# 1. The 50-prompt library

**Start here:** Choose one job, open its prompt, and replace only the bracketed facts you know. Send it in your permitted tool, then use the complete practice below to see how a follow-up improves it.

Choose a prompt by the job you want to finish. For a first try, follow [Start using AI](https://cowanworks.com/aicourse/learn/course-1/lesson-1). Then use the filled staff-message practice below the library and replace its facts for another message.

### Make these instructions your own

Choose the job first. Copy a request below, or say: “Help me with [job]. I want [useful result]. Ask one question at a time, follow up on my answers and read back what you understood before drafting.” Speak naturally; typing is optional.

Replace brackets with relevant facts, dates and constraints. If you do not know a detail, say so. Read the answer against your notes or source, name a specific correction and ask for a revision. Keep the useful request with the context the next conversation will need.

Use fictional or approved nonpersonal material. Personal projects belong in separate conversations from your school's reference. You decide what is sent, purchased or adopted.

Choose a task and supply only approved nonpersonal facts. The work-area groups help owners support their teams; they are not separate course audiences. A prompt cannot authorize an action or replace professional review.

### Owner / Director

**O1**

```
Draft a staff message for my beauty school from these facts: [change, reason, date, next step]. Keep it warm and under 120 words. Do not invent details. Mark missing essentials [ASK OWNER]. Afterward, list dates and promises for me to check.
```

**O2**

```
Help plan my beauty-school week from these confirmed nonpersonal notes: [notes]. Give three priorities, fixed dates, suggested work blocks and possible handoffs by role. Separate confirmed commitments from suggestions. Do not change calendars or assign work; I will confirm capacity and owners.
```

**O3**

```
Explain this approved nonconfidential notice: [excerpt]. List its requested actions, exact deadline wording, estimates and open questions. Quote the supporting line for each. Do not invent requirements or interpret legal effect. Identify what my qualified reviewer needs to confirm.
```

**O4**

```
Draft a short public reply to this general review of our beauty school: [review with identifying details removed]. Use our voice: [traits]. Do not confirm a student/guest relationship, discuss records, argue or promise compensation. Use [approved contact route] for private follow-up. I will edit and post.
```

**O5**

```
Help me think through this school decision: [decision]. Facts and sources: [facts]. Constraints: [limits]. Ask up to five questions one at a time. Compare options, assumptions, risks and missing evidence. Do not invent numbers, authorize spending or decide for me.
```

**O6**

```
Write an appreciation note under 80 words to our [school role/team] for [specific observed contribution]. Explain its effect on students or colleagues using only my facts. Sound warm and direct, not exaggerated. No invented achievements or promises.
```

**O7**

```
Help rehearse a fictional school-management conversation. Observable facts: [facts]. Desired change: [change]. Confirmed support: [support]. Suggest a two-sentence opening, three listening questions and a next-step structure. Flag assumptions or unsupported promises. Do not make HR or legal determinations.
```

**O8**

```
Draft a school newsletter under 250 words from these approved updates: [facts]. Use clear headings, confirmed dates and next steps. Keep personal stories, names and images out of this AI input; do not invent outcomes or events. List facts and missing details for my review. Any authorized personalization is added afterward in the approved school system.
```

**O9**

```
Draft a job post for our beauty school using only this approved role brief: [duties, schedule, verified requirements, pay/benefits, application route]. Mark missing items [CONFIRM]. Flag unnecessarily exclusionary wording. Do not invent qualifications or benefits; people will review before posting.
```

**O 10**

```
Prepare eight consistent job-related interview questions and one short practical demonstration for [school role], using this approved brief: [brief]. Add a scorecard with observable weak, adequate and strong evidence. Do not infer protected traits or rank real applicants. A person makes the hiring decision.
```

**O 11**

```
Organize these nonpersonal school meeting notes: [notes]. Separate confirmed decisions, suggestions, actions and open questions. For each action show task, owner role and agreed due date. Use UNASSIGNED or DATE NOT AGREED when absent. Do not turn discussion into commitment. List what I must confirm.
```

**O 12**

```
Plan a 60-minute beauty-school open house from these confirmed details: [date, spaces, roles, capacity, approved activities]. Include welcome, tour, demonstration, questions and next steps. List week-before preparation and responsibilities to confirm. Flag safety, consent or staffing questions; do not invent availability.
```

### Educator / Instructor

**E 1**

```
Help an educator draft a 45-minute school lesson on [topic], using only these approved objectives and teaching excerpts: [material]. Include a warm-up, explanation, practice and three understanding checks. Mark technical or safety points for educator verification. Do not invent state-board requirements.
```

**E 2**

```
Explain [approved concept] three ways for beginning beauty-school students: a short explanation, an everyday analogy and a five-question practice quiz with answers. Use this source: [approved excerpt]. Explain where the analogy stops being accurate. Flag anything not established by the source.
```

