Frequently Asked Questions

Do you provide any scholarship?

For our Summer Camp Program we, do provide scholarships. Please check under the Summer Camp Program section in this FAQ for more information. You can apply for a scholarship via this form here: https://michaelzhang1.typeform.com/to/eHnVr12Z For our Conceptual Lecture Series, please see under Conceptual Lecture Series in this FAQ for more information. At this time we do not offer scholarships to our After-school Program.

Is online learning a good way to teach AI?

Yes, our past experience and data proved that we can effectively teach students about coding and AI online. We have taught hundreds of students online as well as offline. Reflecting our experiences and students' progresses, we know online learning is very effective. In addition, we have the following tools to help us: 1) our learning center. Our learning center has all the materials to help students to learn about AI. We have all the lectures and homeworks there. 2) our coding center. We provide a cloud computer to all our students. In this environment, we can view what students are typing in real-time. This greatly help us in teaching our students.

Why are you doing this? What is your mission?

We experienced first-hand when our school education did not prepare us for the real world. Even though we had top degrees from top universities, the job market was tough for us as we did not what jobs were there, what to learn, and who could help. In addition, college tuition has skyrocketed. Student debt in the States has exceeded 1.6 trillion dollars and on average each student has $35,000 in student debt. To make the matter even worse, 50% of the students at the time of their graduation have no job. This must change.

We founded this camp to help students get ready for the real world. We are doing this through teaching AI first as it is something we are experienced in. By making an AI product, students get to know what jobs in the tech industry are like, learn in-demand skills, and build connections with our mentors and advisors for their network. We hope by doing this early in students' life we will make long-lasting impact. Our students will learn how to pick a major, how to learn, network, and eventually become leaders in their chosen fields.

What is the Intro to AI Class and how long is it?

When you apply to either the Summer Camp Program or the After-school Program, we invite you to the intro to AI Class. The Intro to AI Class is a complimentary sneak peak to our core programs (i.e. Summer Camp Program and After-school Program). During this class, we teach participants about AI and what they will learn should the decide to continue. This class runs about 50 minutes.

What are the class sizes?

The class will depended on the program you are interested in. Please see answers for the respective program in this FAQ.

How is it possible that you teach AI in just three weeks with zero coding experience?

It is important to realize that we are not teaching all the content of AI in three weeks, but rather are showing students how to learn AI through lecturing, working on projects and listening to our guest speakers. At the end of the session, students can take what they learned and apply to other hobbies and interests. At the same time, we give them the exposure in how an AI product is made, which stays generally true despite rapid development in the AI space. Students do not need any coding experience to start because we will teach Python first and make sure that they are proficient with programming before we teach them about data systems and machine learning. We will also teach some command line knowledge to allow them to use cloud machines and manage files efficiently.

What is the schedule of the Summer Camp Program?

The Summer Camp Program is held over three weeks, 5 days a week, and approximately 5-6 hours a day (e.g. 9am to 3 pm. PST).

What are the class sizes for the Summer Camp Program?

For our core programs (i.e. Summer Camp & After School), we are only maintain a class size between 4 - 6 students per instructor. We have experimented with various class sizes and found this is be about the right number of students for collaboration and personalized learning to happen.

What do we learn in the Summer Camp Program?

Information below can also be found here. Programming, command lines, and statistics (Week 1) During the first week, students learn basics in Python, such as how to write a for loop and a function. We will also give an overview of how to make an AI product so that students have a mental model of the whole camp right at the beginning. We will also introduce simple statistics so that our students can understand more advanced machine learning concepts (such as entropy). Data manipulation and machine learning (Week 2) With the basic foundation there, we will start to introduce them concepts of machine learning, such as the loss function and how to split your data. Depending on the project, we might teach how to explore data, how to visualize data, and how to manipulate data. Fundamentals in deep learning (Week 3) Deep learning is a trendy subject in machine learning, and the recent progress at deep learning showed many promising applications. We will introduce to students the concept of a neural network, convolution network, and other important concepts so that they can build some fundamental understanding of deep learning. Learning how to build an AI Product In parallel, students will be working as a team to build an AI Product.

Do you provide any scholarshipfor the Summer Camp Program? If so, what is the process to apply?

Yes, we do provide scholarships for qualified students from low-income families. This is both a merit and need based scholarship. Rougly 20% of our students attend based on scholarships. The process begins with attending an Intro to AI Class (free). From there if you are set on want to attend the Summer Camp then you will need to remaining process below. Submit one application here: https://michaelzhang1.typeform.com/to/eHnVr12Z. We will then ask you for an interview at the end of March.

What programming languages and algorithms are you teaching during Summer Camp?

