AI in the Real World: Practical Skills for the Future

Justin Larck

Justin has 12 years of experience as an engineer, where he built his career solving complex problems and adapting to new tools and challenges. He now wants to bring that experience into the classroom to help students become strong problem solvers. The work environment students are entering is changing fast, with new technology and teams that demand creativity, critical thinking, and flexibility. His goal is to teach them not just the fundamentals, but how to approach unfamiliar problems with confidence and build solutions that last.

13-18

None.

AI isn't on the horizon anymore. It's already part of how work gets done. Across every industry, teams are using AI daily to research faster, draft clearer, analyze data, automate repetitive steps, and solve problems that used to take hours or even days. That shift doesn't replace critical thinking, it raises the bar for it.

As followers of Christ, discernment must always come before technology. God's Word is our standard for truth, and AI should never replace biblical wisdom, prayer or sound judgment. It is a tool to support our work not a substitute for wisdom, discernment and critical thinking God calls us to develop.
Our goal is simple: make sure our students are prepared for that reality, not just to keep up, but to lead well.

In this class we'll move beyond the hype and focus on practical, responsible use. We'll look at how modern AI tools actually work, where they're strong, where they make mistakes, and how to spot the difference. You'll learn how to write effective prompts, evaluate outputs for accuracy and bias, protect privacy and intellectual property, and cite AI use transparently and ethically.

Most of our time will be hands-on. We'll take real-world scenarios, from planning a project and summarizing research, to analyzing data, brainstorming solutions, and communicating ideas, and work through them together with AI as a collaborator, not a crutch. We'll also talk through the guardrails: academic integrity, data safety, consent, and the ethical questions that come up when AI is part of the workflow, always putting discernment before technology and measuring our choices against God's Word as our standard for truth. That means treating AI as a tool to support our work, never as a replacement for biblical wisdom, prayer, or the sound judgment God calls us to develop.

By the end, you won't just "know about AI." You'll walk away with a repeatable process for getting quality results: how to define the task clearly, choose the right tool, refine your prompts, check the work, and improve it. Those are the habits today's workforce is hiring for, and they're the same habits that will keep you in control as the tools keep evolving

 

Al is already part of how work gets done. Across industries, professionals use it daily to complete in minutes the research, drafting, analysis, and problem-solving that used to take hours or even days. This class is about preparing students for that reality with skill and judgment, not just familiarity.

Our goals are to teach students how to use Al safely and ethically, how to get consistently high-quality results through clear prompting and iteration, and how to think critically about what the tools produce. You'll learn to protect privacy, check for bias and accuracy, cite Al use transparently, and apply these practices to real-world problems. By the end, you'll have a repeatable process you can trust even as the tools change: define the task, prompt intentionally, evaluate carefully, and improve deliberately.

Class Day: Tuesday
Start Date: September 1, 2026
Duration: 15 weeks (Fall Semester)
Class Time: 12:30-1:30 PM
Class Length: 60 Minutes

Minimum Enrollment: 6
Maximum Enrollment: 15 students

Administrative Fee: $65 (paid to Rooted Resource Center)

Course Fee: $150 (paid to instructor)

Supply Fee: $10 (paid to instructor for the purchase of supplies)

Computer, phone or other device that we can access internet and ai platforms on.

Moderate

Students will be asked to complete homework most weeks that will require them to use a computer with internet access.

No - Please be respectful to the teacher and other students.

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