Course Outline
Phase 1 — Meet Claude Code — 55 minutes
- An explanation of what Claude is and how Claude Code differs from standard chat interfaces.
- The Claude product family: claude.ai, Claude Desktop, and Claude Code (CLI), and their relationships.
- Interface tour: navigating the Claude app, initiating a coding session, and understanding the workspace.
- Understanding Claude Code’s thought process: the describe → plan → act → review loop.
- Grasping permissions: why Claude requests approval before creating files or executing code.
- Your first build: instructing Claude to create a simple styled webpage from a one-sentence description.
- Iterating on results: commands like “make the header bigger,” “change the color scheme,” or “add a navigation bar.”
- Guided exercise: participants open the Claude app, start a Claude Code session, and create a personalized “About Me” webpage by describing their requirements in plain English. They practice refining results through follow-up instructions.
Goal: ensure everyone is comfortable with the interface and has overcome the initial learning curve.
Break — 10 minutes
Phase 2 — Building Real Things with Plain English — 70 minutes
This constitutes the core of the morning session. Participants complete four progressively complex tasks using only natural language prompts.
- Task 1 — Interactive dashboard: instruct Claude Code to build a styled dashboard displaying sample data with charts, statistics, and a clean layout. Practice providing design direction: “use a dark theme,” “add a sidebar,” or “make it responsive.”
- Task 2 — Data analysis: provide Claude with a sample CSV file and request it to summarize the data, identify trends, find highest and lowest values, and generate a visual chart. This demonstrates Claude’s ability to write and execute code on your behalf.
- Task 3 — Document generator: ask Claude to read a data file and produce a formatted report — such as a sales summary, project status update, or meeting recap. This illustrates how Claude transforms raw data into polished deliverables.
- Task 4 — Automation tool: ask Claude to build a simple utility — like a unit converter, quiz app, or budget calculator. This introduces the concept that Claude can create interactive tools, not just static pages.
After each task, the instructor highlights behind-the-scenes actions: which files were created, what code was generated, and how to interpret the output. Participants document their most effective prompts in a shared Prompt Playbook.
Break — 10 minutes
Phase 3 — Working Smarter with Claude Code — 50 minutes
- The art of effective prompting: distinguishing between specific and vague instructions.
- Live demo: side-by-side comparison of weak versus strong prompts on the same task.
- Iterating and refining: instructing Claude to explain its choices, undo changes, or try alternative approaches.
- Working with uploaded files: commands like “read this document and summarize it” or “convert this spreadsheet into a chart.”
- Multi-step workflows: chaining requests to build complex outputs (e.g., “first analyze this data, then build a dashboard from the results.”)
- Understanding cost and usage: how tokens, context windows, and subscription tiers function.
- Determining when to use Claude Code versus standard Claude chat.
- Guided exercise: participants take one of their Phase 2 projects and extend it with two new features using a multi-step prompt chain. They then compare their before-and-after prompts to identify key differences.
Goal: elevate proficiency from “it works” to “I can achieve consistent, high-quality results.”
Break — 10 minutes
Phase 4 — Your Claude Workflows: Live Build Session — 60 minutes
This phase shifts the room’s energy. Instead of solo practice, the group collaborates. The instructor drives the process, but participants direct the action by sharing real job problems, suggesting prompt ideas, and debating tradeoffs. The objective is to learn prompt judgment by observing how a skilled user navigates uncertainty in real time.
Three workflow archetypes structure the session:
- Transform — take input X, produce output Y (e.g., meeting notes to action items; raw data to summary email; customer feedback to themed report).
- Draft — generate a first version of something you’d typically write from scratch (proposals, emails, job descriptions, social posts).
- Analyze — interrogate a document or dataset you lack time to review thoroughly (e.g., a 40-page report, a spreadsheet of survey responses, a contract).
Setup and framing (10 min): The instructor introduces the three archetypes and explains the session mechanics. Participants submit real workflow challenges from their jobs via a shared document or chat.
Live build #1 — Transform workflow (20 min): The instructor selects one submitted problem and builds it live, with the room contributing prompt ideas, pushbacks, and refinements. The instructor narrates every decision. The session ends with a working prompt template that the participant who provided the problem keeps.
Live build #2 — Draft or Analyze workflow (20 min): Same format, different archetype, and a different participant’s problem.
