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Duke University

AI for Productivity

Ashley Smith

Instructor: Ashley Smith

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.
Beginner level
No prior experience required
5 hours to complete
Flexible schedule
Learn at your own pace
Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.
Beginner level
No prior experience required
5 hours to complete
Flexible schedule
Learn at your own pace

What you'll learn

  • Operate generative AI tools (ChatGPT, Copilot, and Gemini) to automate tasks, boost productivity, and streamline your daily workflow

  • Analyze information responsibily using AI-powered data analysis, research , summarization, and note-taking tools

  • Create professional and engaging visuals, videos, and multimedia content with AI design tools like Canva, DALL·E, and Adobe Firefly

Details to know

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Recently updated!

January 2026

Assessments

4 assignments

Taught in English

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There are 4 modules in this course

Get ready to work smarter with AI productivity tools. In Week 1, you’ll explore how generative AI tools can help you accomplish everyday tasks with ease and efficiency. You will look at how AI can assist with routine workplace responsibilities, whether drafting emails, summarizing notes, rewriting content, or improving the tone of your emails. You will practice writing effective AI prompts that produce polished, professional results. Then you will learn how to integrate AI into your work so it acts as a personal writing assistant for multiple modes of communication. Most importantly, we hope you will become excited to boost your workflow with AI, so you can focus on high-impact work. Featured Tools: ChatGPT, Grammarly, Microsoft Office and Google Docs integrations.

What's included

3 videos4 readings1 assignment2 discussion prompts

Streamline your planning so you can focus on execution! In Week 2, you will learn how to employ AI tools such as Copilot and ChatGPT to automate administrative tasks, plan projects, and build personalized schedules that boost productivity. You will discover how generative AI can automate routine administrative tasks, from resume reviews, to document cleanups and meeting summaries. You will determine ways that AI can help you efficiently manage projects and meetings, and achieve your personal goals with greater effectiveness. By the end of this week, you will be able to confidently use AI as a digital assistant, the low maintenance sidekick who helps you schedule better, save time, and stay focused. Featured Tools: Grammarly, Copilot, ChatGPT.

What's included

4 videos3 readings1 assignment2 discussion prompts

Analysis no longer needs to be a headache, because AI makes it simple. In Week 3, you will learn how to turn messy, unorganized information into organized insight using AI-powered note-taking and data tools. You will practice generating meeting transcripts and summaries automatically, transforming unstructured notes into polished documents, and creating coherent storylines from complex datasets. You’ll discover how to use AI to capture meeting highlights, condense long documents, and uncover trends hidden in spreadsheets. You’ll practice prompting generative AI to clean, organize, and analyze data. Ultimately, you will learn how to use AI as your assistant, helping you easily extract the story from your notes and datasets. Featured Tools: Copilot, Microsoft Stream, Clipchamp, Otter AI, Evernote AI, ChatGPT, Gemini (Google AI).

What's included

4 videos3 readings1 assignment2 discussion prompts

In Week 4, you’ll learn how to use AI research tools responsibly and creatively. Discover how to guard against AI hallucinations by demanding credible references, verifying peer-reviewed sources, and comparing outputs across platforms. You will learn how to streamline your research by prompting AI to find, summarize, and organize scholarly articles. You’ll also gain an introduction to AI-powered creative tools that generate images, videos, and multimedia content. From summarizing journal articles to designing visuals and videos, you’ll gain practical skills for responsibly using AI. Finally, you will analyze why AI’s creative outputs should be reviewed and refined with human insight, reflecting on how AI tools are simply a sidekick to human creativity. Featured Tools: Research Rabbit, Consensus, Insight, Gemini (Google AI) , Canva, DALL·E, Copilot, Stable Diffusion, Synthesia, Runway, Descript, Adobe Firefly, Filmora.

What's included

4 videos4 readings1 assignment2 discussion prompts

Instructor

Ashley Smith
Duke University
0 Courses0 learners

Offered by

Duke University

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