"I Like That You Have to Poke Around": Instructors on How Experiential Approaches to AI Literacy Spark Inquiry and Critical Thinking

Hands-on exploration beats passive learning: Instructors valued experiential, interactive projects over traditional lecture-based approaches, with one instructor specifically noting appreciation for activities where learners "have to poke around," suggesting that active discovery promotes deeper engagement with AI concepts among non-technical audiences.

Real-world scenarios make AI concepts tangible: The curriculum's grounding of AI topics (natural language processing, computer vision, decision support, and responsible AI) in authentic, applied scenarios helped instructors see how to make abstract concepts relevant and understandable for community college students without programming backgrounds.

No-code tools expand AI literacy access: By removing programming requirements, the web-based curriculum made AI education accessible to non-STEM learners at community colleges, addressing a critical gap since many current AI literacy approaches rely on coding-heavy tools that exclude broader audiences.

Role-based simulations deepen critical thinking: Instructors identified role-based simulations as particularly effective for sparking inquiry and critical thinking, suggesting that placing learners in realistic decision-making scenarios helps them grapple with the practical implications and complexities of AI systems.

Balancing guidance with exploration requires careful design: While instructors appreciated open-ended exploration, the study surfaced important trade-offs around cognitive load and adaptability, indicating that effective AI literacy curricula must thoughtfully calibrate how much structure and guidance to provide for diverse learners.