Increase Your AI Skills with Coastline College’s Free Courses

Artificial intelligence is becoming part of school, work, cybersecurity, communication, and everyday life. If you want to build practical AI skills without committing to a traditional semester-long course, Coastline College offers a series of beginner-friendly noncredit AI classes designed to help you get started.

Each course is approximately four weeks long and is generally offered once in the fall and spring terms. The courses are designed for beginners, so you do not need programming experience or a technical background to participate. Tuition, reading materials, and access to Gemini are free for these students enrolled in these courses.

Explore Coastline’s AI Readiness Certificates
View the AI Readiness 1, 2, and 3 certificates and their required courses in the Coastline College Catalog.

Coastline College’s Non-Credit AI Courses

Students can explore topics such as:

• how artificial intelligence works;
• how to use AI tools and assistants effectively;
• responsible and ethical AI use;
• AI for communication and creativity;
• AI applications in cybersecurity; and
• privacy, bias, and trust in AI systems.

The six-course sequence includes:

CIS C011N — Introduction to Artificial Intelligence Concepts
Learn the basics of AI, how AI systems recognize patterns and produce results, and how AI is already being used in everyday life and the workplace.

CIS C012N — Working with AI Tools
Practice prompting, productivity, image generation, accessibility, tool comparison, verification, and responsible AI use.

CIS C013N — Ethical Use of AI
Explore privacy, fairness, accuracy, transparency, and the importance of human judgment when using AI.

CIS C014N — AI for Communication and Creativity
Use AI to support writing, brainstorming, content development, communication, and creative projects.

CIS C015N — Artificial Intelligence for Cybersecurity Concepts
Learn how AI is being used in cybersecurity and explore both the opportunities and risks created by AI-enabled technologies.

CIS C016N — Bias and Privacy in AI
Examine how data, system design, and AI-generated outputs can affect fairness, privacy, and trust.

Students may take individual courses based on their interests or continue through Coastline’s AI Readiness pathway, which pairs the courses into three noncredit certificates.

For students interested in cybersecurity, technology, STEM careers, or simply becoming more confident with AI, these short courses are a great way to start building practical skills in a low-pressure environment.

No AI experience is required — just curiosity and a willingness to learn.