Module 1: Welcome and getting set up
What Claude can help you do
Allow 3 minutes.
Claude is Anthropic's AI assistant. You describe a task in a chat. Claude produces a response that you can question, edit and check. In this course, you will use the browser at claude.ai.
Start with one small job
Useful first tasks include a draft email, a shorter version of a document, or a checklist from notes. Choose work where you can judge the answer yourself.
Illustrative example: An invented Hamilton accountancy needs a plain-language reminder about documents for an appointment. The office manager gives Claude made-up details, reviews the draft, and adds the real details in the firm's approved system.
Claude can produce a polished answer that contains wrong details. A fluent response is not evidence. Check dates, amounts, names and claims before anyone acts on them. Keep a qualified person responsible for legal, tax, health or employment decisions.
Important: thecolab.ai provides this independent training. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by Anthropic. Claude is a trademark of Anthropic, PBC. This course does not provide an Anthropic qualification.
Try it: choose your first task
Write down one routine task. Ask: Can I use invented or public information? Can I check the result? Who approves the final version?
If any answer is unclear, practise with the examples supplied here.