Coconino Community College - Flagstaff

Learn to Use AI Tools for Productivity and Creativity (Beginner-Friendly)

This hands-on course helps nontechnical learners become comfortable using free AI tools to boost productivity, creativity, and confidence at work, in school, or at home. You’ll start from zero and learn how to write effective AI “prompts” (simple instructions you type into an AI tool). By the end of the course, you’ll be using prompts at an intermediate level to generate ideas, draft content, organize projects, and explore creative possibilities. The final 30 minutes of each class are open Q&A and collaborative practice. 

You don’t need to be a strong writer, designer, or marketer to get real results. You also don’t need to think of yourself as “artistic” to create eye-catching social media posts, or even a fun illustrated storybook for a child or grandchild.

By the end of the course, you’ll be able to:

1. Improve productivity for work, freelancing, or school
2. Learn faster using AI as a practice and coaching partner for languages and other skills
3. Explore new frontiers in writing, design, and creative projects with confidence.
4. Refresh your knowldege with the free ebook we use in class using examples, customizable prompting templates, helpful tips, and additional resources. 

What to bring: A laptop (or tablet) that can access the internet. You should be comfortable with basic computer skills like typing, writing emails, web browsing.

Instructor: Ariel Strong has worked in software development since the early 1990s. She hosts the Northern Arizona AI Meetup and founded FireFlight, a local business applying AI to problems related to community resilience, sustainability, and safety.

Class meets on four Thursdays from 10 a.m. - 12 p.m., April 9, 16, 23, 30.