**E 3**

```
Draft ten original practice questions from this approved teaching excerpt: [excerpt]. Include an answer key and source location for each answer. Do not label them official state-board questions or claim they predict an exam. An educator will check every question before use.
```

**E 4**

```
Organize this approved service procedure into a student practice checklist: [nonpersonal source]. Preserve sequence, safety requirements and supervision conditions exactly. Mark unclear steps [EDUCATOR CHECK]. Do not add a chemical, sanitation rule or technique from memory. A qualified educator reviews before practice.
```

**E 5**

```
Suggest three teaching approaches and one supervised practice drill for this general learning challenge: [skill and difficulty, no personal record]. Use these approved objectives: [objectives]. Say how an educator could check understanding. Do not diagnose a learner or change safety procedures.
```

**E 6**

```
Rewrite this general practice feedback without personal details: [notes]. Keep the observable behavior, why it matters and one next practice step. Be kind and specific without hiding the issue. Do not infer motivation, ability or a condition the notes do not establish.
```

**E 7**

```
Suggest five warm-up activities under five minutes for a beauty-school class on [topic]. Use [approved objective/source]. Include materials, instructions and one understanding check for each. Flag safety or supervision needs for educator review. Do not assume equipment we have not listed.
```

**E 8**

```
Turn this short approved teaching excerpt into a one-page study guide: [excerpt]. Include key terms, plain definitions tied to the excerpt, summary and five practice questions with answers. Do not add unsupported technical facts. The educator will compare it with the original before sharing.
```

**E 9**

```
Rewrite this approved explanation in simpler English for beginning learners: [excerpt]. Keep technical meaning and safety conditions. Use short sentences and define unfamiliar terms. List any wording where simplification could change the meaning so an educator can check it.
```

**E 10**

```
Draft a four-week teaching sequence for [skill] from these approved objectives and practice procedures: [material]. Show one goal per week, supervised practice and observable understanding checks. Use only confirmed class time and equipment. Mark gaps for the educator rather than inventing prerequisites.
```

### Front Desk / Admissions

**F1**

```
Draft a helpful Admissions reply to this general prospect question: [question only]. Use these approved program/tour facts: [source]. Under 120 words; answer first and offer one relevant next step. Mark missing facts [CHECK]. No invented availability, aid awards or guarantees. I will personalize and send.
```

**F2**

```
Draft three short Admissions templates: tour reminder, missed-tour follow-up and thank-you after a tour. Use [NAME], [CONFIRMED TIME] and [APPROVED NEXT STEP] placeholders. Under 40 words each. No guilt, false urgency or automatic booking. Staff will confirm details and communication permission before sending.
```

**F3**

```
Prepare a callback guide for a general beauty-school inquiry. Use [approved program facts and tour process]. Include a greeting, three nonintrusive questions and a next step. Do not request financial, medical or identity records. Staff will follow the approved contact and consent process.
```

**F4**

```
Suggest calm wording for a fictional front-desk concern about [general issue]. Acknowledge the concern, avoid discussing records, and route to [confirmed role/channel]. List statements that would create an unauthorized promise. Do not decide fault, refunds or an individual outcome.
```

**F5**

```
Create a desk FAQ from these general questions and approved source excerpts: [material]. For each, give a short answer, necessary conditions, source location and responsible role. Write NOT IN OUR SOURCES for gaps. Do not fill school-specific facts from typical practice.
```

**F6**

```
Draft a new-student welcome template from these approved facts: [confirmed date, arrival instructions, supplies, schedule, contact role]. Under 200 words. Mark missing details [CHECK]. Do not invent requirements or use personal records. Staff will add the recipient in the approved system.
```

**F7**

```
Write a clear front-desk sign explaining this approved school policy: [exact excerpt and source]. Keep the request respectful, brief and accurate. Preserve conditions and say whom to ask. Do not create a fine, consequence or exception not stated in the source.
```

**F8**

```
Organize our approved front-desk closing tasks into a five-minute checklist: [procedure]. Preserve security and privacy steps; flag if the stated work cannot reasonably fit five minutes. Do not invent alarm, cash-handling or lockup procedures. Operations will verify it against the real workflow.
```

**F9**

```
Draft three concise replies to these general public comments: [comments without identifying details]. Use approved school information: [source]. No personal disclosures, guarantees or invented offers. For individual questions, use [approved private contact route]. A person reviews and posts.
```

**F 10**

```
Translate this nonpersonal school message into [language]: [message]. Preserve dates, policy conditions and next steps. Identify ambiguous terms and provide an English back-translation for comparison. Do not treat back-translation as proof of accuracy; a qualified speaker will review consequential wording.
```