We teach what is necessary for our students to build an AI product. So far, Python seems to be the winner for coding languages, and Pandas is our choice for data manipulation. We will also teach about data engineering systems such as data lake and pipelines. In deep learning, we will teach simple feed-forward networks, convolutional networks, how to train a neural networks, and computer vision. What we teach is also dependent on the what projects the students pursue. For a more detailed description of the curriculum, check out the curriculum page ( www.ai-camp.org/curriculum).

What programming languages and algorithms are you teaching with the After-school Program?

Similar to our Summer Camp Program, we teach what is necessary for our students to create an AI product. Currently, Python seems to be the coding language of choice, and Pandas library to facilitate for data manipulation. We will also teach about data engineering systems such as data lake and pipelines. In deep learning, we will teach simple feed-forward networks, convolutional networks, and how to train a neural networks and computer vision. But some of this will also vary depending on the projects students pick. For a more detailed description of the curriculum, check out the curriculum page ( www.ai-camp.org/curriculum).

What is the difference between the summer and the after-school program?

Both programs teach students the same materials, but the after-school program gives the students more opportunities to reinforce their learnings. If you are looking for a tour of AI, the summer program is a great program. If you are looking for a solid understanding of the material, we highly recommend you join the after-school program. More information about each program can be found in this FAQ.

What is the schedule of the After School Program?

The After School Program runs approximately seven to nine months depending on the pace of the class as we seek to ensure students's understanding and application. Students meet with their instructor once a week for classes online. In between class time, students work offline on assignments and the team project. Students can reach out to instructor and each other for some supplemental help. Each month we start a new cohort with a new team of students. On Orientation day, (first Saturday of the month) Students will work with the instructor to decide on a day and time during the week that works for them all to meet.

What are the class sizes for the After School Program?

For our core programs (i.e. Summer Camp & After School), we are only maintain a class size between 4 - 6 students per instructor. We have experimented with various class sizes and found this is be about the right number of students for collaboration and personalized learning to happen.

What do we learn in the After School Program?

While we cover the same topics the Summer Camp Program is taught, in our Afterschool Program, we provide students additional assignments and opportunities to practice and harden their skills due to the classes being spread over several months. We will also go into more depth. Programming, command lines, In the beginning, students learn basics in Python, such as how to write a for loop and a function. We will also give an overview of how to make an AI product so that students have a mental model of the whole camp right at the beginning. Statistics & Data Sciences We will also introduce simple statistics so that our students can understand more advanced machine learning concepts (such as entropy). We then show students how to explore data, how to visualize data, and how to manipulate data. Machine Learning After Data Sciences, we will start to introduce them concepts of machine learning, such as the loss function, feature engineering and various machine learning algorithms such as linear regression and logistic classification. Fundamentals in deep learning Deep learning is a trendy subject in machine learning, and the recent progress at deep learning showed many promising applications. We will introduce to students the concept of a neural network, convolution network, and other important concepts so that they can build some fundamental understanding of deep learning. Learning how to build an AI Product In parallel, students will be working as a team to build an AI Product.

What are the class sizes for the Conceptual Lecture Series?

For our Conceptual Lecture Series, we are holding classes from 20-25 students at this time.

What is the difference between the Intro AI Conceptual Lecture Series versus other programs at AI Camp?

The Intro to AI Conceptual Lecture Series is a lightweight program designed to educate about AI. While our Summer Camp Program and After-school Program requires students to learn how to code, program, and work together to build an AI Product, this program does not. In fact, this program only consists of 3 classes that runs about an hour per class meeting once a week over three weeks. This course would be ideal for those who want to get a taste of AI before deciding whether they want to pursue a more rigorous curriculum such as the Summer Camp or the After-school program.

What will I learn by taking the Conceptual Lecture Series?

This is what you will learn for each of the three classes:

• Lecture 1: Introduction to AI. What is AI and history of AI. Three major categories of Machine Learning. Applications of AI.
• Lecture 2. Deep Learning. Neural networks and how they work. Convolutional neural networks. How to train a neural network. Applications of Deep Learning.
• Lecture 3. Careers in AI and Tech. How AI products are made. Careers in AI and tech. how to determine your future using data

Are there scholarships for the Conceptual Lecture Series?

Currently this program costs USD 99.00. However, because of the Covid-19 pandemic, we want show our support to students and educators by offering the student body of each high schoo 10 free spots. This is given on a first come first serve basis to those who apply.

I applied. How do I know if I am one of the first ten?

Each week we will process applications and update a list to indicate which student received a scholarship. Upon receiving the scholarship, we will send a code for you to book a time slot in one of the batches we release. If you are not one of the first ten, not to worry. During this time we are offerring a discount code that so that the cost is USD 29.00 instead of USD 99.00.

What programming language and algorithms are you teaching in the Conceptual Lecture Series?

Due to the how the Conceptual lecture series is designed, we will not be teaching programming, nor except students to code. In some cases we may use python to demonstrate certain concepts. We will generally introduce widely known algorithms and how they conceptually work to a degree.