Free lessons · Module 1

Read the first two lessons free.

These two lessons together explain how an AI agent actually reasons, why context windows and tool calls matter, and the prompt-to-response loop that changes how you use AI once you see it. Read them at your own pace, plus an optional activity at the end of Lesson 1.1.

Lesson 1.1 · ~1,100 words

What is an AI agent, really?

The four parts — model, loop, tools, state — and how they combine to turn a chatbot into something that can do real work. Chatbot vs. agent through a concrete Dust Bowl research example.

Read Lesson 1.1 →

Lesson 1.2 · ~1,300 words

How the model thinks (and why confidence ≠ correctness).

Next-token prediction under the hood, why fluent output can still be wrong, and the practical implications for how you direct an agent. Lays the groundwork for trace-reading in Lesson 1.3.

Read Lesson 1.2 →

After you read

The full course is 10 modules, ~120–150 student hours, one credit's worth of work. See pricing →   See the full curriculum →

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