M01
Your first steps with AI
What AI tools do, where they go wrong, and the safe habits that keep your first weeks productive.
Build with AI, on Forward Engineer
Have an idea? Build your first app with AI.
Start with no coding background. Learn to brief AI tools, build a working app, and fix problems step by step.
Lessons and practice are free. Optional certificate: $15.
Example project
What you will build
A small working app with a labeled form, readable mobile layout, browser save, and JSON export. Pick one of three themes: Quote calculator for a small business; Personal task and habit tracker; Event budget and attendance planner. No backend, no paid account, no custom domain required.
The 8 modules: 32 lessons, 24 labs
M02
Writing useful prompts and briefs
Turn a vague idea into a concrete brief an AI tool can actually build from.
M03
Understanding websites and files
How websites, browsers and project files fit together, with your hands on real files.
M04
Your first webpage with AI
Brief a coding tool, build a small business page step by step, and refine it without breaking it.
M05
Turn a page into an app
Inputs, calculations, validation and browser storage: the four moves that make a page an app.
M06
Working reliably with AI coding tools
Small changes, backups, context handoffs and usage discipline: working with AI without chaos.
M07
Debugging and testing
Reproduce first, report well, test the fix, and escape the loop of asking AI for the same fix.
M08
Finish, publish and present
Plan the final project, run the pre-release checks, and explain the work honestly.
Free tools, no AI calls
Three local tools that teach the method
- Project brief builder: fields to copyable brief, runs locally.
- Debugging brief builder: packaged bug report plus next checks.
- Release checklist: pre-publish run with a dated self-check report.
Questions
Do I need to know coding?
No. The course introduces files, webpages and basic coding concepts as you need them.
Is the learning free?
Lessons, practice and the completion assessment are free. After successful completion, an optional verifiable certificate costs $15.
Is the certificate free?
No. The optional certificate is a one-time $15 purchase. You can finish the learning and assessment without buying it.
Do I need a paid AI account?
No. Required work can be completed with browser labs and provided examples. If you use your own AI tool, its terms and usage limits apply.