UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — As part of the University’s AI Transformation initiative, Penn State has launched AI Essentials, a new training course designed to equip the University community with the knowledge, skills and ethical grounding needed to engage with AI responsibly and effectively across academic and professional contexts.
Aligned with the Penn State AI Literacy Framework shared last month, the learning program is now available for Penn State employees and will soon be offered to students through Canvas during Summer Session II, followed by all Penn State students beginning this fall.
“By organizing the course into modules focused on technical knowledge, ethical awareness, critical thinking and practical application, we are empowering students, faculty and staff to engage with AI as informed, responsible participants both within the University and beyond,” said Executive Vice President and Provost Fotis Sotiropoulos. “By aligning our AI literacy programming with the release of a new enterprise service, we are positioning Penn State at the forefront of institutions embedding comprehensive AI literacy into the undergraduate experience and in preparing our community to lead thoughtfully in an evolving technological landscape. I want to thank the AI Coordinating Council for their ongoing leadership and the instructional designers who developed this curriculum, with the support of subject matter experts, for our community.”
The online course is launching for employees simultaneously with the launch of Penn State’s new AI Studio — a suite of AI services — to ensure Penn Staters have the opportunity to expand their AI literacy as they explore and navigate the new AI platform. The course will take approximately one hour to complete and will be accessible to faculty and staff members via the Learning Resource Network.
“Providing faculty and staff with early access is a critical first step in building AI literacy, allowing time for experimentation, reflection and planning ahead of student access this summer and fall,” said Crystal Ramsay, senior director for Teaching and Learning with Technology. “Looking ahead, we will continue to develop new and more advanced learning opportunities specifically for faculty and staff, graduate students and undergraduates to address their unique needs.”
AI Essentials consists of four modules each focused on a foundational element of Penn State’s AI literacy framework:
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Module 1: Provides a practical, plain-language understanding of what AI is, how it works, and how to recognize it, question it, and use it with the confidence and judgment that come from understanding it.
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Modules 2–3: Build the critical-thinking skills needed to evaluate AI outputs and decide when AI makes sense — and when it doesn't. These modules explore the ethical and social dimensions of AI use, including bias, privacy, and broader societal and sustainability impacts, then put those ideas into practice through Penn State's Ethical Decision-Making Model and real-world scenarios.
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Module 4: Introduces the AI tools available at Penn State and shows how to use them thoughtfully and effectively. It also emphasizes being transparent about when and how to use AI in academic work.
Penn State community members are strongly encouraged to participate in this learning opportunity, and while the course will not be required by the University, some units and/or faculty members may choose to require it as part of their courses and programming. AI Essentials will be foundational to future AI literacy offerings that are more advanced and/or role or discipline specific.
To learn more, visit Penn State’s AI website, which includes FAQs for students, faculty and staff. For further questions or support, email the AI Center of Excellence for Teaching and Learning at aicenterofexcellence@psu.edu. For general questions about the Learning Resource Network and AI Essentials at Penn State course, submit an inquiry online.