myla Lee, ALP consultant, REMC instructor

The Approach: Designing Scalable Professional Learning Experiences

At the center of this partnership is a shared conviction that technology should enhance learning and connection.

Design thinking drives much of ALP’s instructional approach. For Lee, empathy is the first step in any course design. She spends time researching teacher needs, gathering feedback, and listening closely before mapping the learning experience. “We start with teachers’ realities and build from there,” she said. This cycle of listening, testing, and refining has created courses that balance intellectual rigor with curiosity and joy.

The structure of REMC’s offerings reflects that same philosophy. The association now provides a portfolio of courses, webinars, workshops, and learning cohorts, all free to Michigan educators. Each course runs for three weeks and combines synchronous collaboration with flexible asynchronous work. This model respects teachers’ schedules while maintaining a strong sense of community. With this balance of structure and flexibility, REMC’s courses consistently achieve completion rates above 80 percent — more than four times the national average for virtual learning.

Continuous improvement is also built into the system. Every course in the catalog is reviewed and refreshed on a three-year cycle. New topics, such as AI integration and digital literacy, are added regularly, while outdated materials are retired.

Each offering is designed to be as experiential as possible. Educators learn by doing: creating classroom-ready artifacts, testing new approaches, and reflecting on outcomes alongside peers and facilitators. “I never want a course to feel like a checkbox,” said Myla Lee, an ALP consultant and REMC facilitator. “It should challenge educators just enough to stretch their thinking while fitting within the rhythm of their lives.”

“Professional learning only works when it’s designed to be used immediately,” Fruin said. “Every decision we make centers on how teachers can apply what they learn tomorrow.”

That applied, human-centered approach has been a through line since the partnership began. “The form of the virtual course hasn’t changed much over twelve years,” noted ALP President Amos Fodchuk. “It works because it’s simple and experiential. Educators can apply what they learn right away and see the results in their classrooms.”

“Our goal is that every educator, no matter where they live or teach, has access to the same quality learning experience,” Lee added. Through shared leadership and continuous feedback, ALP and REMC have built a professional learning system that scales while staying grounded in practice.

With this balance of structure and flexibility, REMC’s courses consistently achieve completion rates above 80 percent — more than four times the national average for virtual learning.

The Work in Action: Digital Learning That Sparks Curiosity

The partnership’s design philosophy comes to life in courses like Inquiry and Questioning, which Lee facilitates for educators statewide. The course uses questioning strategies, reflection, and practical technology tools to help teachers rediscover curiosity as a driver of learning.

One participant reflected that the course helped them “see how important it is to allow students time to be curious and ask their own questions” — a reminder that learning begins when students take ownership of ideas. Another educator described how the course encouraged experimentation: “I liked the idea of play when it comes to trying a tool and knowing it’s okay to make mistakes. I need to do that for my students too.”

Lee hears stories like these regularly. “Educators come in expecting a credit or a compliance task,” she said, “and they leave talking about mindset shifts. That’s when you know the work matters.”

Each reflection reinforces the partnership’s central idea: when educators experience learning that is personal, empowering, and relevant to the real world, they bring that same energy to their classrooms.

Educators come in expecting a credit or a compliance task, and they leave talking about mindset shifts. That’s when you know the work matters.

Myla Lee, ALP consultant, REMC instructor

The Impact: A Statewide Model for K-12 Professional Learning Needs for Teachers

Over twelve years, the REMC–ALP partnership has reached tens of thousands of Michigan educators, delivering consistent, high-quality professional learning that demonstrates the power of statewide collaboration and sustained innovation.

Key outcomes include:

80% course completion rate, compared to a national average below 20%
97 additional professional learning opportunities added in 2024–25
70+ courses rotated annually, all free to Michigan K-12 educators
Access across every region, from Detroit to the Upper Peninsula

Waffle attributes the partnership’s success to the quality of facilitation and the sense of connection among participants. “Our participants finish courses at a rate four times the national average because they feel supported,” she said.

The collaboration has also expanded into digital badging and microcredential pathways that recognize demonstrated mastery rather than seat time. Through this system, educators earn badges by applying their learning to real classroom challenges and submitting artifacts of practice. The process builds ownership and validates ongoing growth. “The digital badging framework connects learning to action,” explained Amos Fodchuk, ALP President. “It helps educators document mastery in ways that directly influence their work.”

