Nicolás Bertoa

Unreal Authorized Instructor — Silver | Epic Games UAI Certification

Epic Games Unreal Authorized Instructor Silver certification badge
Epic Games Unreal Authorized Instructor Silver certification badge

Earlier this year I completed Epic Games’ Unreal Authorized Instructor (UAI) certification — Silver level. The UAI is a formal credentialing program for instructors who want to teach Unreal Engine officially under Epic’s umbrella. It’s not just an exam: the process involves a written knowledge test, two instructional design courses (UAI-101 and UAI-102), and a recorded instructional video evaluated by Epic’s team against four criteria: content structure, delivery style, instructional effectiveness, and technical knowledge.

The Certification Process has three distinct phases:

  • Written exam covering Unreal Engine systems, editor workflows, and development pipelines — scored at 92
  • UAI-101 and UAI-102: instructional design courses covering how to write measurable learning outcomes, plan lesson segments, distinguish demo from tutorial format, and structure on-demand video content
  • Instructional Skills Demo: a full instructional video submitted to Epic and evaluated by their team

The Instructional Demo I submitted covers the Gameplay Ability System from scratch in 8 steps:

  • Create and configure a C++ project with the GAS plugin enabled
  • Set up an AbilitySystemComponent implementing IAbilitySystemInterface with TObjectPtr and correct module dependencies in Build.cs
  • Define a custom UAttributeSet with a Health attribute using the ATTRIBUTE_ACCESSORS macro, initialized via InitHealth() in the constructor
  • Create a UGameplayEffect Blueprint (GE_DamageHealth) — Instant duration, Add modifier, magnitude -25
  • Create a UGameplayAbility Blueprint (GA_DamageHealth) — applies the effect via Apply Gameplay Effect to Owner, ends immediately with End Ability
  • Grant the ability on Begin Play with Give Ability, bind player input with Try Activate Ability by Class
  • Verify the full chain live with showdebug abilitysystem in the console

The Epic Scorecard returned full marks on Technical Knowledge and Instructor Confidence. The areas that pulled the score below Gold were instructional design choices — not enough hands-on learner activities embedded in the session, and slides that leaned minimal when they could have done more work. That feedback is clear and actionable, and it reflects something real: my instinct was to optimize for technical clarity, not for learner engagement mechanics. That’s the gap between a developer who can teach and a trained instructor — and it’s exactly what the UAI process is designed to surface.

Instructional Demo Video (YouTube)

GitHub

Verified Credential — Epic Games UAI