Understanding Generative AI and Practical Prompt Engineering

Generative artificial intelligence is transforming the modern workplace, but achieving consistent results requires understanding how these tools process information. This text-based course breaks down core AI concepts into clear explanations, helping you write structured prompts and interact with language models effectively. You will begin by establishing foundational terminology and mechanics before exploring practical everyday applications. In this course, you will learn to: Understand how generative language models predict and format text responses; Apply essential prompt engineering patterns to guide AI outputs accurately; Structure context, instructions, and constraints for complex business tasks; Identify AI limitations such as hallucinations and verify response accuracy; Master iterative prompting strategies to refine text, summaries, and ideas; Explore modern concepts like system prompts, zero-shot learning, and contextual grounding. The course flows logically from fundamental mechanics to real-world communication scenarios through written lessons and practice exercises. Designed specifically for beginners and non-technical professionals, no programming knowledge is needed. Read through the lessons to gain complete confidence in working alongside generative AI tools.