BAS-MLA7900 - AI Foundations: From Curiosity to Career

Course Description

We invite you to embark on an exciting journey into the world of artificial intelligence. Perfect for beginners, this course combines practical insights, engaging activities, and ethical considerations to make AI accessible to everyone. You will unravel complex AI concepts, explore free, intuitive tools, and gain hands-on experience applying AI in both personal and professional contexts—no coding or technical expertise required. 

With interactive lessons, real-world applications, and collaborative projects, you will learn how to harness AI to boost productivity, solve problems and use it responsibly in your career and daily life. 

Course Outline

• Introduction and Fundamentals of AI: Explore the basics of AI, including key concepts, real-world applications, ethical considerations, and techniques for effective interactions with AI tools. 
• Enhancing AI Outputs and Productivity Tools: Learn to ensure accuracy in AI-generated outputs and set up personal AI assistants for managing schedules, reminders, and tasks. 
• AI for Communication: Utilize AI for language translation across multiple languages and enhance grammar, spelling, and proofreading capabilities while maintaining ethical standards. 
• AI in Content Creation and Research: Leverage AI to assist in writing, brainstorming, and conducting efficient online research while summarizing information responsibly. 
• AI for Business and Education: Discover AI applications in business decision-making, data analysis, and workflows, along with tools for enhancing learning and teaching experiences in education. 
• AI and Creativity: Harness AI to create art, music, and design projects, and to assist in coding tasks such as writing, debugging, and testing programs responsibly. 
• AI for Efficiency and the Future: Automate tasks, organize workflows, and explore emerging AI trends, their societal impacts, and future possibilities. 
• Practical Applications and Course Wrap-Up: Apply your learning in a capstone project to solve real-world problems and reflect on key takeaways to guide your continued AI exploration. 

Learner Outcomes

By the end of this course, participants will be able to: 

1. Demonstrate a solid understanding of AI concepts, terminology, and ethical considerations, including issues like bias, accuracy, and privacy in AI applications. 
2. Effectively use AI tools for various tasks such as personal productivity, language translation, grammar correction, research, and creative content development. 
3. Apply AI techniques to develop and execute real-world projects, showcasing creative and efficient problem-solving abilities. 
4. Cultivate a mindset that prioritizes ethical considerations, responsible use, and awareness of the societal impact of AI technologies. 
5. Foster curiosity, confidence, and enthusiasm to explore emerging AI trends and incorporate innovative tools into personal and professional contexts. 

Notes

Target Audience

This course is ideal for: 

• Beginners curious about AI and its practical applications. 
• Professionals looking to integrate AI into their workflows. 
• Students who want to explore AI as a career or personal interest. 

Occupational Outlook

The use of AI is expected to grow exponentially, creating more jobs that require human oversight, ethical implementation, and the ability to collaborate with AI systems. Upskilling in AI can future-proof careers and offer opportunities for advancement in the digital economy. 

Information Technology Continuing Education Certificate

A certificate of completion for the class will be issued to participants with at least 80% attendance, class participation, and completion of hands-on practice and projects. 

Method of Instruction

Lectures for clear and engaging explanations of AI concepts and their practical applications, demonstrations featuring live examples of AI tools in action, hands-on activities with guided tasks and projects using beginner-friendly tools, and discussions to explore the ethical and practical implications of AI interactively. 

Evaluation

Collaborative projects, presentations, and written reflections.