Introduction to Generative AI: Using Claude by Anthropic

Overview In this one-day course, students will be introduced to using Claude Chat, which is the conversational artificial intelligence interface that is used to create custom text, analysis, and interactive applications in the Claude Chat (https://claude.ai) environment. The course covers some of the theoretical underpinnings of large language models and prompt engineering, but the emphasis is on using Claude to solve common business problems. Students will learn how to write their own structured prompts, collaborate with interactive artifacts, organize multi-chat projects, and build reusable skills to automate repetitive workflows. This instructor-led course consists of a combination of lecture, demonstrations, and hands-on labs. Software Used During the Class The standard lab setup for this class consists of a PC or Mac with a modern web browser and access to Claude.ai, with Claude Desktop installed. Audience This course is intended for business users who want to transition from basic AI prompting to building advanced, persistent workflows and interactive solutions using Claude. Mastering Claude Chat is a very common "next step" for professionals looking to maximize their workplace productivity with AI. Prerequisites Although experience with Claude or other large language models is not strictly required for this class, students with at least some familiarity will be better equipped to get the most out of the lab work. Course Outline Getting started with Claude Chat Exploring the Claude interface and layout Understanding the Claude model family: Haiku, Sonnet, and Opus Navigating general settings, notifications, and appearance Managing privacy, security, and data training options Understanding context windows, token limits, and pricing tiers Mastering prompting fundamentals Moving from search engine habits to conversational AI workflows Crafting effective prompts using structured frameworks Applying constraints and Chain of Thought reasoning Tailoring responses with Custom Styles and Custom Instructions Activating and managing Claude's Memory for persistent preferences Practical application: Drafting professional emails and communications Analyzing content and conducting research Uploading files and documents for rapid summarization Performing deep analysis on spreadsheets, PDFs, and long-form text Utilizing Smart Web Search for up-to-date data gathering Harnessing Deep Research mode for comprehensive topics Leveraging Extended Thinking for multi-step reasoning tasks Identifying Claude's limitations and how to handle them Interactive creation with Artifacts Introduction to Claude Artifacts and inline visualizations Enabling and navigating the Artifact side panel interface Generating standalone documents, live code, and spreadsheets Creating visual infographics and metrics dashboards Building interactive application prototypes from text requirements Exploring the Artifact Inspiration Gallery for workflow ideas Organizing workflows with Projects Creating a new project workspace for specific business goals Writing precise project instructions to define custom instructions Constructing a knowledge base by uploading reference files to a project Organizing, tracking, and managing conversations inside a project Moving external chats into existing projects Archiving old projects to keep your custom environment clean Scaling productivity with Skills and Connectors Introduction to Claude Skills for reusable workflow automation Deploying built-in skills for slide decks and automated summaries Building custom automation skills from scratch using the Skill Creator Testing and optimizing custom skills with evaluation examples Linking external apps like Google Drive, Notion, Gmail, and Slack via Connectors Sharing custom skills across teams using shared drives and organization settings Overview of advanced agentic tools: Claude Desktop, Cowork, and Claude Code