Essential tech skills
No matter what you study, you need to be skilled in current technologies, which may be offered free or at reduced cost at your school. New AI features are being infused into popular software you use every day, making it more user-friendly and powerful.
Productivity and document management software: Word-processing programs, calendars, Email clients, Google Drive, Office 365, Dropbox and others
Collaboration, communication and project management: Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Slack, Google Workspace, Trello, Jira and others
Data competency: Spreadsheets (Excel, Google Sheets), database programs, data visualization software such as Tableau, Power BI, Venngage, Google Data Studio and others
Online research: General search engines, custom tools such as Google Scholar and discipline-specific tools available through your library
Multimedia and Web: Adobe applications, Powerpoint, WordPress, Audacity and cloud-based tools like Canva, Adobe Express and others
Basic computer systems: Windows, macOS and Linux operating systems and basic programming languages, such as Python, JavaScript or HTML/CSS
AI terminology
Artificial intelligence is the field of computer science that uses machines to simulate intelligence
AI tools are now everywhere and many people may interact with them daily without even realizing it. In this environment, it is important to have basic knowledge of how AI tools function and understand various AI terms and acronyms.
| Machine Learning (ML): Using algorithms and data to train computers | Generative AI: Using AI to create new text, images, audio and video |
|---|---|
| Natural language processing: ML focused on understanding and generating human language | Large language models (LLMs): Computers trained to analyze prompts and generate human-like responses |
| Deep learning: ML that uses neural networks – computer models inspired by the human brain | LLM implementations: These include ChatGPT, Claude Gemini, Copilot, Perplexity and other special-use LLMs |
| Computer vision: ML that enables computers to see and act on visual information | Multimodal AI: Computers that can read and generate text, images, audio and video |
| Productivity tools: AI-enhanced programs, such as email, word processing, spreadsheets, design programs and virtual assistants like Siri or Alexa |