The University of South Florida is offering a new, free online course to help individuals further expand their knowledge of artificial intelligence. AI, Agents, LLMs, Prompting and More: An Overview, explains how AI systems generate responses, where they can fall short and how to evaluate their outputs. The course is open to the public.
Developed by John Licato, a faculty expert in the USF Bellini College of Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity and Computing, in collaboration with online learning experts at USF Innovative Education, the self-paced microcourse goes beyond tool-specific tutorials to explain how AI works and why it behaves the way it does.
“We are uniquely positioned to close this skills gap by connecting our community with the expertise of USF faculty,” said Christine Brown, associate vice president of USF Innovative Education. “Innovators like John Licato, whose work connects research with industry needs, partner with InEd’s expert learning designers to create these microcourses. Their willingness to share their time and knowledge extends the impact of that expertise beyond the university.”
The microcourse is a companion to “AI Whisperer: A Microcourse in Crafting Prompts,” which drew more than 13,000 enrollments earlier this year. While “AI Whisperer” focused on prompting, the new microcourse explores agents, large language models and context management. No technical background or previous AI coursework is required, and learners can complete the four modules in about one hour.
Course topics include:
- How LLMs generate responses
- What makes an AI system agentic
- Common risks, including hallucinations
- Privacy considerations when using AI tools
- Prompting techniques that improve accuracy
- Methods for evaluating AI outputs
- Vocabulary for discussing AI credibly with colleagues and leadership
“You don’t need to be a technical expert to benefit from understanding AI,” Licato said. “As these technologies become part of more workplace tools and everyday decisions, people need a practical knowledge of how AI systems generate responses, where they can go wrong and how to evaluate the information they produce.”
The microcourse reflects USF Innovative Education’s ongoing work to turn faculty expertise into approachable, engaging online learning. InEd learning design and course development specialists work alongside faculty to make complex AI concepts accessible to a broad audience. This collaborative approach supports USF’s growing AI microcourse initiative, which has generated more than 30,000 worldwide enrollments across five public AI microcourses.
Interested learners can enroll here. Participants must complete the course by Jan. 31, 2027, and will have the option to purchase the USF AI, Agents, LLMs and Prompting digital badge for $29.