Claude Code for Non-Developers Training Course

Phase 1 — Introduction to Claude Code — 55 minutes

• Understanding Claude and what distinguishes Claude Code from standard chat interfaces
• Overview of the Claude product family: claude.ai, Claude Desktop, Claude Code (CLI), and how they interrelate
• Interface walkthrough: navigating the Claude app, initiating coding sessions, and understanding the workspace
• How Claude Code operates: the describe → plan → act → review cycle
• Understanding permissions: why Claude seeks confirmation before creating files or executing code
• Initial build: instructing Claude to create a simple styled webpage from a single-sentence description
• Refining results: requesting changes such as resizing headers, altering color schemes, or adding navigation bars
• Guided Exercise: Participants open the Claude app, start a Claude Code session, and build a personalized “About Me” webpage by describing their requirements in plain English. They practice refining the output through follow-up instructions.

Objective: Ensure all participants feel comfortable with the interface and have overcome the initial interaction barrier.

Break — 10 minutes

Phase 2 — Building Real Projects with Plain English — 70 minutes

This section forms the core of the morning. 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 directions such as “use a dark theme,” “add a sidebar,” or “make it responsive.”
• Task 2 — Data Analysis: Provide Claude with a sample CSV file and ask it to summarize the data, identify trends, find highest and lowest values, and generate a visual chart. This demonstrates how Claude writes and executes 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 build interactive tools, not just static pages.

After each task, the instructor highlights Claude’s behind-the-scenes actions, including files created, code written, and how to interpret the output. Participants document their best prompts in a shared Prompt Playbook.

Break — 10 minutes

Phase 3 — Working Smarter with Claude Code — 50 minutes

• The art of effective prompting: specific vs. vague instructions
• Live demonstration: side-by-side comparison of weak versus strong prompts for the same task
• Iteration and refinement: asking Claude to explain choices, undo changes, or try alternative approaches
• Working with uploaded files: requests such as “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: tokens, context windows, and subscription tiers
• When to use Claude Code vs. standard Claude chat
• Guided Exercise: Participants take a Phase 2 project 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.

Objective: Progress from “it works” to achieving consistently high-quality results.

Break — 10 minutes

Phase 4 — Your Claude Workflows: Live Build Session — 60 minutes

This phase shifts the room’s energy from solo practice to group collaboration. The instructor leads, but participants direct the process by naming real job-related problems, suggesting prompt ideas, and debating trade-offs. The goal is to learn prompt judgment by observing an experienced user navigate uncertainty in real time.

The session is structured around three workflow archetypes:

• Transform — Convert input X to output Y (e.g., meeting notes → action items, raw data → summary email, customer feedback → themed report)
• Draft — Generate a first version of content typically written from scratch (e.g., proposals, emails, job descriptions, social media posts)
• Analyze — Interrogate documents or datasets that are too time-consuming to read carefully (e.g., 40-page reports, survey spreadsheets, contracts)

Setup and Framing (10 min): The instructor introduces the three archetypes and explains the session structure. 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 suggesting prompt ideas, pushbacks, and refinements. The instructor narrates every decision. The session concludes with a working prompt template retained by the participant who submitted the problem.

Live Build #2 — Draft or Analyze Workflow (20 min): Follows the same format but uses a different archetype and a different participant’s problem.

Reflection & Share-back (10 min): Participants write down one surprising prompting move, one thing they would do differently, and one pattern they are taking away. A quick group share follows, involving 3-4 voices. 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 integration 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 within the Claude app
• Desktop Extensions: one-click installations for Claude Desktop (no configuration files required)

Live Demonstration: The instructor connects Claude to two services via the Connectors UI and demonstrates cross-tool workflows:

1. “Check my Google Calendar for tomorrow’s meetings and draft a prep email for each one”
2. “Read the latest updates from our project board and write a status summary”
3. “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 start
• Option B: Add a custom connector by pasting an MCP server URL (instructor provides a test URL)
• Option C: Install a Desktop Extension from the marketplace (for Claude Desktop users)

Participants then assign Claude a task using the connected service, such as, “Read my recent emails about project updates and create a summary document.”

Key concepts covered:

• How connectors work: 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

Objective: Help participants view Claude as a connective layer between their existing services, not just a coding tool.

Break — 10 minutes

Phase 6 — Capstone & Next Steps — 65 minutes

Capstone Mini-Project (45 min): Each participant chooses one scenario and builds it with Claude:

1. A polished landing page or portfolio site for their team, project, or personal brand
2. A data analysis pipeline: upload a file, have Claude analyze it, and produce a visual report
3. An interactive tool that solves a real workflow problem (calculator, tracker, converter, quiz)
4. 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, helps refine 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)
• Next steps: 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 specific use cases
• Best practices recap: Prompt Playbook patterns that worked best during the session
• Recommended resources: official documentation, community channels, 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