### Financial Aid

**FA 1**

```
Explain this general financial-aid term using the approved official excerpt: [term and source]. Use plain language, preserve conditions and name the source. Do not apply it to anyone, estimate eligibility or promise funding. End with the approved Financial Aid Office contact process.
```

**FA 2**

```
Draft a general Financial Aid Office reminder from these approved facts: [deadline wording, purpose, office hours, contact route]. Use placeholders for changing details and keep personal information out. Quote any consequential source wording in internal review notes. Staff will check and send through the approved system.
```

**FA 3**

```
Turn this approved public official notice into an office checklist: [excerpt]. Quote the supporting sentence for each action, preserve exact deadline wording and flag applicability or interpretation questions for the designated reviewer. Do not create individual aid decisions or missing dates.
```

**FA 4**

```
Organize these ten general school-cost questions with the approved public answers provided: [questions and sources]. Cite each source. For individual eligibility, loan, payment or award questions, use the approved private office route. Mark missing answers UNKNOWN instead of supplying generic guidance as school policy.
```

**FA 5**

```
Format our approved general financial-aid appointment checklist: [source]. Make it easy to read and include [confirmed office/contact route]. Do not add required documents from memory or ask for them in this chat. The authorized office verifies the list before staff share it.
```

**FA 6**

```
Rewrite this approved general explanation for someone who feels overwhelmed: [nonpersonal excerpt]. Use familiar words and short steps without losing conditions or implying eligibility. List any simplified wording needing the Financial Aid Office review. Do not offer individualized financial advice.
```

**FA 7**

```
Organize these confirmed recurring Financial Aid Office duties into a monthly task calendar: [nonpersonal list with sources and dates]. Separate required deadlines from internal reminders. Mark owner roles and missing dates. Do not infer legal dates, process awards or change records.
```

**FA 8**

```
Help frame questions about this fictional general financial-aid process issue: [scenario]. Identify what is unknown and which official source or authorized office role should address it. Do not ask for personal financial details, determine eligibility or recommend an individual outcome.
```

### Admin / Operations

**A1**

```
First transcribe these nonpersonal task notes exactly: [text or clean whiteboard image]. Mark unreadable items and wait for my corrections. Then group into Today, This Week, Hand Off and Needs a Decision. Do not invent urgency, dates or owners; label suggestions separately.
```

**A2**

```
Draft a polite supplier email from these school facts: [order issue, confirmed order reference if approved, requested fix, proposed response date]. Do not include payment details or invent contract rights. Separate my requested response date from an existing contractual deadline. I will check and send.
```

**A3**

```
Format this approved school opening/closing procedure as numbered steps: [nonpersonal excerpt]. Preserve safety, security and sanitation requirements. Flag missing steps for Operations; do not invent them from memory. The responsible person will walk through the checklist before adopting it.
```

**A4**

```
Rewrite this approved procedure so a new school employee can follow it: [excerpt]. Use one action per step, prerequisites, expected result and a clear handoff. Preserve policy conditions. List missing details and questions; do not silently fill gaps or grant authority.
```

**A5**

```
Make a monthly beauty-school supply-order checklist from these confirmed items and reorder instructions: [list]. Group by category and show quantity or UNKNOWN, requesting role and approval step. Do not order, infer stock levels, substitute products or invent spending authority.
```

**A6**

```
Draft a short, respectful staff reminder about this approved school procedure: [excerpt and next action]. State why it matters without blame. Keep deadlines and consequences only if supplied. End with one clear request and [approved question route].
```

**A7**

```
Summarize this approved nonconfidential school discussion: [clean notes]. Separate decisions, tentative ideas, actions and open questions. Preserve conditions and show owner role/date only when agreed. Do not treat a suggestion as authorization or reveal personal circumstances.
```

**A8**

```
Plan logistics for this confirmed school event: [facts, capacity, roles, spaces, budget limits]. Include preparation timeline, responsibilities to confirm, supplies and day-of checklist. Flag dependencies and unresolved safety/consent questions. Do not book, spend or promise attendance.
```

**A9**

```
Format a weekly school cleaning/sanitation rotation from these approved procedures and available roles: [sources]. Preserve required frequency, products and supervision. Flag conflicts with staffing or facilities. Do not invent safety rules. The qualified school lead verifies before use.
```

**A 10**

```
Adapt these approved school closure facts into an email, public post and door sign: [dates, affected services, reopening, contact route]. Keep all three consistent and brief. Do not invent make-up dates or change booking/cancellation policies. List facts I must verify before publishing.
```

### Use a library prompt without leaving the hard part blank

Choose a real task before choosing a prompt. Copy its instructions into a fresh conversation, replace every bracket with approved nonpersonal facts and read the result against those facts. If a detail is not known, say so; do not fill it with a guess. For a first practice, use this complete fictional request:

```
Draft a short message to our school team from these practice facts:
Thursday's educator meeting starts at 9 AM instead of 8:30 AM.
It is still in the usual meeting space. Bring one teaching question
for discussion. Nothing else about the day's schedule changes.
Keep it friendly and direct, under 70 words. Do not invent a room,
a reason for the change or a sender's name. This is a draft only.
```

**Check:** 9 AM, same meeting space, one teaching question, no other schedule changes. Ask for a three-sentence text and check those facts again. Keep the prompt with the source note so you can repeat it. For your own message, use actual approved facts and add recipients only in your usual message system.