Reflection & share-back (10 min): Participants take a moment to note one prompting move that surprised them, one thing they would do differently, and one pattern they are taking away. A quick group share follows — featuring 3-4 volunteers rather than everyone. The instructor connects these observations to the broader Prompt Playbook.
Phase 5 — Connecting Claude to Your Tools with MCP — 50 minutes
- What is MCP (Model Context Protocol)? The universal plug system for AI tools.
- Why MCP matters: transforming Claude from a chat assistant into a connected workflow hub.
- The Connectors Directory: browsing and adding integrations directly from the Claude app.
- Desktop Extensions: one-click installs for Claude Desktop (requiring no configuration files).
Live demo: The instructor connects Claude to two services through the Connectors UI and demonstrates cross-tool workflows:
- “Check my Google Calendar for tomorrow’s meetings and draft a prep email for each one.”
- “Read the latest updates from our project board and write a status summary.”
- “Pull data from this connected service and build a local report from it.”
Guided exercise: participants connect Claude to at least one service. Options are provided for different comfort levels:
- Option A: Connect a pre-built connector from the directory (e.g., Gmail, Google Drive, or a demo service) — click, authenticate, and proceed.
- Option B: Add a custom connector by pasting an MCP server URL (the instructor provides a test URL).
- Option C: Install a Desktop Extension from the marketplace (for Claude Desktop users).
Participants then assign Claude a task that utilizes the connected service — for example, “Read my recent emails about project updates and create a summary document.”
Key concepts covered:
- How connectors function: OAuth authentication, permissions, and the scope of access granted.
- Managing tool access: enabling, disabling, and controlling which connectors Claude can use per conversation.
- Security awareness: connecting only to trusted services and reviewing tool permissions.
- The MCP ecosystem: locating new connectors, extensions, and community-built servers.
Goal: help participants view Claude as a connective layer between all the services they already use, not merely as a coding tool.
Break — 10 minutes
Phase 6 — Capstone & Next Steps — 65 minutes
Capstone mini-project (45 min): Each participant selects one scenario and builds it with Claude:
- A polished landing page or portfolio site for their team, project, or personal brand.
- A data analysis pipeline: upload a file, have Claude analyze it, and produce a visual report.
- An interactive tool that solves a real problem from their workflow (calculator, tracker, converter, quiz).
- A connected workflow: pull data from a connected service, transform it, and produce a deliverable (e.g., “read my calendar for next week and build a visual schedule.”)
The instructor circulates the room, assists with refining prompts, and showcases standout examples to the group.
Showcase and wrap-up (20 min):
- 6-8 participants share what they built (2-3 minutes each).
- Where to go from here: Claude Code CLI for terminal users, VS Code extension for developers, Cowork for knowledge workers.
- The MCP ecosystem: finding and evaluating new connectors, extensions, and community servers.
- Plans: Free vs. Pro vs. Max — what each unlocks and which fits which use case.
- Best practices recap: the Prompt Playbook patterns that worked best during the session.
- Recommended resources: official documentation, community channels, and Anthropic’s prompt engineering guide.
- Participants receive a reference card with key prompting patterns, connector setup steps, and a curated list of useful MCP integrations.
Requirements
Requirements
An understanding of
- Fundamental computer skills: navigating files and folders, using web browsers, and installing applications
- General awareness of AI assistants (e.g., casual use of ChatGPT, Gemini, or Claude is beneficial for context, but not mandatory)
Experience with
- No coding, programming, or terminal experience needed. This course is tailored for individuals who have never written code.
- No prior exposure to Claude or other AI tools is required.
Technical requirements
- Participants must bring a laptop (Mac, Windows, or Linux) with a modern web browser.
- A stable internet connection is necessary.
- A Claude Pro subscription for the session (a 1-month complimentary subscription is included with registration; setup instructions are provided beforehand).
- Claude Desktop is recommended, though not strictly required, as the web app at claude.ai supports all exercises.
- A Google account is suggested for the MCP connectors exercise (Gmail, Google Drive, Google Calendar), although alternative connector options are available.
Target Audience
- Business professionals aiming to leverage AI for productivity and automation.
- Marketers, operations managers, and analysts seeking to automate repetitive tasks.
- Founders and entrepreneurs looking to build prototypes without hiring developers.
- Educators and researchers exploring AI-assisted workflows.
- Anyone curious about Claude’s capabilities who lacks a technical background.
Testimonials (1)
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