# Learner Workbook: Claude Certification Quest This workbook teaches beginner AI skills step by step. It is written for learners who can use a browser and email but may have no AI, coding, GitHub, Netlify, Vercel, deployment, or API experience. Use this with the NotebookLM notebook named `Claude Certification Quest`. ## How This Works Each world has four parts: 1. Learn the idea. 2. See an example. 3. Try a tiny practice task. 4. Check your answer against the model answer. Do not rush to the quiz. The quiz is only a checkpoint after the lesson. ## World 0: Internet + AI Basics Goal: Remove beginner fear and learn the basic words. ### Lesson An AI assistant is a tool you can talk to in normal language. You can ask it to explain something, rewrite text, summarize notes, brainstorm ideas, or help you practice. A prompt is the instruction or question you give the AI. A source is information you give NotebookLM to study from. A source can be a document, webpage, note, PDF, or pasted text. A chat is the conversation between you and the AI. NotebookLM is useful because it answers from sources you provide. Claude is useful because it can help you think, draft, practice, and improve work. ### Example Weak prompt: ```text AI? ``` Better prompt: ```text Explain what an AI assistant is in plain language for someone who has never used one. Use one everyday example. ``` ### Practice Write one sentence for each word: - AI assistant - Prompt - Source - Chat ### Model Answers AI assistant: A tool that helps answer questions, write, summarize, explain, and organize information. Prompt: The instruction or question I give to an AI assistant. Source: A document, webpage, note, or file that NotebookLM can use to answer questions. Chat: The back-and-forth conversation between me and the AI. ### Checkpoint You are ready for World 1 when you can explain those four words without reading the model answers. ## World 1: What Claude Is Goal: Understand Claude as a helpful but imperfect assistant. ### Lesson Claude can help with many everyday tasks: - Drafting emails. - Summarizing notes. - Explaining hard ideas. - Brainstorming options. - Creating checklists. - Practicing questions. - Rewriting for a different tone or audience. But Claude is not automatically correct. It can misunderstand, leave things out, or sound confident while being wrong. Important work still needs human review. Think of Claude like a capable new teammate. It can move fast, but it needs context and review. ### Example Prompt: ```text Rewrite this message so it sounds friendly and professional: "I got your request and will look at it later." ``` Possible answer: ```text Thanks for reaching out. I received your request and will review it shortly. I will follow up once I have more information. ``` ### Practice Make a two-column list: - Claude can help with - Human must still check ### Model Answer Claude can help with: - Drafting. - Summarizing. - Brainstorming. - Explaining. - Organizing. - Practicing. Human must still check: - Facts. - Names. - Numbers. - Dates. - Private information. - Customer-facing promises. - Legal, medical, or financial claims. ### Checkpoint You are ready for World 2 when you can explain why Claude is helpful but still needs review. ## World 2: Prompting Like A Human Goal: Learn the beginner prompt formula. ### Lesson A clear prompt usually includes: ```text Task + Context + Audience + Format + Constraints ``` Task: What do you want the AI to do? Context: What background does it need? Audience: Who is this for? Format: What should the answer look like? Constraints: What rules should it follow? ### Example Weak prompt: ```text Help me write something. ``` Better prompt: ```text Write a friendly follow-up email for a homeowner who asked about a landscaping quote. Keep it under 120 words. Use a professional but warm tone. Do not mention internal costs, profit, margin, or markup. ``` Why it is better: - Task: Write a follow-up email. - Context: Homeowner asked about a landscaping quote. - Audience: Homeowner. - Format: Email under 120 words. - Constraints: Professional, warm, no internal cost details. ### Practice Improve this prompt: ```text Tell me about AI. ``` ### Model Answer ```text Explain what an AI assistant is for a complete beginner. Use plain language, one everyday example, and a short 3-bullet summary. Avoid technical jargon. ``` ### Checkpoint You are ready for World 3 when you can write a prompt that includes task, context, audience, format, and constraints. ## World 3: Checking AI Answers Goal: Learn not to trust AI blindly. ### Lesson AI can hallucinate. That means it can give an answer that sounds correct but is wrong, unsupported, outdated, or made up. NotebookLM reduces this risk because it answers from sources you provide, but you still need to check important answers. Use this verification checklist: 1. What claim is being made? 2. Is there a trusted source for it? 3. Are names, numbers, and dates correct? 