### Choose by the job

Use a writing prompt for a staff notice or your own invitation; use a planning prompt for educator preparation or a weekend task list. Replace the school-specific audience and facts when appropriate. Do not strip approval or source requirements from a policy, aid or personnel task. Ask for an interview if you are not sure what information matters.

# 2. Your school’s AI-use policy

**Start here:** Copy the starter into your approved document tool. Fill actual account names and responsible roles with the school’s reviewer. Walk through one fictional permitted task and one disclosure mistake before adopting it.

Read the starter with the person responsible for your school’s accounts and privacy. Fill the actual roles and allowed tools, then walk through one permitted task and one excluded input with a colleague.

**Use this for:** a short staff policy the owner can adapt and adopt. **Before sharing:** confirm the account arrangement, permitted material and incident-reporting route with your school's responsible roles.

Copy the policy, fill every bracket and remove anything your school has not approved:

```
[SCHOOL]: AI-use policy
Effective: [date] | Policy owner: [role] | Review: [date]

Purpose
We use AI to help draft routine communication, organize nonpersonal
notes and explain approved reference material. People remain responsible
for decisions, accuracy and what is sent, posted or taught.

Approved use
Use [approved tool/account arrangement] for [specific tasks]. Use public,
fictional or school-approved nonpersonal material only. Do not share logins.

Keep private records out
Do not enter student records, aid information, grades, attendance tied
to people, health details, employee/applicant records, credentials,
completed forms or other confidential information. Removing a name is
not enough if context can identify the person. Ask [role] when unsure.

Check before use
The person using an answer checks facts, dates, sources, tone and any
promise. School policies and current official sources remain authoritative.
[role] reviews technical teaching material. Consequential policy, money,
aid, HR and legal matters follow our existing professional-review process.

No unauthorized action
AI cannot approve exceptions, decide individual outcomes, alter records,
send messages, publish or create commitments for the school. Any approved
routine has a human owner and a known way to stop it.

Problems and disclosure
Stop the affected use and contact [role through approved channel] if
private information is submitted or a consequential error is found.
Follow our incident process; deleting a chat is not proof of resolution.

Updates and staff questions
Report a wrong reference answer to [role/channel]. The approved master
lives at [location]. Only [authorized roles] approve source changes.
```

**Check before adopting:** Can a new employee name an allowed task, recognize excluded information and contact the right person? Walk through one fictional mistake with them. A template is not a legal opinion or proof that an account meets your school's obligations.

### Adapt the rules to the setting

For a school team, confirm the actual account arrangement, permitted tasks, reviewers and incident route before adopting the policy. For your own use, make a short personal checklist of information you keep out, actions you retain and settings you have checked. A personal checklist is not the school’s adopted policy.

# 3. Your 30-day plan and time tracker

**Start here:** Try a task first. Enter preparation, prompting and checking time on one row. Compare with similar work and keep a useful method or a clear reason to change it.

Use this only when you want to compare effort. Try a familiar task, count preparation and checking as well as prompting, and decide whether you would use the method again.

**Use this for:** choosing a small routine and finding out whether it helps. Work through the weeks at a pace that fits; use the stages to organize your practice.

Choose the stage that serves your next job; these are not weekly assignments.

| When you want to… | Try… | Keep only… |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Get comfortable | [The first-use walkthrough](https://cowanworks.com/aicourse/learn/course-1/lesson-1) | A plan and useful correction |
| Repeat a useful job | Change the facts in one saved prompt | The version you would use again |
| Involve your team | [The ready-to-run demonstration](https://cowanworks.com/aicourse/templates/first-week?section=5) | A colleague's question or improvement |
| Decide whether to continue | Compare effort on similar work | What helped, or the reason to stop |

Copy one entry per task:

```
Date and task:
Usual time for a comparable task (estimate):
With AI: gather and prompt:
With AI: edit and verify:
Total with AI:
Estimated time saved or added:
What was wrong or missing:
Final result used, discarded or still pending:
What I will change next time:
```

**Worked example:** A message usually takes 12 minutes. Gathering and prompting took 2 minutes; editing and checking took 4. Total with AI: 6 minutes. Estimated saving: 6 minutes. If a second attempt took 15 minutes, record 3 minutes added. Do not count only the typing time or extrapolate a single result into guaranteed monthly savings.

