Before Generative AI captured the world's attention, AI had already been quietly reshaping society for decades. This module builds the foundational understanding that sits beneath all the AI conversation happening today. You'll explore how AI is defined, particularly in relation to human intelligence, and trace its evolution over the last 70 years. You'll also examine the breadth of applications in which AI has shown real promise, developing the conceptual grounding you'll need for every module that follows. By the end of this module, you'll be able to explain what AI is, how it relates to human intelligence, and why it matters for your curriculum.

This module explores two powerful frameworks for developing the thinking skills that AI education demands: design thinking and critical and creative thinking (CCT). These skills matter whether you're working with traditional AI systems or the Generative AI tools reshaping classrooms today. You'll learn the key principles and stages of the design thinking process, and explore CCT through the lenses of convergent and divergent thinking, de Bono's Six Hats, and ACARA's four quadrant model. You'll also examine examples of "creative AI" to consider what they reveal about the uniquely human dimensions of learning. By the end of this module, you'll be able to apply these frameworks to both AI problem-solving and your own teaching practice.

This module introduces you to computational thinking, a skill set that predates the Generative AI era and is more relevant now than ever. You'll explore what data is, how it takes different forms, and why data quality is critical to both human and AI decision-making. Using Machine Learning for Kids, you'll investigate a classic AI image recognition challenge: teaching a machine to tell cats from dogs. You'll also discover what computational thinking looks like in the Australian Curriculum and how it can be developed through both unplugged and computer-based classroom activities. By the end of this module, you'll understand computational thinking and be ready to bring it into your classroom in practical, accessible ways.

The need to ensure AI works for the good of society is one of the most pressing conversations in education today, and it's one this module equips you to have with confidence. You'll explore the key ethical issues associated with AI and work with a CSIRO framework for navigating them in educational contexts. You'll examine how AI-based decisions can be just as biased and prejudicial as those made by humans, and consider what safeguards people should be able to expect, including the right to know when a decision affecting them has been made by a machine, and the right to appeal it. By the end of this module, you'll be able to identify key AI ethics issues and begin integrating ethical thinking about AI into your teaching.

This module brings the course together. You'll reflect on what you've built: a grounded, critical understanding of AI that goes well beyond the headlines. The foundations you've developed here, across AI's history, the thinking skills it demands, and the ethical questions it raises, are exactly what you'll need as Generative AI continues to reshape education. You'll leave with practical strategies and resources ready to carry into your teaching practice. By the end of this module, you'll have a clear picture of your learning journey and concrete next steps for applying your new knowledge in the classroom.