Course Outline
DAY 1
Module 1 — Claude Fundamentals, Prompting, and Personalization
Gain a deeper understanding of Claude beyond the standard chat interface. Learn to identify its competitive advantages, determine when it is preferable to other AI tools, and configure the tool to align with the user's specific profile.
Key Topics
• Claude’s market positioning and its unique differentiators among 2026 AI tools
• Model families: Fable, Opus, Sonnet, and Haiku, along with guidance on when to deploy each
• Probabilistic AI behavior, understanding hallucinations, and strategies for risk mitigation
• Plan comparisons and the added value of a paid subscription
• Effective prompting strategies: the priority of context over syntax, structural fundamentals, and best practices for initiating new chats
• Custom Instructions tailored to user profiles: defining roles, priorities, and communication tones
Practical Exercises
• Exercise 1 — Constructing a comprehensive prompt to address a customer complaint
• Exercise 2 — Setting up Custom Instructions for a specific user profile
Module 2 — Projects, Artifacts, and Skills
Leverage Projects to establish persistent workspaces equipped with dedicated knowledge bases, including manuals, technical sheets, and standards. Explore Artifacts as a production environment within the chat interface. Develop standardized workflows through Skills.
Key Topics:
• Projects: Persistent workspaces featuring unique history and dedicated knowledge repositories
• Comparing Project Instructions and Profile Preferences and understanding their synergistic relationship
• Team collaboration: Sharing Projects across Team and Enterprise plans
• File management: Uploading PDFs, Excel files, and images
• Artifacts: Generating documents, dashboards, and interactive prototypes directly within the chat
• Web Search: Accessing real-time information with verifiable citations
• Skills: Defining and applying repeatable procedural tasks
Practical Exercises:
• Exercise 3 — Building a functional Project tailored to the user's business context
• Exercise 4 — Generating a functional Artifact relevant to the user's needs
• Exercise 5 — Creating a functional Skill applicable to the user's workflow
DAY 2
Module 3 — Cowork, Agents, and Microsoft 365 Integration
Move beyond the traditional chatbot model and begin utilizing Claude as a collaborative work partner capable of executing background tasks on real-world daily data.
Key Topics:
• Claude Desktop: Installation, system requirements, authentication, initial setup, and key differences from browser-based usage
• Claude in Chrome: Installing the official extension, managing permissions, practical use cases, limitations, and security considerations
• Claude Mobile: Mobile usage scenarios, cross-device synchronization, and best practices for mobile work
• Cowork: Overview of features, capabilities, and optimal usage scenarios
• Microsoft 365 Connector: Establishing connections to Outlook, OneDrive, SharePoint, and Teams
• Multi-step automation: Searching, reading, summarizing, drafting, and sending content
• Scheduled tasks: Utilizing Scheduled Prompts
• MCP: The Model Context Protocol and its Connector ecosystem
• Identifying current limitations of Cowork and strategies to work around them
Practical Exercises:
• Exercise 6 — Creating a Cowork project and structuring its folder system
• Exercise 7 — Configuring a complete Cowork project with Skills, instructions, and folders; testing the project with a complex task.
Module 4 — Claude in Excel, Word, and PowerPoint
Integrate Claude with Microsoft 365 applications, including documents, spreadsheets, and presentations. Utilize personal files to accelerate data analysis, content creation, review processes, and the preparation of work materials.
Key Topics:
• Excel: Data analysis, formula generation, data cleaning, indicator interpretation, and executive summary preparation
• Word: Content review, rewriting, document structuring, proposal creation, reporting, meeting minutes, and professional communication drafting
• PowerPoint: Converting content into presentation narratives, script creation, key message refinement, and audience-specific content adaptation
Practical Exercises:
• Exercise 8 — Employing Claude to analyze an Excel spreadsheet and generate an executive summary with conclusions and recommendations
• Exercise 9 — Transforming a Word document or set of notes into a structured PowerPoint presentation
Requirements
To fully engage with the practical components, participants are required to have the following resources prepared prior to the course:
- Active Claude Account (Paid): Access to a Pro, Team, or Enterprise plan is mandatory to utilize Projects, Artifacts, and the advanced models featured in Module 2.
- Microsoft 365 Access: A functional account with permissions for OneDrive, SharePoint, Teams, Excel, Word, and PowerPoint is necessary to complete the integration tasks in Modules 3 and 4.
- Laptop with Installation Privileges: A device where the participant has the authority to install Claude Desktop and the Chrome extension (essential for Module 3).
- Personal Documentation (Strongly Recommended): Participants should bring 2–3 real-world files (such as PDF manuals, Excel spreadsheets, or Word reports) for use during practical exercises. Please verify that these documents do not contain highly sensitive or confidential data.
Testimonials (2)
Learning how to prompt Claude and use it to digest all of the data I have available.
Mike Hartleroad - Furniture Row
Course - Claude AI for Data Analysis and Business Intelligence
how to engage with the Office environment and set up repetitive tasks
