CivAI Academy is live, become AI-literate for free in short lessons

Since Sunday evening, 25 October, CivAI Academy has been online at academy.civai.eu. It is our free e-learning platform on AI literacy, for anyone who is learning or teaching. There are now over eighty knowledge clips available, and many more will be added in the coming weeks.

The welcome lesson of CivAI Academy

Short lessons you can apply immediately

Each lesson starts with a knowledge clip of no more than three minutes, with explanations and a short demo. Afterwards, you complete an assignment yourself, answer a few check questions, and reflect briefly on how working with AI made you feel. A lesson takes ten to fifteen minutes.

You first choose your route. There is a route for primary and secondary education, and one for further education (MBO, HBO and university). In each route, you choose whether you are learning or teaching. Pupils and students practise with EduGPT – Pupil and EduGPT – Student, teachers and lecturers with EduGPT – Teacher and EduGPT – Lecturer.

In the welcome lesson, you do a baseline measurement with the AI Literacy Companion. You will then see your level for each aspect of AI literacy. At the end, you take the test again and see what you have learned.

You choose your route, and see which lessons are available online for each chapter.

You keep thinking

What makes the academy different is EduGPT’s Critical Thinking Engine. You practise with an assistant who does not immediately give you the answer, but first asks questions in return. This way, you not only learn how AI works, but you also keep thinking for yourself.

You see this in every lesson. In lesson 3.4, a student first writes down what a p-value is. EduGPT then asks questions until the student finds their own mistake. You remember that mistake better than an answer you just read.

Each lesson starts with what you are going to demonstrate, and a knowledge clip of no more than three minutes.

Built on the HEAR model

The lessons follow the HEAR model from my book The Art of Living Together with AI. HEAR describes four layers. In the first and last layer, the human is central, and the model sits in between.

• Human Intent. You start with your own intention. That’s why in many assignments you first write your own explanation, plan, or text before involving AI.

• Expressive Interaction. You learn how to ask a question. Each assignment gives you an example you can adapt.

• AI Mediation. You see what happens between question and answer. The Critical Thinking Engine asks questions in return instead of taking over the thinking.

• Reasoned Responsibility. The judgement remains yours. You check facts and sources, choose what you adopt, and explain what AI did and what you did.

This completes the circle. You start and end with yourself, and AI helps in between.

The check questions immediately show you if you are right, and why.

Also with your own AI environment

In the clips, we show how it works in our own secure AI environment. This runs in Europe, and nothing you enter is used for training.

Do you work with another AI environment that you access via your school, course, or work? Then you can also do the assignments there. Each assignment states where you can do it. The Critical Thinking Engine is only in EduGPT. So, in another environment, make sure you think first, and then let AI help.

Each assignment states where you can do it: via your school, in EduGPT, or in your own AI tool.

Learn vibe coding with CivAI Coding Studio

At the same time as the academy, CivAI Coding Studio also went live. In a dedicated route, you learn vibe coding. You describe in plain language what you want, and AI writes the code.

In six lessons, you go from a problem in your own environment to a working app. You learn to test it, see its limitations, explain it, and put it online. This route is for anyone who wants to learn, regardless of your educational level or role.

The route Learn vibe coding with CivAI Coding Studio, in the Studio’s house style.

Why free of charge

CivAI operates as a social enterprise. We believe that everyone in education should be able to become AI literate, not just those who have the budget for it. That is why the academy is free of charge and without barriers.

You do not need an account, and the site uses no cookies and no trackers. The videos only load when you click play.

There is much more to come

This is just the beginning. In the coming weeks, many more short and concrete knowledge clips will be added. There will be more lessons for teachers and lecturers on lesson design, feedback and assessment, a chapter on AI in society, and a conclusion with a final measurement.

After that, routes will follow for government, organisations and healthcare, with GovGPT, OrgGPT and CareGPT.

Try it yourself at academy.civai.eu. I would love to hear what you think and which lesson you are still missing.

Screenshot academy.civai.eu