### Measure the task you tried

Use this for any repeated school task or your own planning routine. Compare similar work, count prompting plus editing and checking, and note whether you used the result. If it took longer but clarified a worthwhile decision, record that benefit honestly. Keep no routine just to complete four weeks.

# 4. My first AI week worksheet

**Start here:** Follow the complete practice below, compare the answer with its original notes, then fill one short card. Keep account settings in their separate record; never write passwords here.

After trying a request, keep the useful prompt and correction here. A sentence or two is enough. The account record is separate and never holds passwords or recovery codes.

**Use this when:** you try AI for a job and want to keep what helped. Start with one useful task. Use fictional examples while learning, then approved nonpersonal material for school work.

Copy this short card when you want to save an example:

```
The job I needed help with:
The facts or source I supplied:
My request and the follow-up that improved it:
The part I used, or why I discarded it:
What I checked before using it:
What I would change next time:
```

### Fill one card after trying the request

1. Open [the first-use walkthrough](https://cowanworks.com/aicourse/learn/course-1/lesson-1) beside this worksheet. Send its complete fictional notes.
2. Read the answer against the notes. Check the 2 PM quote deadline, tomorrow’s meeting and Friday’s typo deadline.
3. Return here and keep only what will help you repeat the task. A filled example is:

```example
Job: Make a usable Today/Later checklist.
Facts: Quote before 2 PM today; agenda for tomorrow’s meeting;
website typo by Friday. Today is Monday.
Request: Sort the notes without adding tasks or changing deadlines.
Follow-up: Keep agenda preparation under Today if time allows.
Used: The two-heading list. The AI did not do the tasks for me.
Checked: Quote deadline and meeting date against the original notes.
Next time: Add how much desk time I have before asking for a plan.
```

To try without the lesson, copy this complete request:

```
Sort these fictional notes into Today and Later without adding tasks:
Today is Monday. Review a quote before 2 PM today. Prepare the agenda
for tomorrow’s meeting, preferably today. Fix a website typo by Friday.
Keep deadlines and preferences distinct.
```

This is a place to keep a useful method, not homework you must submit.

Keep that prompt if it helps the next time the day gets crowded. You do not need five entries, a perfect week or a formal log to benefit. If you want to compare effort, the [optional time tracker](https://cowanworks.com/aicourse/templates/first-week?section=3) is available separately.

### Your account setup record: [Choose your tool and protect your account](https://cowanworks.com/aicourse/learn/course-1/lesson-3)

Use this to record what you checked, not to store sign-in secrets. Check settings in your own approved practice account; nothing in this worksheet gives an agent permission to change them.

```
Tool and account type: personal or school-managed:
Account owner and approved school use:
Two everyday tasks I will trial:
Plan selected and any spending approval needed:
Protected sign-in enabled: record status, never codes:
Recovery route checked: never record recovery secrets here:
Data-control name and setting I inspected:
Reopened and confirmed on:
School administrator question, if applicable:
Unneeded connections left off:
Private information I will keep out:
What limit would justify reconsidering the plan:
Next review:
```

If a setting is missing, record that and use the current official help or your administrator. Do not mark it checked because an AI described a menu. A model-improvement opt-out alone does not authorize confidential school records.

### Save a method you can find again

Keep one checked example, then change its facts for the next job. A busy-school-day plan can become a weekend plan; a meeting outline can become a volunteer agenda. Add the source or context the next conversation will need. Never store passwords or recovery codes in this worksheet.

### Try the same method on a busy weekend

Here is a complete fictional practice you can say or paste:

```
Help plan 90 minutes on Saturday. Packing needs 30 minutes,
grocery shopping 45 and folding laundry 20. These are active tasks
that cannot overlap. Packing and groceries matter most today.
Give me a realistic order and say what waits. Don't assume someone
else can do a task. Ask if a missing fact would change the plan.
```

Check the total yourself: all three need 95 minutes, so they do not fit. Packing and groceries take 75 minutes, leaving 15; folding needs 20. A useful plan leaves folding for later or asks whether you want to change the priorities. It must not claim all three fit.

Now say: “I only have 60 minutes. Packing must happen; ask me about the other priority before revising.” This is the same skill as the school-day example: explain the job, give constraints, let AI clarify, then check that the plan fits. The same method works in the different setting. Use your actual times and priorities when making your own plan.

# 5. Your 20-minute team kickoff

**Start here:** Read the supplied facts aloud, send the demonstration prompt, and show the source beside the answer. Let a colleague change one fact and try again before discussing another use.