4. Would a mistake cause harm, confusion, or cost? 5. Should a human expert review it? ### Example AI answer: ```text This course guarantees certification in one day. ``` Problem: That is a strong claim. It needs a trusted source. If the source does not say this, do not trust it. Better wording: ```text This course is designed to help beginners prepare for AI fluency material. Completion time depends on the learner. ``` ### Practice Label this claim: ```text Claude is always correct if you write a good prompt. ``` Choose: - Trusted - Needs checking - Wrong ### Model Answer Wrong. A good prompt can improve the answer, but it does not make Claude always correct. ### Checkpoint You are ready for World 4 when you can explain hallucination and use the verification checklist. ## World 4: Safe + Responsible AI Goal: Build safe default habits. ### Lesson Do not paste sensitive information into AI tools unless you have explicit permission and understand the privacy rules. Do not paste: - Passwords. - API keys. - Private customer records. - Payment information. - Social insurance or Social Security numbers. - Medical records. - Private legal documents. - Confidential business plans. - Internal costs, margin, markup, or profit in customer-facing work. Safer alternatives: - Use fake sample data. - Remove names, phone numbers, addresses, and private details. - Summarize the situation without identifying people. - Ask for a template instead of pasting the real file. ### Example Risky prompt: ```text Here is my customer's full file. Write them an email. ``` Safer prompt: ```text Write a friendly customer email using this fake example: a homeowner asked for an update on a quote. Keep it under 120 words. Do not include private data or internal costs. ``` ### Practice Sort each item: - Public website link. - Password. - Customer phone number. - Fake sample email. - Private contract. - General question about writing better prompts. - Payment card details. ### Model Answer Safe to share: - Public website link. - Fake sample email. - General question about writing better prompts. Remove first: - Customer phone number. Do not paste: - Password. - Private contract. - Payment card details. ### Checkpoint You are ready for World 5 when you can name 3 things not to paste into AI and 1 safer alternative. ## World 5: Real-World Claude Workflows Goal: Use Claude for practical work while staying thoughtful. ### Lesson A useful Claude workflow has four steps: 1. Give a clear prompt. 2. Read the answer. 3. Ask one follow-up to improve it. 4. Review before using it. Good beginner tasks: - Draft an email. - Summarize meeting notes. - Create a checklist. - Compare two options. - Make a study plan. - Practice interview questions. ### Example First prompt: ```text Draft a short email to a customer saying we received their request and will follow up soon. ``` Follow-up: ```text Make it warmer, keep it under 90 words, and remove any promise about exact timing. ``` ### Practice Choose one real task and complete this: 1. First prompt: 2. What Claude gave me: 3. Follow-up prompt: 4. Final version: 5. What I checked before using it: ### Model Review Checklist Before using Claude's answer, check: - Is it accurate? - Is the tone right? - Is anything private included? - Are dates, names, and numbers correct? - Does it make a promise I cannot keep? ### Checkpoint You are ready for the Final Boss when you complete 3 real tasks and improve each one once. ## Final Boss: Certification Practice Goal: Prove beginner AI fluency. ### What To Do 1. Take a 20-question practice quiz. 2. Score 80 percent or better. 3. Complete the AI User Passport. 4. Review any weak worlds. ### Pass Rule 80 percent means at least 16 out of 20 questions correct. ### AI User Passport Must Include - Plain-language definitions. - The prompt formula. - 3 example prompts. - 3 things not to paste into AI. - 1 safer alternative. - A 5-step verification checklist. - One real workflow the learner can now do. ### If The Learner Misses Questions - Missed basic terms: Review World 0. - Missed Claude use cases: Review World 1. - Missed prompting: Review World 2. - Missed hallucination or checking: Review World 3. - Missed safety: Review World 4. - Missed workflow: Review World 5.