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Intermediate AI - the next step after Intro.

Ten modules that turn a confident beginner into someone who can reach for the right technique on any AI task. Prompting that actually works, retrieval that survives real data, the model-selection calls everyone gets wrong, and the glue code that takes a prototype to production.

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Learners at SPUR Innovation Centre working on AI projects
Full curriculumMulti-module track
QuizzesEvery module
DiagramsInline mermaid visuals
CertificateOn 100% completion

Who this course is for

You've finished Intro to AI (or you already know how to prompt an LLM, write a short Python script, and understand what a token is). You want the techniques that working practitioners actually reach for - retrieval, evaluation, model selection, long-context - without jumping straight into fine-tuning or production engineering. This is the course that makes the next hop feel small.

Prerequisites

  • Required: Intro to AI (or equivalent hands-on experience with LLMs and basic Python).
  • Comfort reading short code snippets.
  • No GPU, no paid API key, no prior ML theory needed.

What you'll learn

Ten modules, three lessons each. Every module ends with a quiz and includes inline diagrams for the tricky concepts.

Module 1 - Advanced prompting patterns

Role prompting, few-shot, chain-of-thought, and the patterns that survive contact with real users.

Module 2 - Retrieval-augmented generation (RAG)

Why raw LLMs hallucinate, and how to ground them in your own documents without a PhD in information retrieval.

Module 3 - Model selection

When a 7B model wins, when you actually need a frontier model, and how to tell the difference before you've burned the budget.

Module 4 - Embeddings in depth

What an embedding really is, how to pick one, and the failure modes nobody mentions in the documentation.

Module 5 - Long-context work

Million-token windows, chunking strategies, and why "just paste the whole thing" quietly breaks at the worst time.

Module 6 - Multi-turn systems

Memory, state, and the UX decisions that separate a demo from something people come back to.

Module 7 - Data analysis with AI

Using LLMs on tabular and semi-structured data without letting them make numbers up.

Module 8 - Writing workflows

Drafting, editing, and reviewing with AI in the loop - the patterns teams at SPUR actually use every day.

Module 9 - Multimodal

Images, PDFs, audio. What works today, what still doesn't, and how to build something that degrades gracefully.

Module 10 - Deploying what you build

Taking a working notebook and turning it into something your team or customers can actually use.

Format

  • Cost: Free. No paywall, no payment details.
  • Pace: Self-paced - start anytime, progress at your own speed.
  • Time estimate: Most learners finish in 5-8 weeks at ~3-4 hours/week.
  • Assessments: Quizzes in every module. No proctored exams.
  • Diagrams: Every module includes inline mermaid diagrams so architecture conversations stay visual.
  • Progress: Saved to your account, syncs across devices.

Certificate

Complete all ten modules at 100% and SPUR issues a signed, verifiable PDF certificate in your name. Free. Employers can verify it directly on spuric.com. There is no upsell - the certificate is included with the free course.

Ready for the next step?

Intermediate AI is free. Signup takes 30 seconds. Start Module 1 immediately.

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