Open your approved tool, keep the supplied facts visible and use the demonstration below. Let a colleague change one fictional detail and repeat the method.

**Prepare:** one approved account arrangement, one fictional example, the adopted policy and a named person for questions. Do not require staff to create personal accounts during the meeting if that has not been approved.

### Agenda

- **0-4 minutes:** Explain the task you want to improve and the limits of the trial.
- **4-10 minutes:** Demonstrate one message. Compare facts and show a correction.
- **10-16 minutes:** Let staff try a harmless task or review the example together.
- **16-20 minutes:** Have someone explain the privacy, checking and handoff rules. Choose one next task and show the error-reporting route.

### Staff take-away

```
AI at [SCHOOL]

Use it for: [approved tasks].
Use this account arrangement: [approved arrangement].
Keep private records and credentials out.
Check the original facts and sources before using an answer.
You, or the designated approver, decide what is sent or acted on.
For a wrong answer or accidental disclosure, contact [role/channel].
The current policy and reference live at [approved location].
```

**A natural opening:** “I want us to try this on routine drafting and organization. I'll show you one task it helped with and the mistake I had to correct. We are keeping student records and final decisions in our existing systems.” Adapt that to what the school has authorized.

### Ready-to-run demonstration

```
Draft a short message to our school team from these practice facts:
Thursday's educator meeting starts at 9 AM instead of 8:30 AM.
It is still in the usual meeting space. Bring one teaching question
for discussion. Nothing else about the day's schedule changes.
Keep it friendly and direct, under 70 words. Do not invent a room,
a reason for the change or a sender's name. This is a draft only.
```

Ask the tool to shorten its draft to three sentences without changing facts. Show the team the source beside the answer. Then let a colleague change the fictional time, request an email and identify what they checked. A participant who can repeat this without coaching has learned a useful habit; no presentation about AI features is necessary.

### Teach through someone’s own task

For another department, replace the staff-message example with a harmless task they recognize and can check. For family or a volunteer group, use a nonpersonal planning example. Show one correction, then let the other person do a different version; do not measure understanding by whether they watched your demonstration.

# 6. Two check-ins you can maintain

**Start here:** Choose the planning reminder or the public review. Use one reminder route, inspect the saved timezone and recurrence, then check one notification and locate the stop control.

Choose one check-in that solves a recurring problem. Set it up once, verify a notification and know how to cancel it. Add the other only if it helps.

### Monday planning

**Trigger:** a calendar reminder at your chosen local time. **Owner:** school owner or designated director. **Input:** actual calendar and nonpersonal task notes. **Action:** use [the weekly planning prompt](https://cowanworks.com/aicourse/learn/course-1/lesson-6), compare with the real calendar and confirm any handoffs. **Stop:** cancel the reminder in the app where it was created.

### Weekly public-mentions review

**Trigger:** an optional separate reminder if this review is useful. **Owner:** approved public-communication role. **Input:** public search, reviews and official social pages you can access. **Action:** open relevant links, record what was found and decide whether a response is needed. No automatic replies. **Limit:** inaccessible platforms and unreturned search results remain gaps.

Copy for either check-in:

```
Routine:
Owner and backup role:
Schedule, timezone and notification destination:
Exact input and where it comes from:
What a person checks:
Next action and who approves it:
How to stop or cancel it:
Test notification received on:
First real run and result:
Limitations:
```

A task list entry and a received test notification establish the reminder. They do not prove the review itself happened. If a platform feature is unavailable, use an ordinary calendar reminder and perform the work manually.

### A reminder you can verify

In your ordinary calendar, create “Plan the school week,” Monday 8:30 AM in your timezone, 15 minutes, repeating weekly. Add “Bring deadlines and available desk time” to its notes. Open the saved next occurrence to check recurrence and timezone. This does not grant an AI access to your calendar.

Choose either that calendar reminder or a provider's scheduled reminder, not both for the same job. If trying the AI route, first create a one-time reminder a few minutes ahead using harmless text. Inspect its confirmation and task list, check that it arrives, then delete the test. Set the real weekly reminder only after that. Write down the actual task-list location and how you pause or delete it; leave it as unverified if you have not checked.

### Choose the routine before the schedule

Change the purpose, source, owner, time and stop method for each check-in. You might review school preparation weekly or your own project before a weekend. Test a notification and inspect the saved schedule. Leave a routine manual when connecting accounts or scheduling AI adds no useful benefit.

# 7. Choose your next useful task

**Start here:** Name one task already on your plate. Explain the desired result, let AI ask for missing facts and inspect the first useful output before saving a reusable prompt.

Pick something already on your plate. Say what a useful result would look like and let AI ask about the missing context before drafting.

