AI Literacy Toolkit: Getting Started

Interactive series of learning modules for NEIU students, faculty, and staff who want to develop basic skills in AI use

🚀 Welcome to the AI Literacy Toolkit

Build essential skills for understanding, using, and evaluating AI responsibly in your academic and professional life.

🎯

You'll explore: AI fundamentals, hands-on tool practice, content evaluation skills, ethical considerations, and campus resources to support your AI literacy journey.

🗺️ Your AI Literacy Journey

🧠
Understanding AI

Grasp how AI works and its impact on society, work, and education.

You'll Learn:
  • Core AI concepts and terminology
  • Different types of AI systems
  • Capabilities and limitations
  • Real-world applications
Impact: Confident conversations about AI and informed decision-making about AI tools.
🛠️
Practical Application

Hands-on experience with AI tools for productivity and creativity.

You'll Practice:
  • Effective prompting techniques
  • AI writing and research assistance
  • Content creation workflows
  • Tool selection strategies
Impact: Enhanced productivity and creative capabilities in your work and studies.
🔍
Critical Evaluation

Develop skills to assess AI-generated content for quality and authenticity.

Common Issues:
  • Identifying AI-generated content
  • Recognizing inaccuracies or bias
  • Verifying information sources
  • Understanding AI limitations
Impact: Reliable use of AI while maintaining academic and professional integrity.
⚖️
Ethical Navigation

Navigate complex ethical considerations in AI use and policy.

Key Considerations:
  • Privacy and data protection
  • Academic integrity policies
  • Bias and fairness issues
  • Professional responsibility
Impact: Responsible AI use that respects human values and institutional guidelines.

📚 Effective Learning Strategies

🔬
Experiment Safely

Try AI tools in low-stakes environments before using them for important work or assignments.

❓
Ask Questions

Challenge AI outputs and your assumptions. What might be missing or biased in this response?

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Iterate and Improve

Refine your prompts and approaches based on results. AI literacy improves with practice.

🤝
Learn with Others

Share experiences and insights with peers, instructors, and colleagues to deepen understanding.

🎯 Getting Started Examples

❌ Jumping In Unprepared
"I'll just start using ChatGPT for my research paper without understanding how it works or what my professor's policies are."
May lead to academic integrity issues or poor-quality work
✅ Strategic Learning Approach
"I'll start by understanding AI basics, review my course policies, practice with simple tasks, and gradually incorporate AI tools into my workflow."
Builds confidence and ensures responsible use
❌ Passive Consumption
"I'll just read about AI and assume I understand how to use it effectively."
Limited practical skills and real-world application
✅ Active Learning
"I'll combine reading with hands-on practice, experiment with different tools, and reflect on what works best for my needs."
Develops practical expertise and critical thinking

🛤️ Plan Your Learning Path

Choose Your Learning Focus
🌱 AI Fundamentals

New to AI? Start with core concepts and basic understanding

🛠️ Hands-On Practice

Ready to use AI tools? Focus on practical applications

🔍 Critical Evaluation

Want to assess AI content? Develop evaluation skills

⚖️ Responsible Use

Focus on ethics, policies, and responsible AI practices

Your Recommended Learning Path:
  1. What is Artificial Intelligence? - Build foundational knowledge and essential vocabulary
  2. How AI Works - Understand training data, decision-making, and AI mechanics
  3. AI in Everyday Life - Recognize AI applications and practice detection skills
  4. Capabilities and Limitations - Learn what AI can and cannot do reliably
  5. Getting Started with ChatGPT - Try your first AI tool with guided practice
💡 Next steps: Move to Prompt Engineering or explore specific AI tools based on your interests.
Your Recommended Learning Path:
  1. Prompt Engineering Essentials - Master the SPEC framework for effective AI communication
  2. Getting Started with ChatGPT - Learn conversation strategies and safety guidelines
  3. Writing and Research Assistants - Explore tool categories and selection strategies
  4. Creative and Visual AI - Experiment with creative applications and visual tools
  5. Capabilities and Limitations - Understand when and how to use different AI tools
💡 Next steps: Develop evaluation skills to assess your AI-generated content quality.
Your Recommended Learning Path:
  1. Detection Strategies - Learn methods to identify AI-generated content
  2. AI Detection Tools - Understand tool capabilities and limitations
  3. Fact-Checking AI Content - Develop verification strategies for AI outputs
  4. Critical Thinking in the AI Age - Apply critical analysis to AI-generated information
  5. Bias, Fairness, and Representation - Recognize and address bias in AI systems
💡 Next steps: Explore AI fundamentals to better understand why these evaluation skills matter.
Your Recommended Learning Path:
  1. Fundamental Ethical Principles - Learn core ethical frameworks for AI use
  2. Academic and Professional Integrity - Maintain integrity while using AI tools
  3. Bias, Fairness, and Representation - Address bias and promote inclusive AI use
  4. Creating Your AI Use Policy - Develop personal guidelines for responsible AI use
  5. Campus Resources - Connect with institutional support and policies
💡 Next steps: Apply these principles while exploring practical AI tools and evaluation techniques.

🎯 Your AI Literacy Action Plan

Before You Start
As You Learn
Ongoing Development
Ready to Begin?

Choose your first destination from the tabs above, or start with Understanding AI for a comprehensive foundation.

Start with Understanding AI → Jump to Trying AI Tools →

Artificial Intelligence Disclosure (AID) Statement

Artificial Intelligence Tool: Claude Sonnet 4 (paid instance); Conceptualization: Claude was used to develop the outline of the LibGuide including tabs and content boxes through an iterative conversation with a librarian. Visualization: Claude generated the HTML, CSS, and JavaScript code appropriate for cutting and pasting into the LibGuides software, but each code element was thoroughly tested by a librarian before implementation to ensure functionality. Writing: Claude generated all of the content included in the guide, but everything was reviewed and edited by a librarian.

This guide was developed through extensive, multi-hour collaboration with Claude (Anthropic's AI assistant) during Summer 2025. The project was inspired by Lance Eaton's Substack article "Ctrl+Alt+Assess: Rebooting Learning for the GenAI Era Resources," in which he wrote:

I challenge you: find just one use case of generative AI that makes you go, “Ohhh.”

This collaborative approach allowed us to create a robust educational resource despite staffing limitations, demonstrating how AI tools can augment--not replace--library services and instruction.

Ohhh.

Subjects: AI Literacy
Tags: AI