USF opens a free, one-hour online course on how AI works
The self-paced microcourse covers how AI tools generate answers, where they go wrong and how to check their output.
TAMPA - The University of South Florida has launched a free online course, open to the public, on how artificial intelligence systems work and how to use them responsibly.
The course, "AI, Agents, LLMs, Prompting and More: An Overview," explains how AI systems generate responses, where they can fall short and how to evaluate their output, the university said in an Oct. 28 announcement. Topics include how large language models work, what makes an AI system "agentic," common risks such as hallucinations, privacy considerations and prompting techniques.
The self-paced course has four modules that take about an hour, and no technical background is required, USF said. It was developed by John Licato, a faculty member in USF's Bellini College of Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity and Computing, with USF Innovative Education.
"You don't need to be a technical expert to benefit from understanding AI," Licato said in the announcement.
Learners must finish by Jan. 31, 2027, and can choose to buy a digital badge for $29, according to the university. The course is a companion to USF's "AI Whisperer" prompting microcourse, which USF says drew more than 13,000 enrollments earlier this year.
Source: USF News, "USF launches new, free online course aimed at understanding AI systems and responsible usage" (Oct. 28, 2026); course enrollment page.