AI Fluency & Ethics for High School Students

SocratesXR Certified — Course Overview

Course Promise

By the end of this course, you will:

  • Know exactly when AI helps you learn vs. when it's cheating
  • Have a personal AI tutor that knows how YOU learn
  • Be able to spot when AI is being unfair or biased
  • Understand how AI affects the environment
  • Earn a certificate that proves you can use AI ethically

The difference between cheating and studying is how well you know how to use these tools.

What You'll Build

Throughout this course, you'll create your own AI Study Buddy — a personalized tutor saved as a file on your computer. You'll add to it in every module, and by the end, you'll have a tool you can use for homework, studying, and projects.

What makes it special?

  • It won't do your work for you (that's cheating)
  • It WILL help you think through problems (that's studying)
  • It knows your "Never List" — things you refuse to let AI do
  • It asks you questions instead of just giving answers

Course Structure

The Free On-Ramp (Try Before You Buy)

Module 0: Your First AI Conversation — FREE

  • 15 minutes
  • No commitment
  • See if this is for you

The Full Course

Module Title What You'll Learn Tutor Addition
1 The Human in the Loop Your "Never List" — what you'll never outsource Never List + Boundaries
2 The Socratic Method How to question AI (and yourself) Socratic Prompts
3 Unpacking the Black Box How TikTok knows what you like How AI Works (student version)
4 Ethics in Action When AI is unfair + environmental costs Bias Checks + Carbon Budget
5 Building Your Study Buddy Creating your tutor's personality Persona + Refusal Scripts
6 Using Your Tutor Applying it to real schoolwork Integration Commands + Usage Log

Total Time: 2.5 hours • Format: Interactive exercises, NOT boring videos • Support: Monthly live office hours + async Q&A

How This Works

Each Module Follows This Pattern:

  1. The Hook — A scenario that makes you think (3-5 min)
  2. The Concept — What you need to know (10-15 min)
  3. Socratic Lab — Practice with prompts (15-20 min)
  4. Build Checkpoint — Add to your tutor file (10-15 min)
  5. Reflection — Think about what you learned (5-10 min)
  6. Knowledge Check — Prove you got it (5-10 min)

Your Tutor File Grows Like This:

Module 1: tutor.md has your Never List
Module 2: tutor.md gets Socratic questions
Module 3: tutor.md gets AI explanation
Module 4: tutor.md gets bias checks
Module 5: tutor.md gets personality
Module 6: tutor.md is complete and ready to use!

What You'll Earn

The Certificate

When you finish, you get:

  • Digital Certificate — PDF + LinkedIn badge
  • Verification URL — Employers/schools can check it's real
  • Bragging Rights — You're SocratesXR Certified

Badges Along the Way

🛡️ Boundary Setter 🔍 Question Master Decoder Bias Spotter Tutor Builder Integrity Keeper

Skills for Your Resume

  • AI Literacy
  • Prompt Engineering
  • Critical Thinking
  • Academic Integrity
  • Digital Ethics

Who This Is For

Perfect for you if:

  • You're in high school (grades 9-12)
  • You've heard about ChatGPT but aren't sure how to use it right
  • You want to get ahead without cheating
  • You're curious about AI but don't want to be a programmer
  • You want a certificate that proves you know your stuff

Not for you if:

  • You want AI to do your homework for you (we'll teach you why that's a bad idea)
  • You're looking for programming/coding (this is about USING AI, not building it)
  • You want to watch videos passively (this is hands-on)

Course Principles

  1. You Stay in Charge — AI is a tool. You're the pilot. We never forget that.
  2. Questions Beat Answers — Socrates asked questions. So will you. So will your tutor.
  3. Show Your Work — The certificate proves you CAN use AI ethically — not that you just watched videos.
  4. Keep It Real — Every example is something that could happen in YOUR life.

Support

Office Hours (Monthly)

  • Live Zoom session
  • Bring your tutor file for debugging
  • Ask anything
  • Recording available if you can't make it

Async Q&A

  • Submit questions by voice or video
  • Get answers by voice or video
  • Browse Q&A library

Community (Coming Soon) — Share your tutor setups, help other students, get help when you're stuck.

Tech Requirements

  • Computer or tablet (phone works but not ideal)
  • Free ChatGPT or Claude account
  • Text editor (Notepad, TextEdit, or free options we'll show you)
  • Internet connection
  • NO coding required

Ready to Start?

Try the free on-ramp first:

Module 0: Your First AI Conversation (FREE, 15 min)

Or enroll now:

  • Get instant access to all 6 modules
  • Start building your AI Study Buddy today
  • Join next month's office hours

Enroll Now — $99

Edit the link: change href="#" to your Commerce product URL (e.g. /store/ai-ethics-hs).

Questions?

Q: Will this teach me to code?
A: No. This is about using AI tools, not building them.

Q: Is this cheating?
A: If you use it wrong, yes. We'll teach you to use it right.

Q: Do colleges care about this certificate?
A: It shows you can think critically about technology — that's valuable everywhere.

Q: What if I get stuck?
A: Office hours, async Q&A, and the community are here for you.

Remember: The goal isn't to let AI do your thinking. It's to help you think better.

Let's build something. → Start Module 0