Course and programme enquiriesforensics@siftcon.africa

Critical AI literacy · Ages 14–18

Use AI to extendyour thinking—not replace it.

Build practical AI skills, improve research habits, follow school rules and learn to spot bias, privacy risks and fake media.

Duration1 day
LevelAges 14–18
FormatSchool workshop
Learning units12

Learning outcomes

Skills you can use and explain.

Every result combines practical use, human review and evidence that another person can check.

  1. 01

    Explain how predictive and generative AI systems produce outputs.

  2. 02

    Write bounded prompts that protect personal and school information.

  3. 03

    Verify claims, citations, images and statistics against primary sources.

  4. 04

    Use AI support without misrepresenting authorship or learning.

  5. 05

    Recognise bias, manipulation, deepfakes and privacy risks.

  6. 06

    Create a personal responsible-use plan for study and digital life.

Course pathway

Understand. Prompt. Verify. Own.

The course moves from the basics to a study method that pupils can explain and support with evidence.

Module 01How AI produces an answer
  • From examples to predictions
  • Reverse-engineer an AI use
  • AI foundations decision
Module 02Prompt with purpose and privacy
  • A prompt is a task specification
  • Prompt redesign studio
  • Privacy and prompting decision
Module 03Evidence, bias and synthetic media
  • Use the source–substance–scope check
  • Synthetic-media evidence challenge
  • Share-or-stop decision
Module 04Academic integrity and future readiness
  • Own the learning outcome
  • Responsible study-workflow capstone
  • Integrity decision
SIFTCON Academy practical learning environment.

Final student project

Build an honest AI-assisted study workflow.

Pupils choose a safe learning task, show where AI may help, set fact-checking and citation steps, and state which work is their own.

QuestionAssistVerifyDisclose

Designed for

People who need to make better technical decisions.

Best suited to

  • Secondary school pupils aged 14 to 18
  • Student leaders and digital citizenship groups
  • Career-readiness and research-skills programmes
  • School cohorts preparing AI-use expectations

Preparation

  • A teacher or authorised facilitator leads the session
  • Use school-approved tools and synthetic examples
  • No personal, assessment-restricted or confidential data in prompts
  • Bring one ordinary research or study task for the capstone
01

Model map

Explain input, pattern, output and human decision.

02

Prompt lab

Turn a vague request into a safe, bounded instruction.

03

Evidence challenge

Verify claims and synthetic media before sharing.

04

Integrity plan

Define responsible AI use for real school work.

Group and in-house training

Adapt this course to your learners, organisation and decisions.

Plan a cohort
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