University of California, Santa Cruz

AI Tools for the Workplace

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University of California, Santa Cruz

AI Tools for the Workplace

Bineet Sharma

Instructor: Bineet Sharma

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Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.
Beginner level

Recommended experience

1 week to complete
at 10 hours a week
Flexible schedule
Learn at your own pace
Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.
Beginner level

Recommended experience

1 week to complete
at 10 hours a week
Flexible schedule
Learn at your own pace

What you'll learn

  • Master advanced prompt engineering frameworks to automate everyday writing, data sorting, and multi-app project workflows.

  • Clean, analyze, and build visual dashboards from complex spreadsheet data using structured plain-language AI instructions.

  • Implement the "Explore, Port-It, Verify-It" loop to audit AI outputs for accuracy, security, and ethical compliance.

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Recently updated!

August 2026

Assessments

14 assignments¹

AI Graded see disclaimer
Taught in English

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There are 6 modules in this course

This course is for professionals like you—people who want to get more done with AI, but don't necessarily come from a technical background. If you've ever said, “I wish I had more time,” or “There has to be a faster way to do this,” you're in the right place. We will start with the basics: organizing, revising, and summarizing documents. You will learn to ask, review, and refine AI-generated drafts.

What's included

5 videos1 reading2 assignments

This module provides a comprehensive guide to prompt engineering, the skill of writing clear, focused instructions to generate high-quality AI results. You will learn how to structure your requests using powerful frameworks like CRISPE and ELAVIS, as well as reusable patterns. The lessons also cover essential topics from avoiding common mistakes to using advanced strategies like Chain-of-Thought to co-reason with AI. By the end of this module, you will be able to turn GenAI into a reliable and efficient partner for complex tasks and everyday work.

What's included

8 videos1 reading3 assignments

This module focuses on using Generative AI to improve everyday workplace communication across documents, emails, and meetings. It explores three core applications: rewriting content for better tone, clarity, or conciseness using structured prompts; summarizing long-form content by querying it for key information; and transforming messy meeting transcripts into clear decisions and actionable next steps.

What's included

6 videos1 reading2 assignments

This module focuses on leveraging AI as a spreadsheet assistant to clean, reshape, and analyze data more efficiently. You will master core skills, including using plain language to build complex formulas and transforming clean data into clear visuals, charts, and dashboards. By the end of this module, you will have built the foundational habits of Explore, Port-It, and Verify-It to confidently apply AI methods to real-world spreadsheet workflows.

What's included

6 videos3 assignments

Module 5 provides a comprehensive workflow for producing trustworthy, action-oriented research. You'll learn to conduct grounded research using your own trusted sources and ensure content integrity and citation fidelity in client updates and policy memos. You'll reuse a single core prompt pattern across applications, adapting constraints to generate diverse deliverables while leveraging spreadsheet AI for quick trends and chart ideas. Ultimately, you will learn to turn dense documents and meeting transcripts into clear, verifiable actions, culminating in a synthesis lab to drive multiple, confirmed outputs.

What's included

5 videos1 reading2 assignments

The final module focuses on practical, real-world strategies for integrating AI responsibly into your daily office workflows. You will learn to identify potential ethical risks, such as bias in automated decisions, and develop structured habits to audit AI performance using small, manageable samples. By mastering these techniques, along with key governance frameworks, you will be equipped to implement guardrails, set clear revisit plans, and ensure your AI tools remain fair, transparent, and trustworthy.

What's included

5 videos2 assignments

Instructor

Bineet Sharma
University of California, Santa Cruz
0 Courses0 learners

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¹ Some assignments in this course are AI-graded. For these assignments, your data will be used in accordance with Coursera's Privacy Notice.