University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

The Cyber-Social Learner: Introducing AI for Education

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

The Cyber-Social Learner: Introducing AI for Education

JC Morgan
Dr William Cope
Cong Wang

Instructors: JC Morgan

Access provided by Maritime College

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.
2 weeks to complete
at 10 hours a week
Flexible schedule
Learn at your own pace
Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.
2 weeks to complete
at 10 hours a week
Flexible schedule
Learn at your own pace

Details to know

Shareable certificate

Add to your LinkedIn profile

Assessments

6 assignments¹

AI Graded see disclaimer
Taught in English
Recently updated!

August 2026

See how employees at top companies are mastering in-demand skills

Learn more about Coursera for Business
logos of Petrobras, TATA, Danone, Capgemini, P&G and L'Oreal

There are 6 modules in this course

This course examines how artificial intelligence is reshaping literacy, learning, and teaching, and prepares educators to design meaningful, critical, and productive relationships with AI in their own contexts. Drawing on examples from classrooms, learning platforms, and everyday AI-mediated practices, participants will explore the cyber-social framework for learning with AI, experiment with designing AI-supported learning tasks, and develop reflective routines that help students engage with AI in ways that uphold agency, ethics, and deep learning.

What's included

1 video6 readings1 assignment1 peer review2 discussion prompts1 plugin

Lesson 2 moves from concept to practice through a case study of Scholar and CyberScholar, learning environments Prof. Bill Cope and Prof. Mary Kalantzis have designed to bring AI into education in ethical and productive ways. Participants will see the cyber-social framework in action, examining how AI can support assessment, feedback, and knowledge creation as a partner in learning, and educators' roles in shaping the tools they use.

What's included

1 video1 reading1 assignment1 peer review1 discussion prompt

Lesson 3 considers what AI means for the future of learning. Drawing on the tradition of cybernetics and formative feedback, participants will examine why human and machine are fundamentally different kinds of intelligence, how today's AI remains a deeply human creation at every stage, and why navigating this disruptive moment calls for flexibility, new repertoires, and collaboration among educators.

What's included

1 video1 reading1 assignment1 peer review1 discussion prompt

Lesson 4 turns from the big-picture framing toward practical classroom integration. Across two videos, Dr. Michele Galla makes the case for partnership over imitation and introduces the cyber-social complementary-intelligence lens. Participants will explore why AI is a distinct, statistical kind of intelligence, with a jagged frontier of surprising strengths and simple errors, and consider what those differences mean for designing learning.

What's included

2 videos1 assignment1 peer review1 discussion prompt

In Lesson 5, Prof. Xinran Zhu invites participants to move toward intelligence augmentation, distinguishing AI as a tool from AI as a collaborator. Through a classroom example of a student-AI writing relationship and a set of design principles, participants will consider how to build relationships with AI that uphold agency, reflection, and critical engagement.

What's included

1 video1 assignment1 peer review1 discussion prompt

Lesson 6 examines AI literacy: what it is and why it matters for education. Across three videos, Matt Sherrill explores how AI works, the foundational skills of AI literacy, and the benefits and risks of AI in the classroom. Participants will consider evolutionary and revolutionary uses of AI, the importance of preserving productive struggle and student agency, and how to navigate the liminal space education now occupies.

What's included

3 videos1 assignment1 peer review1 discussion prompt

Instructors

JC Morgan
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
6 Courses4,158 learners
Dr William Cope
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
12 Courses170,351 learners
Cong Wang
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
2 Courses111 learners

Offered by

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Why people choose Coursera for their career

Felipe M.

Learner since 2018
"To be able to take courses at my own pace and rhythm has been an amazing experience. I can learn whenever it fits my schedule and mood."

Jennifer J.

Learner since 2020
"I directly applied the concepts and skills I learned from my courses to an exciting new project at work."

Larry W.

Learner since 2021
"When I need courses on topics that my university doesn't offer, Coursera is one of the best places to go."

Chaitanya A.

"Learning isn't just about being better at your job: it's so much more than that. Coursera allows me to learn without limits."

¹ Some assignments in this course are AI-graded. For these assignments, your data will be used in accordance with Coursera's Privacy Notice.