Welcome to your quarterly update—here’s what’s new and how you can get involved!
🚀 In This Issue
📣 Microsoft Academic Research Exchange
🌟 AI-900 Lab Simulations
✨ AI Skills Navigator
🧑💻 Course Updates
💬 Course Feedback: Share Your Experience!
📣 Microsoft Academic Research Exchange
Flying into the Future: How to Assess the Environmental Impacts from Aircraft Emissions
Dr. Ling Lim
Research Fellow, Faculty of Science and Engineering
Manchester Metropolitan University
We’re excited to share the next installment of the Microsoft Academic Research Exchange video series. In this session, Dr. Ling Lim from Manchester Metropolitan University explores how computational modeling is used to better understand the environmental impacts of aircraft emissions.
Aviation is one of the fastest‑growing—and most difficult to decarbonize—transportation sectors. In this video, Dr. Ling Lim explores how aircraft emissions affect air quality and climate and introduces the computational models her research group uses to assess these impacts. She highlights findings from recent studies, including fleet‑level analyses, potential mitigation strategies, and key methodological challenges shaping future research.
▶️ Watch this session and explore previous talks in the series: https://aka.ms/ResearchExchange
🌟 New AI-900 Lab Simulations
We’re excited to share that new AI-900 lab simulations are now live—bringing more interactive, scalable, and learner-friendly AI experiences to your classroom. These simulations offer guided, hands-on practice in a safe, repeatable environment, helping students build confidence as they explore foundational AI concepts.
As part of Microsoft Learn for Educators (MSLE), eligible institutions receive free lab seats, and individual MSLE educators can access discounted seats to provision Azure based labs for their students. This makes it easier than ever to deliver real world practice and skills validation without the complexity of managing live cloud resources.
These new simulation-based labs provide:
- Step by step guidance and built in hints
- Real‑time automated feedback
- A consistent, low risk environment for experimentation
It’s a powerful way to enrich your AI curriculum and support learners as they prepare for the AI‑900: Microsoft Azure AI Fundamentals certification.
👉 For additional information, read our recent blog post in the MSLE Community.
✨ AI Skills Navigator
AI Skills Navigator on Microsoft Learn is transforming how educators, students, and professionals build AI capability. This AI-powered experience curates personalized skill plans, adapts content to your learning style, and brings together videos, credentials, and hands-on resources to help you grow with confidence.
🌟 What’s New?
- Customized learning journeys that adjust to your interests, role, and pace.
-
- Adaptive content transformation—summaries, audio versions, and alternative formats that meet you where you are.
- Next generation, AI-powered skilling space designed to accelerate both individual and organizational AI growth.
- Curated playlists for educators, developers, IT pros, business leaders, and more—making it easier than ever to find the right starting point.
🎓 Why It Matters for Educators
AI Skills Navigator helps you stay ahead of emerging AI capabilities, integrate AI concepts into your curriculum, and support learners with flexible, accessible content. Whether you’re exploring foundational AI or preparing to teach advanced topics, this tool gives you a clear, guided path forward.
Learn more about AI Skills Navigator at https://aiskillsnavigator.microsoft.com/
🧑💻 Course Updates
🌟What’s New (January–March 2026)
AI‑Ready Management (Learning Path) — January 2026
Introduces the basics of preparing and managing IT infrastructure to support AI workloads.
AI‑Ready Governance (Learning Path) — February 2026
Covers governance, risk, and policy considerations for using AI responsibly in organizations.
Microsoft Certified: Databricks Data Engineer (DP‑750) (Certification) — Beta March 2026
Validates skills in building and managing data engineering solutions using Databricks and modern analytics tools.
Microsoft Certified: SQL AI Developer (DP‑800) (Certification) — Beta March 2026
Focuses on developing SQL‑based solutions that support analytics and AI‑driven scenarios.
✨What’s Updated (February 2026)
Azure AI Fundamentals (AI‑900) Learning Path
Updated structure and branding to better support learners new to AI concepts.
Microsoft Identity and Access Administrator (SC‑300)
Updated to include new identity management capabilities using Microsoft Entra ID and Security Copilot.
Microsoft Security Operations Analyst (SC‑200)
Labs updated to reflect the current Microsoft Sentinel experience within Microsoft Defender.
Microsoft Azure Fundamentals (AZ‑900)
Lab updates aligned to the current Azure platform experience.
💬 Recently Completed a Course? We’d Love to Hear From You!
If you’ve wrapped up a course recently, we’d be thrilled to connect. Your insights help strengthen our community—how the experience went, what you’re excited to teach next, and where you might want support.
You can easily book one-on-one time with your community manager by reaching out to them in the MSLE Community. We’re here to help you keep growing and thriving.
Microsoft