Course Outline
DAY 1
Module 1 — Claude Fundamentals, Prompting and Personalisation
Gain a deeper understanding of Claude beyond the standard chat interface. Identify its unique strengths, determine when it is preferable over other AI tools, and learn how to personalize the tool so it aligns with the user's specific profile. Topics • Claude’s market positioning and what sets it apart from other AI tools in 2026 • Model families: Fable, Opus, Sonnet, and Haiku, including guidance on when to deploy each • The probabilistic nature of AI, hallucinations, and strategies for risk mitigation • Distinctions between subscription plans and the benefits of a paid account • Effective prompting: understanding why context outweighs syntax, foundational structures, and the criteria for starting a new chat • Custom Instructions tailored to each user profile: defining role, priorities, and communication tone
Exercises
• Exercise 1 — Constructing a comprehensive prompt to address a complaint
• Exercise 2 — Configuring Custom Instructions for a specific user profile
Module 2 — Projects, Artifacts and Skills
Leverage Projects to establish persistent workspaces with dedicated knowledge bases, such as manuals, technical sheets, and standards. Explore Artifacts as a production environment within the chat and develop working instructions through Skills.
Topics:
• Projects: persistent workspaces featuring independent history and dedicated knowledge bases
• Project Instructions versus Profile Preferences — understanding how they complement one another
• Sharing Projects with teams: Team and Enterprise plan capabilities
• File uploads: handling PDFs, Excel files, and images
• Artifacts: creating documents, dashboards, and interactive prototypes directly within the chat
• Web Search: accessing real-time information with verifiable citations
• Skills: defining and applying repeatable procedures
Exercises:
• Exercise 3 — Building a functional Project tailored to the user's own context
• Exercise 4 — Generating a functional Artifact for the user's own context
• Exercise 5 — Creating a functional Skill for the user's own context
DAY 2
Module 3 — Cowork, agents and Microsoft 365 integration
Move beyond viewing AI as a chatbot and begin leveraging it as a work partner capable of performing background tasks on real 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 best practices
• Claude Mobile: applications in mobile contexts, cross-device synchronization, and best practices for mobile work
• Cowork: overview of features, functionalities, and scenarios where it provides value
• Microsoft 365 connector: linking to Outlook, OneDrive, SharePoint, and Teams
• Multi-step tasks: searching, reading, summarizing, writing, and sending
• Scheduled tasks: utilizing Scheduled Prompts
• MCP: Model Context Protocol and the Connectors ecosystem
• Identifying current Cowork limitations and strategies to work around them
Exercises:
• Exercise 6 — Creating a Cowork project and organizing its folder structure
• Exercise 7 — Configuring a complete Cowork project with Skills, instructions, and folders, then testing it on a complex task.
Module 4 — Claude in Excel, Word and PowerPoint
Integrate Claude with Microsoft 365 software, including documents, spreadsheets, and presentations, utilizing the user's own files to accelerate analysis, writing, review, and the preparation of work materials.
Topics:
• Excel: data analysis, formula creation, data cleaning, indicator interpretation, and preparing executive summaries
• Word: reviewing, rewriting, structuring documents, and creating proposals, reports, minutes, and professional communications
• PowerPoint: converting content into presentation narratives, developing scripts, refining key messages, and adapting content for the target audience
Exercises:
• Exercise 8 — Using Claude to analyze an Excel spreadsheet and generate an executive summary with conclusions and recommendations
• Exercise 9 — Converting a Word document or a set of notes into a structured PowerPoint presentation
Requirements
To fully engage with the practical exercises, the following resources must be prepared prior to the course:
- 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 valid 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: A computer where you have the authority to install Claude Desktop and the Chrome extension (a requirement 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 utilize during the hands-on sessions. Ensure these files do not contain strictly 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
