Before NSLC · AI Primer

Intro to AI Course

A short syllabus to build confidence, vocabulary, and curiosity before a residential AI/technology program.

This primer is designed to make NSLC feel exciting rather than confusing. It won't turn an early high-school student into a machine-learning expert — the goal is to arrive with enough vocabulary, intuition, and confidence to ask better questions and recognize what's being taught.

⏱ 10–15 hours over 2 weeks 🐢 or 4 weeks at a slower pace 🔥 Light the flame — don't overload the student

Progress checklist

Where the learner stands

Each module ends with a short quiz. You need 80% or higher to unlock the next module. Tap a row to jump to that module.

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Streamlined walk-through

Your day-by-day plan

One activity at a time. Open the resource, do the work, mark the day complete — your progress is saved on this device.

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Day1

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What to do

🎯

Deliverable:

Daily reflection template

Today I learned…
One word or concept I want to remember…
One thing that confused me…
One question I could ask at NSLC…
One thing I might want to build later…

Day 1 of 14

The five building blocks

Modules & checkpoint quizzes

Work through a module, then take its end-of-module quiz. Score 80%+ to unlock the next one — locked modules stay hidden until you pass.

Learning goals

Understand the difference between AI, machine learning, neural networks, computer vision, natural language processing, and large language models.
Learn just enough Python to follow a beginner technical demo.
Build one no-code model and one simple coded machine-learning model.
Practice asking good questions about AI: What data was used? What is the model predicting? How could it fail?
Leave for NSLC with curiosity and confidence — not anxiety about being behind.

Full schedule

The guided plan above follows the two-week track. Prefer a slower pace? Use the four-week version.

Two-week track

Day	Activity	Time	Deliverable

Four-week slower-pace version

Week 1: Elements of AI and vocabulary only.
Week 2: Google Teachable Machine and prompt practice.
Week 3: Kaggle Python basics.
Week 4: Kaggle Intro to Machine Learning and the one-page idea sheet.

Mini-project ideas

Pick something the student already cares about — that's what makes it stick.

Vocabulary to recognize

Check each term once it sounds familiar. 0 of 17 recognized.

How to run it

👪 For the parent

Keep the tone exploratory. Don't turn this into a graded course.
Stop each session while the student is still interested — preserving curiosity matters more than finishing everything.
Ask reflection questions: What surprised you? What did the model get wrong? What would you want to build next?
Frame NSLC as a spark and an independence experience, not a college-admissions credential.
After NSLC, help pick one follow-up project within 2–3 weeks to keep the momentum.

🎒 For the student

You don't need to become an expert before NSLC.
Your job is to make the words sound familiar and be able to ask good questions.
When something breaks, write down what happened before asking for help — debugging is part of the field.
Keep a short note of anything that makes you think, "That would be cool to build."
Bring your questions to NSLC. Good questions are often more valuable than perfect answers.

Technology & packing prep

Check these off before you travel. 0 of 6 done.

Optional stretch activities

Only for a student who already enjoys coding — none of this is required.

Try only the first lesson of fast.ai Practical Deep Learning for Coders. Powerful, but not necessary before NSLC.
Sample the first few modules of Harvard CS50P for a more formal coding course — excellent, but longer and more demanding than this primer needs.
Generally avoid making Google's ML Crash Course the default pre-NSLC assignment unless the student already has stronger math and Python comfort.

After NSLC — turn the spark into momentum

Within 48 hours: ask the student to describe the best speaker, best project, best peer interaction, and one thing they want to try next.
Within 2–3 weeks: pick one small project and make a simple plan.
Within 2–3 months: consider a competition, school club, science fair, robotics team, app challenge, or local mentorship.
The most valuable outcome isn't the certificate — it's a student who starts building, asking questions, and imagining a technical future.

Program details, costs, and links can change. Verify NSLC requirements and resource availability close to the program date.

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