AI Literacy for Economists
Modular lessons for teaching your students to use AI effectively
AI Literacy
for Economists
Modular lessons for teaching your students to use AI effectively — and to know when not to.
Curated by Emily Beam · University of Vermont
Foundations No coding required
Tokens, prediction, and mental models for economists · ~50 min
Clear prompts = clear thinking. The prompt is your identification strategy · ~50 min
Metacognition for the AI era — when to use it, when to struggle · ~30 min
Technical Foundations
What is a shell, navigating files, basic commands, and why reproducibility matters · ~75 min
Version control for economists — clone, commit, push, and why you should care · ~75 min
AI for Economics Workflows
Using AI to survey a field — and catching what it gets wrong · ~50 min
Debugging, translation, documentation — and when AI code is dangerous · ~50 min
Describing datasets, flagging anomalies — and why cleaning decisions are yours · ~50 min
AI as copy editor, not ghostwriter — maintaining your voice · ~50 min
Checking proofs, working through optimization — and verifying every step · ~50 min
Faculty Quick Start App-based, no terminal
Stop copy-pasting — point the app at your files and see the difference · ~15 min
Turn last semester's materials into working drafts in minutes · ~25 min
Better feedback, less grading dread — scaffold, don't automate · ~20 min
Use AI to audit your syllabus, test assignments, and draft policy · ~25 min
Design Philosophy
- Each module stands alone. No prerequisites, no required sequence.
- Economics-native examples. Not “write a poem” — “debug this regression,” “summarize this literature.”
- Honest about limitations. We teach when AI fails, not just when it shines.
- Platform-flexible. Concepts transfer across tools. UVM-specific notes where relevant.
For Instructors
Every module includes:
- Learning objectives aligned to AI literacy competencies
- Suggested timing and natural break points
- Discussion questions and reflection prompts
- Adaptation notes for different course contexts
Licensed CC-BY 4.0 — use freely with attribution.
About
Created by Emily Beam, Department of Economics, University of Vermont. Part of the Thinking with Agents project with Erkmen Aslim.