This competency-based approach reflects ALP and REMC’s shared belief that professional learning should be as authentic and iterative as the teaching it supports. It’s helping Michigan educators move from one-time training to continuous development, supported by statewide infrastructure and local trust.

The Path Forward: Partnership as a Living System

As technology evolves, the REMC–ALP partnership continues to adapt. Recent efforts focus on AI literacy, leadership cohorts, and communities of practice that bring together educators, administrators, and specialists to explore emerging technologies. These groups extend the partnership’s reach beyond individual courses and foster peer networks that sustain innovation. “We’ve built communities of practice where educators learn from each other, not just from us,” Fruin said. “That shared learning is what keeps this work alive — it belongs to the educators.”

Looking ahead, both organizations see continued evolution as essential. “Our goal has always been to stay responsive to educators’ real needs,” said REMC’s Melinda Waffle. “The flexibility of this model means we can keep expanding—adding new topics, formats, and technologies—without losing the human-centered foundation that makes it work.”

Amos Fodchuk agreed, noting that future success depends on remaining agile while grounded in shared purpose. “Every few months, we step back with REMC to reimagine what’s next,” he said. “We challenge each other to see emerging trends early, test ideas, and keep Michigan educators at the center of the design process.”

Fodchuk describes this collaboration as a counter to professional isolation. “Education can unintentionally separate teachers in their classrooms,” he said. “The REMC–ALP partnership brings them back into community and helps them learn from one another.”

That combination of flexibility, collaboration, and educator-centered design is what makes the REMC–ALP model so distinct—and replicable. Michigan’s story demonstrates what happens when a system invests in curiosity, collective learning, and long-term trust.

Acknowledgment: The REMC–ALP partnership was originally made possible through a state technology procurement initiative supported by Dell Technologies and People Driven Technologies. Their early commitment to linking technology access with professional learning created the foundation for a model that continues to strengthen Michigan’s educator network today.

Frequently Asked Questions

Curious how the REMC–ALP model could work in your state or district? Here are answers to the most common questions education leaders ask about scaling professional learning systems that stay connected to real classrooms.

Can a statewide model like this work in my district or state?
Yes. The REMC–ALP partnership was designed to be flexible and scalable. While Michigan has a specific network structure, the same approach can be adapted to different contexts. ALP works with state agencies, regional centers, and district teams to build professional learning systems that fit local priorities and existing governance models.

What if my state doesn’t have a REMC-equivalent network?
A structure like REMC helps, but it is not required. What matters is collaboration. Many states and regions have built similar systems by bringing districts and education service agencies together under a shared professional learning vision. ALP helps partners assess what already exists, then design a coordinated model that supports educators at every level.

Do I need a corporate or vendor partner like Dell to do this?
No. While Dell Technologies and People Driven Technologies have played a valuable role in Michigan’s initiative by supporting technology access and professional learning, ALP supports partners who fund their systems through state programs, cooperative purchasing, or district consortiums. The most important factor is sustained leadership commitment to educator growth, not corporate sponsorship.

How do you know this model makes a difference in learning outcomes?
REMC and ALP have extensive feedback from educators, and the results are clear: courses are relevant, engaging, and lead to changes in classroom practice. Participant completion rates are four times higher than the national average for virtual learning. The partnership is now gathering statewide aggregate data to better measure student-level outcomes, while continuing to prioritize reflection, applied learning, and educator confidence as indicators of success.

Why is every course reviewed and refreshed on a three-year cycle?
Technology and teaching practices evolve quickly, and professional learning must evolve with them. The three-year review process ensures that every course remains current, accessible, and immediately useful. Topics like AI literacy and digital citizenship are added regularly, while outdated materials are retired. This cycle keeps content fresh and aligned with what educators face in real classrooms.

What makes experiential learning so important in this model?
Educators learn best when they can apply ideas directly to their work. Every REMC course includes opportunities for practice, reflection, and feedback. Participants leave with classroom-ready strategies, not just information. This approach builds confidence, encourages curiosity, and helps teachers see immediate results with their students.

Interested in meeting and exceeding professional learning needs for teachers in your school, district, or state?
Contact ALP to start a conversation.

Read our related three-part blog series exploring lessons from a statewide professional learning partnership: Building Partnerships That Last, How to Design Professional Learning That Sticks, and Building Human-Centered Professional Learning Systems at Scale.