Already comfortable with tech basics? This page covers the essential takeaways from Modules 1–4 in condensed form. If everything below feels familiar, you're ready to jump straight into AI work. Cybersecurity (Module 5) is a standalone deep-dive and is not summarized here — take it in full.
Module 1
Hardware is every physical part of a computer — CPU, RAM, storage, GPU, peripherals. Software is the programs and data that run on that hardware — operating systems, apps, drivers.
When something goes wrong, this distinction determines who fixes it and how: hardware failures need technicians or replacement parts; software issues are usually resolved with updates, reinstalls, or restarts.
The gray area: Firmware is low-level software baked into hardware chips (BIOS/UEFI). Firmware updates fix bugs but can brick devices if interrupted — always follow manufacturer instructions.
AI tools are unusually demanding software. The GPU is central to AI workloads — it's the chip that handles the massive parallel math operations language models require. When an AI tool is slow, it's almost always a hardware limitation. And in a networked world, the hardware that matters might not be on your desk — it might be on a server in a data center. Understanding what's where is the foundation for everything that follows.
Can you identify whether a problem is hardware or software? → Take the full module
Module 2
The Operating System (Windows, macOS, Linux) is the foundational software that manages all hardware resources, runs all applications, and controls security. Every other program depends on it.
Know your version: Windows — Win+R → winver.
Mac — Apple menu → About This Mac. Linux — lsb_release -a.
Updates matter: Security patches close known vulnerabilities. End-of-Life (EOL) means no more patches — Windows 10 reaches EOL October 2025. Running EOL software is a serious security risk.
Setup instructions for AI tools differ by OS. "Install Python 3.11" looks completely different on Windows vs. Mac vs. Linux. Knowing your OS and version is the first step of any AI tool installation guide.
Know the differences between Windows, macOS, and Linux? → Take the full module
Module 3
File paths are addresses: C:\Users\You\Documents\report.pdf⚠ Notice the backslashes (\). Windows uses backslashes as folder separators. Mac and Linux use forward slashes (/). Mix them up and the path breaks silently. The slash is part of the OS's address system — details matter! on Windows, /Users/you/Desktop/report.pdf⚠ Notice the forward slashes (/). Mac and Linux use forward slashes — the opposite direction from Windows backslashes. URLs also always use forward slashes, regardless of your OS. on Mac.
Extensions tell you the file type: .docx (Word), .xlsx (Excel), .pdf (portable document), .csv (data table), .txt (plain text). Windows hides extensions by default — turn them on for security.
Data types matter: integers, floats, strings, booleans, dates, and categoricals. A "Revenue" column with "$1,200" (text) instead of 1200 (number) will break every calculation silently.
Structured vs. unstructured: Spreadsheets and CSV files are structured (rows, columns, types). Emails, PDFs, and meeting notes are unstructured. Different AI tools handle each differently — use CSV for tabular data, .txt or .pdf for documents.
Garbage in, garbage out: Clean your data before uploading. Standardize text case, use ISO dates (YYYY-MM-DD), remove currency symbols from numbers, handle missing values consistently, and save as CSV UTF-8.
Uploading the wrong file type or messy data to an AI tool is the single most common source of bad output. Claude can read PDFs, images, and text — but can't compute on "$1,200" as a number. Knowing your formats, types, and how to clean data lets you feed AI tools the right inputs reliably.
Can you read a file path, identify data types, and clean a dataset? → Take the full module
Module 4
Key distinctions: The internet is the global network (infrastructure). A browser is one tool to access it. Wi-Fi connects you to a router locally; internet access is the router's upstream connection to the world. The cloud is remote servers; local is your machine.
URLs decoded: Protocol (https), domain (company.com), path (/reports/q3). Always check the domain before entering credentials — phishing sites use lookalikes.
Cloud tools you'll use: Microsoft 365/Outlook, SharePoint/OneDrive, Teams, Zoom, Google Workspace, Slack. A VPN creates an encrypted tunnel to your company network — required for remote access to internal resources.
Local vs. cloud AI: Cloud tools (ChatGPT, Claude) run on remote servers — powerful but your data leaves your machine. Local tools (Ollama, LM Studio) run on your own hardware — private but require a capable GPU. The tradeoff is performance vs. privacy, and Module 4 covers when each makes sense.
Troubleshooting basics: Nothing loads? Check Wi-Fi. One site down? Try another browser. Choppy video? Close tabs, try Ethernet. Can't access company files from home? Connect VPN first.
Most major AI tools (ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot, Gemini) are cloud services — your prompt travels to remote servers for processing. But some AI tools run entirely on your own hardware, keeping your data local. Understanding this architecture helps you choose the right tool for the task, troubleshoot performance issues, and make informed decisions about what data you send where.
Confident with URLs, cloud sync, and VPNs? → Take the full module
If everything above felt familiar, great — you have the foundation. Now take the cybersecurity module (it's essential and not summarized here), then head to the wrap-up.