Think about where you noticed a difference: understanding a notice, preparing for a meeting, finding words or organizing a busy day. Pick one task you expect to face again.

```
The next task where I want help:
What information I can safely provide:
The useful result I want:
What I need to check:
The prompt I want to keep or improve:
```

You can return to a lesson or template when the work calls for it. Share an example with a colleague if it would help them, and explain the correction you made as well as the result. This is a practical resource for your work, not a requirement to collect completed activities.

### Take one useful step

Choose the next school or everyday task you expect to repeat. Say what result would help, provide only its relevant context, and let AI ask for gaps. Save a prompt only after you have used or meaningfully improved its result. No number of completed entries is required.

# 8. Your quick-reference guide

Open the walkthrough for the skill you need. You can return here without completing a checklist.

| When you need to… | Open… |
| --- | --- |
| Understand AI and find the message box | [Start a conversation](https://cowanworks.com/aicourse/learn/course-1/lesson-1) |
| Turn rough notes into clear writing | [Create a staff brief](https://cowanworks.com/aicourse/learn/course-1/lesson-9) |
| Correct or improve an answer | [Use follow-ups](https://cowanworks.com/aicourse/learn/course-1/lesson-10) |
| Explain your situation without writing an essay | [Add context and start an interview](https://cowanworks.com/aicourse/learn/course-1/lesson-11) |
| Talk instead of typing | [Use voice or dictation](https://cowanworks.com/aicourse/learn/course-1/lesson-12) |
| Check a fact or preserve a rule | [Compare with the source](https://cowanworks.com/aicourse/learn/course-1/lesson-2) |
| Read a notice or photo | [Provide and check the input](https://cowanworks.com/aicourse/learn/course-1/lesson-4) |
| Choose a tool and inspect account settings | [Review the account](https://cowanworks.com/aicourse/learn/course-1/lesson-3) |
| Decide whether a connection is needed | [Understand permissions](https://cowanworks.com/aicourse/learn/course-1/lesson-13) |
| Draft, explain or compare options | [Apply the conversation skills](https://cowanworks.com/aicourse/learn/course-1/lesson-5) |
| Reuse a prompt or plan the week | [Save and adapt a method](https://cowanworks.com/aicourse/learn/course-1/lesson-6) |
| Set up a reminder and know how to stop it | [Choose one reminder route](https://cowanworks.com/aicourse/learn/course-1/lesson-7) |
| Research a choice with sources | [Compare and check evidence](https://cowanworks.com/aicourse/learn/course-1/lesson-14) |
| Make a tracker from messy notes | [Build a usable table](https://cowanworks.com/aicourse/learn/course-1/lesson-15) |
| Combine the skills in one working day | [Use the complete practice](https://cowanworks.com/aicourse/learn/course-1/lesson-16) |
| Show someone else a useful method | [Run a short team practice](https://cowanworks.com/aicourse/learn/course-1/lesson-8) |

# 9. Your permissions worksheet

Use this beside [the permissions walkthrough](https://cowanworks.com/aicourse/learn/course-1/lesson-13). A permission lets an app reach information or perform a kind of action. An approval is your decision about a particular action. A written request does not change the connection’s actual access.

### 1. Name the help before choosing access

Start with a job: “Prepare replies to selected routine supplier messages.” A draft from pasted text needs no inbox connection. Finding new messages needs supported, approved reading access. Sending a reviewed reply needs supported sending access as well as the required authorization.

### 2. Inspect before confirming

Open the service in your AI tool’s actual app/plugin connection settings. Check the account identity and read the consent screen. Write what the permission really covers, not what you hope the prompt restricts. Cancel before granting access if you are only learning or the scope is too broad.

| Choice | What it could enable | What remains unavailable without it |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Selected permitted message text | Explain or draft from that text | Independent inbox inspection |
| Approved email reading | Find and summarize permitted messages | Sending, unless separately supported and granted |
| Approved email sending | Send an authorized reviewed message | Calendar changes unless separately supported and granted |
| Approved calendar reading | Inspect appointments and possible conflicts | Creating or changing events |
| Approved calendar editing | Make a specifically authorized supported change | Other accounts or unsupported actions |

These are capabilities to inspect, not a promise that every product separates permissions this way. A search filter such as “vendor mail only” may not narrow the underlying access.

### 3. Make the decision and test only what was approved

```template
Job and useful result:
Tool, source service and exact account:
Information the actual permission would expose:
Actions the actual permission would enable:
Why that access is needed, or why selected excerpts are enough:
What it cannot do if I decline:
School approval and suitable data boundaries confirmed by:
Actions that still require my specific decision:
Harmless teaching task to try:
Where I will inspect the actual result in the source app:
How I remove access in the tool and source service:
```

**Filled example:** Supplier-reply drafting, no connection. Supply one fictional request for Thursday at 2 PM, ask for another-option draft, and inspect that it does not claim calendar availability. Copy a checked reply into the normal message app yourself. No automatic delivery or calendar access is enabled.

