How to Run a Senior Centre AI Tech Hour: A Practical Four-Week Syllabus

Start with a practical learning environment

An AI technology hour should feel like a learning session, not a demonstration of how quickly a computer can produce an answer. Participants may have different devices, reading preferences, levels of confidence and reasons for attending. Some want help understanding a letter. Others are curious about voice assistants, translation or writing messages to family. The syllabus should make room for these differences without dividing participants into categories based on age or assumed ability.

A useful starting format is one weekly session lasting 60 to 75 minutes. Allow approximately 10 minutes for introductions, 15 minutes for a demonstration, 25 minutes for individual practice, and the remaining time for questions and a recap. Participants should be able to observe without creating an account or sharing personal information.

Before the first meeting, prepare a projector or large display, reliable internet access, charging points, printed instructions in large type and a few practice examples containing fictional information. Ask participants to bring their own devices if they wish, but do not make personal device ownership a condition of participation.

• Use large, high-contrast printed instructions.
• Keep a spare device available for demonstrations.
• Avoid requiring participants to disclose personal information.
• Offer written instructions alongside spoken explanations.

Week one: Understand what an AI assistant does

The first session introduces the basic idea of a generative AI assistant. Explain that a person enters a question or instruction and receives a response created by a computer system. The response may be useful, incomplete or incorrect. An assistant can help explain unfamiliar words, organize ideas and produce a first draft, but it does not automatically know whether information about a particular person is accurate.

Demonstrate three low-risk tasks using fictional examples. Ask for an explanation of a household instruction, a simple recipe adjustment and a polite message arranging a meeting. Show how changing the wording of a request can change the response. Participants should try writing one instruction of their own and then decide whether the answer actually addresses it.

Introduce the distinction between an AI-generated explanation and an authoritative source. A government office, healthcare professional or original document remains the appropriate reference for decisions within its responsibility. Participants should leave knowing that asking a computer a question is a skill they can practice, not an obligation to trust its answer.

• Explain prompts, responses and common errors.
• Practice one simple question in different wording.
• Discuss why confident language does not guarantee accuracy.
• Identify information that should stay private.

Week two: Everyday communication and accessibility

The second session moves from understanding AI to using it for everyday communication. Demonstrate how an assistant can help draft a birthday message, simplify a complicated instruction or translate a short non-sensitive note. Explain that participants can request a different tone, shorter sentences or larger amounts of detail. The person remains responsible for deciding whether the wording represents what they intended to say.

Include accessibility as part of the lesson. Some people find typing difficult, including people with arthritis or limited hand movement. Built-in speech-to-text tools can help them enter instructions, while text-to-speech functions can make written information easier to follow. Availability and operation depend on the device and its settings, so demonstrate the relevant built-in controls without promising identical results on every phone or computer.

Ask participants to edit a sample message until it sounds natural to them. The objective is not to produce polished computer-written language. It is to make communication easier while preserving the individual's voice and choices.

• Draft a short invitation or appointment reminder.
• Explore speech input and spoken responses.
• Adjust sentence length and reading complexity.
• Practice correcting an answer before using it.

Week three: Paperwork, appointments and medical letters

This session addresses a common family concern: helping an elderly parent with paperwork without taking control of the person's affairs. AI can explain unfamiliar administrative terms, organize a list of questions and help prepare a draft inquiry. It can also help someone identify the information they need before contacting an office. Demonstrate these tasks with a fictional letter and invented names, addresses and reference numbers.

Medical correspondence deserves particular care. Show how a participant might ask for a plain-language explanation of a sentence from a fictional clinic letter. Then compare the explanation with the original wording. Dates, medication names, instructions, appointment locations and follow-up requirements must be read from the original document. A healthcare professional or clinic remains responsible for interpreting clinical instructions.

Make the privacy discussion practical. Participants should recognize that uploading a document can disclose names, addresses, health details and identifying numbers. Explain how to use fictional examples during practice and how to find the relevant privacy and data-use settings before considering personal documents.

• Explain unfamiliar administrative vocabulary.
• Turn a fictional letter into a question list.
• Compare summaries with original documents.
• Identify information that should not be uploaded.

Week four: Scams, judgment and independent use

The final session brings together practical skills and personal safety. Discuss fake messages, impersonation attempts, cloned voices and requests for urgent action. An AI assistant can help explain why a message looks suspicious, but pasting a suspicious message into another service is not always appropriate, particularly if it contains personal information or sensitive links.

Teach a simple decision rule: pause when a communication requests money, passwords, verification codes, remote access or immediate secrecy. Contact the supposed sender through a contact method already known to be genuine. For healthcare or public-service messages, use the organization's established contact details instead of relying on a number or link in an unexpected message.

End with a participant-selected task. One person might prepare a list of questions for an appointment; another might draft a message or request an explanation of an unfamiliar term. Each participant should be able to explain what the assistant contributed, what they checked and which decision remained theirs.

• Recognize urgency, secrecy and unusual payment requests.
• Use independently obtained contact details.
• Practice checking an answer against its original source.
• Identify a task to repeat without instructor assistance.

A printable plan and questions for helpers

A one-page handout can help participants remember the sequence after the course ends. Keep the text large and the instructions short. It should describe the four weekly themes, remind readers not to enter passwords or verification codes into an AI assistant, and encourage them to retain original documents. Include the name and contact information of the senior centre's technology support service if one is available.

Family members, volunteers and staff can support learning without becoming gatekeepers. Ask whether the participant wants help, which task they want to practice and whether they prefer written or spoken instructions. The person attending the class should decide which tasks matter and whether a particular tool is worth continuing to use.

• Week 1: Understand AI and practice simple questions.
• Week 2: Draft messages and explore accessibility tools.
• Week 3: Explain paperwork and prepare appointment questions.
• Week 4: Recognize scams and practice independent judgment.

Questions readers ask