The HEA National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education has launched a new self-study Open Course: AI Fluency: Framework and Foundations. This is the first in a series of open educational resources developed by Prof. Joseph Feller (Cork University Business School, University College Cork), Prof. Rick Dakan (Ringling College of Art and Design, USA), and Anthropic PBC, with support from the Higher Education Authority.
The course introduces the AI Fluency Framework, which was developed by Feller and Dakan in their research into AI’s transformative impact on creative and problem-solving processes. The 12 lesson, 3-4 hour course includes approximately 70 minutes of video content and numerous exercises.
It serves as an introduction to the four core competencies of Delegation, Description, Discernment, and Diligence (the “4Ds”), other key AI Fluency Framework concepts, and the practical applications of these. Developed in collaboration with Anthropic, the course material is fully technology and vendor neutral and is designed to be applicable across platforms and AI systems.
“AI Fluency means collaborating with AI effectively, efficiently, ethically and safely,” said Prof. Joseph Feller, Professor of Information Systems and Digital Transformation at the Cork University Business School. “Just as Internet competencies did for the last 25 years, AI competencies will define digital literacy for this generation. As we say in the course, we need to start thinking differently about AI, if we want to start thinking with AI.”
Prof. Rick Dakan, Professor of Creative Writing at Ringling College of Art and Design, added: “We created this framework because people need more than just better prompts. They need practical skills for knowing when to delegate to AI, how to evaluate its output, and when and how to maintain human judgment and values. The students and professionals who thrive will be those who master these collaboration skills.”
Dr James O’Sullivan, HEA National Forum Policy Advisor on AI, commented on the launch: “Public–private collaboration in the context of generative AI presents both opportunities and responsibilities for higher education. In supporting innovation, it is important that such partnerships remain grounded in public values, educational integrity, and transparent governance.”
“The development of this course demonstrates how academic and industry expertise can come together to create open, pedagogically robust resources that respond to the rapidly evolving capabilities of AI systems, with underlying principles and learnings that are applicable across platforms.”
All course materials are available under a Creative Commons license, supporting sharing and reuse across the higher education sector. Additional materials focused on applying AI Fluency in teaching, curriculum design, and assessment will be released later this year as part of a more comprehensive course. The course is now available on OpenCourses.ie.
