Course Outline
DAY 1
Module 1 — Claude Fundamentals, Prompting and Personalisation
Understand Claude beyond the chat window. Identify where it stands out, when it makes sense to choose it over other AI tools, and how to personalize the tool so that it responds according to the user’s profile.
Topics
• Claude’s positioning and what distinguishes it from other AI tools in 2026
• Model families: Fable, Opus, Sonnet and Haiku, and when to use each one
• Probabilistic operation of AI, hallucinations and risk mitigation
• Differences between plans and what is gained with a paid account
• Effective prompting: why context matters more than syntax; base structures; when it makes sense, and when it does not, to start a new chat
• Custom Instructions for each user profile: role, priorities and communication tone
Exercises
• Exercise 1 — Build a complete prompt to respond to a complaint
• Exercise 2 — Configure Custom Instructions for the user profile
Module 2 — Projects, Artifacts and Skills
Use Projects to create persistent workspaces with their own knowledge base, such as manuals, technical sheets and standards. Understand Artifacts as a production space within the chat. Create working instructions through Skills.
Topics:
• Projects: persistent workspaces with their own history and dedicated knowledge base
• Project Instructions vs Profile Preferences — how they complement each other
• Sharing Projects with the team: Team and Enterprise plans
• File upload: PDFs, Excel files and images
• Artifacts: producing documents, dashboards and interactive prototypes within the chat itself
• Web Search: real-time information with verifiable citations
• Skills: defining and applying repeatable procedures
Exercises:
• Exercise 3 — Build a functional Project for the user’s own context
• Exercise 4 — Generate a functional Artifact for the user’s own context
• Exercise 5 — Create a functional Skill for the user’s own context
DAY 2
Module 3 — Cowork, agents and Microsoft 365 integration
Stop seeing AI as a chatbot and start 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 main differences compared with browser use
• Claude in Chrome: installation of the official extension, permissions, practical use cases, limitations and security precautions
• Claude Mobile: use in mobile contexts, synchronisation across devices and good practices for work on the move
• Cowork: what it is, what it does and when it is worth using
• Microsoft 365 connector: connection to Outlook, OneDrive, SharePoint and Teams
• Multi-step tasks: search, read, summarise, write and send
• Scheduled tasks: Scheduled Prompts
• MCP: Model Context Protocol and the Connectors ecosystem
• Where Cowork still has limitations and how to work around them
Exercises:
• Exercise 6 — Create a Cowork project and organise its folder system
• Exercise 7 — Configure a complete Cowork project with Skills, instructions and folders. Test this Cowork project on a complex task.
Module 4 — Claude in Excel, Word and PowerPoint
Use Claude with Microsoft 365 software, including documents, spreadsheets and presentations, taking advantage of the user’s own files to accelerate analysis, writing, review and preparation of work materials.
Topics:
• Excel: data analysis, formula creation, table cleaning, interpretation of indicators and preparation of executive summaries
• Word: review, rewriting, document structuring, creation of proposals, reports, minutes and professional communications
• PowerPoint: transforming content into presentation narratives, creating scripts, improving key messages and adapting content to the target audience
Exercises:
• Exercise 8 — Use Claude to analyse 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 PowerPoint presentation structure
Requirements
To actively participate in the practical exercises, ensure you have the following prepared before the course begins:
- Active Claude Account (Paid): A Pro, Team, or Enterprise plan is required to access Projects, Artifacts, and the advanced models utilized in Module 2.
- Microsoft 365 Access: A valid account providing access to OneDrive, SharePoint, Teams, Excel, Word, and PowerPoint to complete integrations in Modules 3 and 4.
- Laptop with Installation Rights: A computer where you are permitted to install Claude Desktop and the Chrome extension (mandatory for Module 3).
- Your Own Files (Highly Recommended): Bring 2–3 real-world documents (e.g., a PDF manual, an Excel sheet, or a Word report) to use during hands-on exercises. Please ensure these files do not contain strictly confidential data.
