Uni Ready
Get ready for university: how AI really works, how to study and research with it honestly, and the skills that make first year easier.
- School leavers (18+)Who it’s for
- 6 weeksAbout 2 hours a week
- NoneCoding or AI experience needed
- FreeWith a free place
Start uni knowing how AI really works.
Uni Ready is for school leavers heading to university. Learners find out what's going on inside an AI model, write a little Python to see bias in data, and practise on the kind of AI writing that trips students up: invented quotes, made-up references and unsourced statistics.
Then the uni skills that make first year easier: academic integrity and each unit's AI rules, finding and referencing sources, planning a semester, and writing to staff.
Three parts over 6 weeks
How AI works first, then studying and researching with it honestly, then the uni life skills that help first year go well. About 2 hours a week, ideal for the summer before first semester.
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How AI Really WorksWeeks 1–2
Prediction and tokens, training data and bias, where AI breaks, a taste of Python, and using AI as a tutor.
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Study and Research with AIWeeks 3–4
Academic integrity, each unit's AI rules, finding sources, checking references, APA 7 and paraphrasing.
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Uni Life SkillsWeeks 5–6
How uni works, planning a semester, study that sticks, emailing staff, getting help, and the final check.
How AI Really Works, week by week
8 lessons. Each one has a lesson, a quick check and a practice task.
Week 1
- One Word at a TimeHow a language model writes
- Count a WordA first taste of Python
- What It Learned FromTraining data and bias
- Bias in the NumbersMeasuring a lean
Week 2
- Where It BreaksThe usual failure points
- What It RemembersContext windows, memory and uploads
- Teach Me, Don't Do ItAI as a tutor
- Part 1 Check-inPart 1 in one page
Study and Research with AI, week by week
8 lessons. Each one has a lesson, a quick check and a practice task.
Week 3
- Academic Integrity, ExplainedWhat academic integrity means
- Every Unit Has Its Own RulesReading the AI rules in a unit outline
- Finding Good SourcesWhere good sources come from
- Spot the Made-Up ReferenceChecking references against the record
Week 4
- Referencing in APA 7The basics of APA 7
- Your Words, Their IdeasParaphrasing and quoting
- Get Through the ReadingUsing AI to understand a reading
- Challenge: Research ReadyPutting Part 2 together
Uni Life Skills, week by week
8 lessons. Each one has a lesson, a quick check and a practice task.
Week 5
- How Uni WorksThe words and dates that matter
- Plan Your SemesterA semester on one page
- Study That SticksActive recall and spaced practice
- Email Your TutorWriting to university staff
Week 6
- Help Is There, Use ItUniversity support services
- Work, Study and LifeMaking it all fit
- My Study Rules for AIYour own rules
- Final Challenge: Before You SubmitThe final check
Made for school leavers
- Short lessons in plain English, with a Read aloud button on every screen
- A taste of Python in the browser, with no set-up
- Practice on realistic AI writing, references and unit rules
- A certificate with a code anyone can check on our website
What learners can do by the end
Every lesson records the outcomes it gives evidence for. Learners see their own record of learning, and finish with a certificate. It's a short course, not a nationally recognised qualification, and it doesn't count towards a degree.
UR-01Explains how AI language models work, including training data, prediction, bias and limitsUR-02Reads and writes simple Python to explore how text and data are countedUR-03Uses AI to support learning while following university rules on academic integrityUR-04Finds, evaluates and checks sources, including claims and references produced by AIUR-05Cites and references sources correctly in APA 7, and paraphrases with creditUR-06Plans study, writes to university staff and uses university support services
Ready to start?
Tell us a little about yourself and we'll be in touch about a free place. Schools and youth services can ask us about running Uni Ready for their school leavers.