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EDWartens UK

Free course · AI and machine learning

Generative AI and LLM Foundations

What a language model is actually doing when it answers, why it is confidently wrong sometimes, how to call one from Python on a free route, how to run one privately on your own laptop, and how to test one before you trust it with a datasheet. The concept course under the whole AI track.

See the modules

Free to learn. Verifiable certificate £19 when you pass the final exam (optional, VAT included).

Level
Beginner
Modules
13
Video
17 hours
Price
Free

Outcome

What you will be able to do

Explain tokens, context windows, training and hallucination in plain words; choose between hosted and local models for a job; write a structured prompt with a NOT FOUND rule; call free models through the OpenRouter API and run open models with Ollama; understand embeddings, RAG, function calling and agents; and evaluate an assistant with a proper test set.

  • Explain in plain words what an LLM does when it answers, and why it hallucinates
  • Choose a model for a job: context length, JSON output, local or hosted, licence
  • Write a prompt with role, task, context, format and a NOT FOUND rule
  • Call a free model from Python through OpenRouter, with retries and JSON output
  • Run an open model privately on your own laptop with Ollama and a Modelfile
  • Build a datasheet assistant and measure its accuracy and refusal rate with a real test set

Software

Google Colab, a free OpenRouter key, optionally Ollama on your own laptop. No paid account anywhere.

Hardware

None required. A laptop with 8 GB RAM runs the optional local models.

Syllabus

13 modules

Each module has video lessons, notes and a short quiz. The final exam closes the course.

  1. 1What generative AI is, and what it is not3 lessons
  2. 2How an LLM works: tokens in, probabilities out4 lessons
  3. 3How the models are built: Karpathy's introduction1 lessonLab
  4. 4Choosing a model: hosted, local, open and free2 lessons
  5. 5Using it responsibly in a plant3 lessonsLab
  6. 6Prompting fundamentals2 lessonsLab
  7. 7Calling a model from Python2 lessonsLab
  8. 8Running a model on your own machine with Ollama5 lessons
  9. 9Embeddings, vector search and the idea of RAG4 lessonsLab
  10. 10Function calling, agents and the application lifecycle4 lessonsLab
  11. 11Prompting, RAG or fine-tuning; images and low-code3 lessons
  12. 12The datasheet assistant, tested1 lesson
  13. 13Final assessment0 lessons

How it works

How this course works

  1. Watch the video lessonsOne module at a time, at your own pace.
  2. Take the module quizA short quiz at the end of each module shows what stuck.
  3. Keep your notesWrite in My notes beside each module and ask the trainer if you are stuck.
  4. Practise in the labOptionalTry a task from the module in the EDWartens Lab, in your browser.
  5. Sit the final examPass it once you have been through the modules.
  6. Certificate, if you want oneOptionalPaid, and only after you pass. Anyone can check it online.

EDWartens Lab

Practise this in the EDWartens Lab

Practise what you learn about language models: write a prompt that returns exact JSON, make an assistant cite its sources or refuse, and keep an agent safe.

Works alongside Generative AI and LLM Foundations. The Lab is ai for industry practice in your browser: no install, no hardware, free to use. Sign in as a learner and it opens with your account.

Open the free lab See the Lab
AI for industry: Build AI models.

Levels to try with this course

Optional. Skip it whenever you like: it never blocks your progress or your certificate.

Why practise in a lab

Technical work is judged on what you can do: wiring, commissioning, finding a fault. Doing a task yourself teaches more than watching it a second time, and a lab lets you try it safely before you meet real equipment. It does not replace working on real hardware.

  • Practise safely, so a mistake costs nothing.
  • The lab checks your work like a site test, so you know when it is right.
  • Free, in your browser, with nothing to install.

Certificate

An optional certificate when you pass

Learning is free. Pass the final exam and you can have a certificate for £19, including VAT, with a number employers can check online. It records that you completed a free online course; it is not a regulated qualification or a CPD certificate.

  • Your name, the course, its study time and your final exam score
  • A unique certificate number and a QR code to its verification page
  • Issued by Wartens Ltd; add it to your LinkedIn profile in one click
  • Pay now or after you pass: it is issued the moment you pass the final

How the certificate works

Sample certificate for Generative AI and LLM Foundations

Credits

Who made the lessons

The video lessons belong to their creators. EDWartens wrote the study plan, notes, quizzes and the final exam.

Questions

About this course

Do I need to code?
Not for most of it. Eight modules are concepts you can follow with no code at all. The API, Ollama and project modules use short Python snippets that are given to you; if you have never coded, do the Python for AI course alongside.
Do I need a paid ChatGPT or OpenAI account?
No. The course uses OpenRouter's free models, which need only a free key and no card, and Ollama for local models, which is free and runs on your own machine.
What is the project?
You build the simplest assistant that answers questions from three public datasheets on a free model, then test it with fifteen questions you have verified yourself — including five it cannot know — and report its accuracy and how often it invents an answer. A second, shorter project compares a hosted model with a local one.
Is the course really free?
Yes. Every module, practice task, project and assessment. You create an account so your progress is saved and the assessments can be marked. The certificate is the only paid item, and only if you want it.
What certificate do I get?
An EDWartens Certificate of Completion, issued when you have finished the modules and passed the final assessment (the project is optional practice), with a verification code anyone can check. It is not a vendor credential and is never described as one.
Who made the video lessons?
The creators named in the Credits block at the foot of this page, on their own YouTube channels. EDWartens did not make the videos and the creators are not affiliated with EDWartens. What EDWartens wrote is the study plan, the notes, the practice tasks, the projects and the assessments.
How long does the course take?
Plan on about 16 hours in all, including the video lessons, notes and practice tasks. It is self-paced, so you work through the thirteen modules at your own speed.

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