Course Outline
DAY 1
Module 1 — Claude Fundamentals, Prompting and Personalisation
Gain a deeper understanding of Claude beyond the chat window. Learn to identify its strengths, determine when it is preferable over other AI tools, and personalize the tool to align with your professional profile.
Topics
• Claude’s market positioning and unique differentiators among 2026 AI tools
• Model families: Fable, Opus, Sonnet, and Haiku – when to use each one
• The probabilistic nature of AI, hallucinations, and risk mitigation strategies
• Plan differences and the benefits of having a paid account
• Effective prompting: why context outweighs syntax; foundational structures; knowing when to start a new chat vs. continuing one
• Custom Instructions for user profiles: defining role, priorities, and communication tone
Exercises
• Exercise 1 — Construct a comprehensive prompt to address a complaint
• Exercise 2 — Configure Custom Instructions tailored to your user profile
Module 2 — Projects, Artifacts and Skills
Leverage Projects to create persistent workspaces equipped with their own knowledge bases, such as manuals, technical sheets, and standards. View Artifacts as a production space within the chat interface. Establish working instructions via Skills.
Topics:
• Projects: persistent workspaces featuring dedicated history and knowledge bases
• Project Instructions vs Profile Preferences – how these elements complement each other
• Sharing Projects with teams: capabilities available in Team and Enterprise plans
• File upload support: 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
Exercises:
• Exercise 3 — Build a functional Project tailored to your specific context
• Exercise 4 — Generate a functional Artifact tailored to your specific context
• Exercise 5 — Create a functional Skill tailored to your specific context
DAY 2
Module 3 — Cowork, agents and Microsoft 365 integration
Shift your perspective from viewing AI as a mere chatbot to treating it as a work partner capable of operating in the background on real-time day-to-day data.
Topics:
• Claude Desktop: installation, system requirements, authentication, initial setup, and key differences compared to browser usage
• Claude in Chrome: installing the official extension, managing permissions, practical use cases, limitations, and security precautions
• Claude Mobile: utilizing AI in mobile environments, synchronizing across devices, and best practices for on-the-go work
• Cowork: understanding its purpose, functionality, and optimal use cases
• Microsoft 365 connector: connecting to Outlook, OneDrive, SharePoint, and Teams
• Multi-step tasks: searching, reading, summarizing, writing, and sending communications
• Scheduled tasks: utilizing Scheduled Prompts
• MCP (Model Context Protocol) and the broader Connectors ecosystem
• Identifying Cowork limitations and strategies to work around them
Exercises:
• Exercise 6 — Create a Cowork project and organize its folder structure
• Exercise 7 — Configure a complete Cowork project with Skills, instructions, and folders; test this project on a complex task.
Module 4 — Claude in Excel, Word and PowerPoint
Leverage Claude within Microsoft 365 software for documents, spreadsheets, and presentations. Utilize your own files to accelerate analysis, writing, review processes, and the preparation of work materials.
Topics:
• Excel: data analysis, formula creation, table cleaning, interpreting indicators, and preparing executive summaries
• Word: reviewing, rewriting, document structuring, creating proposals, reports, minutes, and professional communications
• PowerPoint: transforming content into narrative presentations, creating scripts, refining key messages, and adapting content for the target audience
Exercises:
• Exercise 8 — Use Claude to analyze an Excel spreadsheet and produce an executive summary with conclusions and recommendations
• Exercise 9 — Transform a Word document or a set of notes into a structured PowerPoint presentation
Requirements
To fully participate in the practical exercises, please ensure the following are ready before the course begins:
- Active Claude Account (Paid): A Pro, Team, or Enterprise plan is necessary to access Projects, Artifacts, and the advanced models utilized in Module 2.
- Microsoft 365 Access: A functional account with access to OneDrive, SharePoint, Teams, Excel, Word, and PowerPoint is required to complete the integrations in Modules 3 and 4.
- Laptop with Installation Rights: You need a computer where you have permission to install Claude Desktop and the Chrome extension (mandatory for Module 3).
- Your Own Files (Highly Recommended): Please bring 2–3 real-world documents (such as a PDF manual, an Excel sheet, or a Word report) to use during hands-on exercises. Ensure these files do not contain strictly confidential data.