Course Outline
DAY 1
Module 1 — Claude Fundamentals, Prompting, and Personalization
Look beyond the chat window to understand Claude. Identify its unique strengths, determine when it is the optimal choice over other AI tools, and learn how to personalize the tool so it responds according to your specific user profile.
Topics
• Claude’s positioning and what sets it apart from other AI tools in 2026
• Model families: Fable, Opus, Sonnet, and Haiku, including guidance on when to use each
• The probabilistic nature of AI, hallucinations, and risk mitigation strategies
• Differences between subscription plans and the benefits of a paid account
• Effective prompting: why context matters more than syntax; foundational structures; and determining when to start a new chat versus continuing an existing one
• Custom Instructions for individual user profiles: defining role, priorities, and communication tone
Exercises
• Exercise 1 — Construct a comprehensive prompt to address a customer complaint
• Exercise 2 — Set up Custom Instructions tailored to your user profile
Module 2 — Projects, Artifacts, and Skills
Utilize Projects to create persistent workspaces with dedicated knowledge bases, such as manuals, technical sheets, and standards. Learn to view Artifacts as a production space within the chat, and create working instructions through Skills.
Topics:
• Projects: Persistent workspaces with their own history and dedicated knowledge base
• Project Instructions vs. Profile Preferences — understanding how they complement each other
• Sharing Projects with teams: Utilizing Team and Enterprise plans
• File upload capabilities: 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 procedures
Exercises:
• Exercise 3 — Build a functional Project tailored to your own context
• Exercise 4 — Generate a functional Artifact for your own context
• Exercise 5 — Create a functional Skill for your own context
DAY 2
Module 3 — Cowork, Agents, and Microsoft 365 Integration
Move past viewing AI as a simple chatbot and begin treating it as a work partner capable of operating in the background on real day-to-day data.
Topics:
• Claude Desktop: Installation, requirements, authentication, initial configuration, and key differences compared to browser-based use
• Claude in Chrome: Installing the official extension, managing permissions, practical use cases, limitations, and security precautions
• Claude Mobile: Utilization in mobile contexts, synchronization across devices, and best practices for working on the go
• Cowork: Understanding its capabilities, functions, and appropriate use cases
• Microsoft 365 connector: Linking to Outlook, OneDrive, SharePoint, and Teams
• Multi-step tasks: Searching, reading, summarizing, writing, and sending
• Scheduled tasks: Implementing Scheduled Prompts
• MCP: Model Context Protocol and the Connectors ecosystem
• Identifying where Cowork has current limitations and strategies to work around them
Exercises:
• Exercise 6 — Create a Cowork project and organize its folder system
• Exercise 7 — Configure a complete Cowork project with Skills, instructions, and folders. Test this setup on a complex task.
Module 4 — Claude in Excel, Word, and PowerPoint
Integrate Claude with Microsoft 365 software, including documents, spreadsheets, and presentations, leveraging your own files to accelerate analysis, writing, review, and the preparation of work materials.
Topics:
• Excel: Data analysis, formula creation, table cleaning, interpretation of indicators, and preparation of executive summaries
• Word: Reviewing, rewriting, structuring documents, creating proposals, reports, minutes, and professional communications
• PowerPoint: Transforming content into presentation narratives, creating scripts, refining key messages, and adapting content for target audiences
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 set of notes into a structured PowerPoint presentation
Requirements
To fully engage with the practical exercises, please ensure you have the following ready before the course begins:
- Active Paid Claude Account: 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 permissions for OneDrive, SharePoint, Teams, Excel, Word, and PowerPoint to complete the integrations in Modules 3 and 4.
- Laptop with Installation Permissions: A device where you are authorized to install Claude Desktop and the Chrome extension (required for Module 3).
- Personal Files (Strongly Recommended): Prepare 2–3 real-world documents (e.g., a PDF manual, an Excel sheet, or a Word report) for use during the hands-on sessions. Please ensure these 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
