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Introduction to AI

Syllabus & Course Outline

Course description

Section titled “Course description”

Understanding AI, using it effectively, and evaluating it responsibly. A hands-on high-school introduction to artificial intelligence. The first half of the course builds academic skills — how AI works, how to prompt it, and how to use it for studying, research, and writing without letting it do your thinking. The second half turns those same skills toward careers: brainstorming what to do after graduation, and using AI through a real job search. No technical background required.

Course framing

Section titled “Course framing”
  • AI should assist thinking, not replace it.
  • The most important skills are asking good questions, checking answers, and using human judgment.
  • You should leave with practical skills you can apply in school, work, and everyday life.
  • Before any AI task, run the Seven-Question Check below — it is the operational version of the first bullet.

By the end of the course you should be able to:

  1. Explain what AI is — and isn’t — in plain language, including why it produces confident nonsense.
  2. Write clear prompts and improve weak AI output through iteration.
  3. Use AI productively as a tutor, research assistant, and writing support.
  4. Verify AI claims against reliable sources and catch hallucinated citations.
  5. Apply a shared ethics framework (the Seven-Question Check) to academic and personal decisions.
  6. Use AI to explore career options and support a job search — honestly.

Core reference: The Seven-Question AI Check

Section titled “Core reference: The Seven-Question AI Check”

Adapted from Curtis D. Fry’s “Should I Use AI? A Visual Guide for the Appropriate Use of Artificial Intelligence” (the diagram lives on the Resources page). Follow the tree: if you cannot answer YES at any point, skip AI for the task.

# Question Student-facing version Taught in depth
1 Do I have a clear purpose? I can name which step AI helps with, and why Classes 1, 3
2 Is it allowed? I’ve read the assignment rules / school policy Class 6
3 Will it support, not replace, learning? I can explain the result without AI Classes 3, 6
4 Can I ensure it’s accurate? I can fact-check what it gives me Classes 2, 9
5 Am I being ethical? No private data, credit where due, no harm Classes 4, 6
6 Does it provide real value? It improves the work, not just speeds it up Classes 3, 7
7 Will I own the outcome? I’d stand behind this as my own work Class 10

The 10-class schedule

Section titled “The 10-class schedule”

Each class runs 60 minutes. Class pages in the sidebar carry the detailed outline. The schedule is the plan, not a contract — session notes pages become the record of what we actually covered.

If we run out of time, in order: (1) shrink Class 9’s verification drill to a demo plus homework, (2) trim Class 1’s theory to 15 minutes, (3) drop the “predict the next word” game, (4) convert Class 6’s debate to a case-study show of hands, (5) don’t resurrect tool comparison stations. Keep regardless: “learn it then explain it without AI,” the scenario sort, the Seven-Question Check, and the Final Challenge.

Policies

Section titled “Policies”
  • AI use in this class: encouraged inside guided activities, logged in the prompt log, and never for making decisions the rubric says you must do yourself (reflection, verification, presentation).
  • Privacy: no real names of students or anyone else in prompts; we practice on fictional bios.
  • Academic integrity elsewhere: this course teaches the school’s policy, it doesn’t override other teachers’. When in doubt: Question 2.