Introduction to AI
Build confidence with AI fundamentals and learn to use AI safely and effectively in your daily work
What You'll Learn
This foundational course demystifies AI and gives you the confidence to use it safely and effectively. You'll understand how AI works, learn best practices for everyday tasks, and develop critical thinking skills for evaluating AI outputs.
Week 1: AI Foundations
- What is AI? Understanding large language models and their capabilities
- Key concepts: tokens, context, hallucinations, and limitations
- Hands-on lab: Your first conversations with AI
- Safety principles and responsible AI use
Week 2: Effective Prompting
- The anatomy of a good prompt
- Common prompt patterns: instruction, role-playing, chain-of-thought
- Practical applications for your work
- Ethics and bias awareness
Week 3: AI Tools & Workflows
- Beyond ChatGPT: exploring AI tools landscape
- Document analysis and content creation
- Mini-project: Solve a real work challenge with AI
- Collaboration etiquette when using AI
Week 4: Evaluation & Next Steps
- How to evaluate and fact-check AI outputs
- Recognizing when AI is and isn't appropriate
- Capstone: Present your mini-project
- Your AI learning roadmap going forward
Who Should Attend
- Complete beginners to AI and large language models
- Office workers, administrators, and support staff
- Anyone wanting to understand AI basics before diving deeper
- Professionals seeking to boost productivity with AI
- Those curious about AI but unsure where to start
What's Included
- 4 × 1-hour face-to-face sessions in Oxford
- Comprehensive course handbook and cheat sheets (PDF)
- Hands-on labs and real-world exercises
- Personal project feedback from instructor
- Certificate of completion
- Access to private Discord community
- Office hours for questions between sessions
Prerequisites
None! This course assumes no prior AI knowledge. You just need:
- A laptop or tablet (bring to each session)
- Basic computer literacy
- Curiosity and willingness to experiment
Course Format
Duration: 4 weeks, one evening per week
Time: 18:45 - 20:00 (1 hour instruction + 15min Q&A)
Location: Oxford (venue confirmed upon booking)
Cohort size: 10 students (max 12)
Pricing & Refunds
Standard: £149 per person
Early bird: £129 (book ≥14 days before start)
Buddy discount: 10% off when you book with a colleague
Refund policy: Full refund if cancelled ≥7 days before start; 50% refund 3-6 days before; transfers allowed within 72 hours if a waitlist exists.
Next Steps
After completing Introduction to AI, many students progress to Competent AI (Intermediate) to master advanced prompting and multi-step workflows.
Save 10% when you book a 2-course pass or 15% with a 3-course pass.