AI & Application Development

Practical AI Foundations

A plain-language introduction to using AI tools well: what a language model actually does, how to prompt it, how it reads your text, and how to use it responsibly in real work. No coding or math required.

BEGINNER · en · ~210 min

Instructor: Self-paced · Reviewed by: Iroko Skills Academy team · Published by: Iroko Skills Academy team

Learning objectives

Explain in plain terms what a language model does and does not do
Write clear, specific prompts that produce reliable results
Describe how tokens and the context window shape an AI's behavior
Use AI responsibly: verify outputs, recognize bias, protect private data

Before you start

Prerequisites: None

Device/connectivity: Smartphone, tablet, laptop, or desktop with a modern web browser, Internet access for lessons and assignment submission

What you'll cover

What AI Actually Is
- What a language model really does
- What AI can and can't do (and why it makes things up)
- AI vocabulary you'll actually use
Talking to AI: Prompting
- Anatomy of a good prompt: role, task, context, format
- Specific beats vague
- Iterating and refining a prompt
How Models Read: Tokens and Context
- Tokens, not words
- The context window and why it matters
Using AI Responsibly
- Grounding and verifying outputs
- Bias and its limits
- Privacy: what not to paste
Putting It to Work
- Everyday workflows AI is good for
- Capstone: your AI-assisted workflow

Assessment and completion criteria

Complete every published lesson to earn a completion badge. A self-paced certificate also requires passing every server-graded quiz. Practical assignments provide project feedback and may support a separate verified-proficiency record, but they do not delay the standard course certificate.

Optional reviewed project: Design your own AI-assisted workflow · rubric v1 · pass ≥ 70%