Optional next steps · At your own pace
Go deeper: courses and videos
Choose one question you want to explore, then follow a course or short video that helps. These are optional next steps: you can complete this orientation without taking another course.
Finlay’s tip · Take one useful detour
Want a quick explanation? Start with Code.org’s chatbot video. Want to practise collaborating and judging results? Try AI Fluency. Want the bigger picture? Choose Elements of AI or the Open University’s introduction. Bring one idea back and try it on your own task.
| Resource | What it helps with | Format and access | A useful first step |
|---|---|---|---|
| AI Fluency: Framework & Foundations Rick Dakan, Joseph Feller & Anthropic | Deciding what to delegate, describing a task, judging the result and acting responsibly. The closest match here to our collaboration-and-evaluation practice. | Free; videos and exercises. Authors estimate 3–4 hours. Skilljar registration for the hosted course; examples may use Claude, but the framework applies more broadly. | After trying an instruction, explore Description and Discernment. Pick one way to improve your next exchange. |
| How AI Works Code.org / CodeAI | Short visual explanations of chatbots, computer vision, training and bias. Designed for school learners; useful explanations for curious adults too. | Free short-video series and classroom activities. Watch a selected video on the publisher’s page; also see its official YouTube channel. | Choose “How Chatbots and Large Language Models Work”. Explain why you still need to check a fluent answer. |
| AI fluency Microsoft, hosted by OpenLearn | Beginner AI concepts, everyday tasks, responsible use and accessibility. Useful practical extension, with a Microsoft Copilot emphasis. | Free, self-paced sessions with video tutorials. OpenLearn account for saved progress and participation features. Some interface demonstrations may have changed. | Try an everyday-task example with the AI you already use. Note where your app’s controls differ. |
| An introduction to artificial intelligence The Open University / OpenLearn | AI’s history, social impact, opportunities and ethical questions. More background and reflection than chatbot operation. | Free two-week course structure, studied at your own pace. Reading and activities; account for saved progress and participation features. | Choose one benefit and one limitation relevant to your own use. Revisit your decision about when to use AI. |
| Elements of AI: Introduction to AI University of Helsinki & MinnaLearn | A broader understanding of AI, machine learning and implications. Designed for non-experts, but includes probability and reasoning exercises; a substantial next course. | Free course; account for full access. Six chapters of reading and exercises. Provider estimates 4–8 hours per part, so choose a chapter before committing to the whole course. | Start with “What is AI?” rather than its more technical sequel, Building AI. |
| ChatGPT 101 OpenAI Academy | A provider-specific introduction for people choosing ChatGPT. The wider Academy includes practical guides and recordings. | Free learning hub. The linked recording asks you to sign in or join. It dates from 2025; current controls and free-plan features may differ. | Watch for one everyday use you want to try. Check your actual app before relying on a demonstrated feature. |
| AI 101 for Teachers Khan Academy, Code.org, ETS & ISTE | A possible later educator pathway: classroom use, responsible practice and teaching with AI. More specialised than this general orientation. | Free five-part video series on the publisher’s page, also in Khan Academy’s AI for Education course. This does not imply free access to every Khanmigo product. | If education is your context, try “Demystifying AI for Educators”. Otherwise, start with one of the general resources above. |
Still getting comfortable with your computer?
Return to our files, folders and AI-interface practice. Be Connected’s computer basics course offers more foundational practice and an introductory video with a transcript. You can browse as a guest; sign in there if you want to save its progress.
Bring something back to your own task
- Before leaving: choose one question, such as “How can I make my instruction clearer?”
- After a short section: explain one useful idea in your own words.
- Try it: use that idea in an AI conversation and check what changed. Keep the resource link and your observation in your notes.
Show me an example reflection
Fictional example: “I wanted to make my instruction clearer. I learned to describe the result I need. I asked for three checklist items instead of general advice, and checked that each item was something I could actually do. I still need to confirm the suggested timing.”
External courses keep their own accounts and progress. Finishing one does not automatically mark work complete here. You can return to the context lesson whenever you are ready.
For anyone reusing or teaching with these resources
Free to study does not always mean free to copy or adapt. This page uses original summaries and links to the publishers. Linked courses, videos and images keep their own licences; they do not inherit the CC BY 4.0 licence for our original materials.
- AI Fluency: the framework authors release these course materials, including videos, under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0: attribution, non-commercial use, and ShareAlike for adaptations.
- Code.org: its terms distinguish videos (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0, with additional stated conditions for redistribution) from curriculum materials (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0, with exceptions). Do not remix the videos or treat third-party artwork as reusable.
- Open University introduction: acknowledgements specify CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 for covered content, with separately licensed images and videos. Check the particular item.
- Microsoft’s OpenLearn AI fluency: its acknowledgements explicitly say it is proprietary and not Creative Commons. We link to it; we do not republish it.
- Elements of AI, OpenAI Academy, Khan Academy’s joint series and Be Connected: reuse permission for the particular materials has not been established in this review. They are linked resources, not cleared assets for adaptation.
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Reuse our original course materials
Original Human AI Orientation lesson text, activities, examples, templates, practice notes, public AI-context text and curriculum-design documentation are © 2026 Finlay McCall and licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0), unless a separate notice says otherwise.
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