If you later use an approved teaching account, test one permitted read and a harmless action that must wait for approval. Inspect the source app afterward. To stop access, use the connection-removal controls and review the source service’s authorization list; deleting a conversation alone does not revoke a connection. If an expected permission is absent, keep the task manual rather than assuming different wording will grant it.

# 10. Your reusable writing kit

Use beside [From rough notes to useful writing](https://cowanworks.com/aicourse/learn/course-1/lesson-9). Start with words you would say; the AI can organize them. The goal is a message the reader can use, not a generic professional tone.

### A complete practice

```
Turn these fictional notes into a short staff email:
Educator development next Thursday 9-10:30 in the usual training space.
Education Director facilitates paired practice explaining a technique
to beginners. Bring a difficult demonstration and its approved teaching
materials. Send ideas for the following session to Education by Tuesday
noon. No classes are cancelled; nobody needs to buy materials.
Use warm direct language, subject, purpose, preparation and next step.
Do not invent a room, date, reason or outcome. Put checks below the email.
```

**Illustrative subject:** Prepare for Thursday's educator development.

**Illustrative body:** Our next educator development session is Thursday, 9-10:30, in the usual training space. Bring one technique you find difficult to demonstrate and its approved teaching materials. The Education Director will lead paired practice on explaining it clearly to beginners. Please send ideas for the following session to Education by Tuesday noon.

### Follow-ups that solve specific problems

| What is wrong | What to ask |
| --- | --- |
| Too formal | Use the words I would say aloud. Keep the facts. |
| Important action is buried | Put the Tuesday request in its own sentence. |
| Too long for team chat | Make three lines; preserve time, preparation and next step. |
| Added a claim | Remove that claim; it is not in my notes. |
| Missing key detail | Ask one question before drafting, then wait. |

### Keep this starter

```
Help me write [message type] for [reader]. The reader needs to [job].
Here are my rough notes: [speak or paste only relevant permitted facts].
Use [your actual wording preferences]. Keep [conditions/dates] intact.
Ask one question at a time if an essential detail is missing.
Give the message first, then a short list of facts for me to check.
```

Copy the checked message into your normal sending app. Fill real names there, verify recipient and facts, then decide whether to send. The AI draft is not a sent message.

# 11. Your research and comparison card

Use beside [Research a question and check the sources](https://cowanworks.com/aicourse/learn/course-1/lesson-14). Begin with the decision, compare equivalent facts and open the sources yourself.

### Filled fictional comparison

Ten educators need practical development within a half-day away. A's provider page lists two online hours,$60 per person and 14 days of recording access; individual feedback is not stated. B's undated brochure lists four in-person hours,$450 for up to 12, and paired practice; location, travel, materials and individual feedback are not stated.

| Question | A | B | What needs checking |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Listed cost for 10 | $600 | $450 group price | Mandatory extras and current offer |
| Time away | Two online hours | Four hours plus unknown travel | Whether B fits a half-day |
| Practical feedback | Not established | Paired practice; individual feedback unknown | Actual feedback format |
| Currency | Page copied today; offer validity still to check | Undated brochure | Current provider confirmation |

This supports questions and a shortlist; it does not establish an all-in price or a winner.

### Copyable research request

```
I need to decide [decision]. Compare [options/scope].
The important criteria are [criteria]. Here are source excerpts or
links I can use: [approved public material]. Identify what you could
read. Separate confirmed facts, calculations and inference.
Give the source for each important claim and list decision-changing
gaps. If browsing is unavailable, organize only the excerpts supplied.
Then draft the smallest useful next question. Contact nobody.
```

Keep: decision; direct source and date; what it supports; important limitation; next action. If a source changes, revisit the affected claim rather than keeping a polished old report.

# 12. Your table-building starter and filled tracker

Use beside [Turn information into a usable table](https://cowanworks.com/aicourse/learn/course-1/lesson-15). Supply the raw notes, choose columns for the job and check units and missing information before moving the result into a spreadsheet.

### Complete fictional input

All dates in this fictional practice are in 2026. Education requests 12 practice heads by November 6. A second note may be the same request. Operations needs paper towels by November 4 but gave no quantity. Front desk requests two packs of printer paper by November 5. None is approved yet.

```
Organize the fictional input above into item, quantity, role,
need-by date, status and question. Do not silently merge or double
a possible duplicate. Keep missing quantities unknown and all
requests unapproved. Then draft the two clarification questions.
```

### Filled result after clarification

For this new fictional update, Operations confirms three cases of paper towels and Education confirms the second note was a duplicate.

| Item | Quantity | Role | Need by | Status |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Paper towels | 3 cases | Operations | November 4, 2026 | Requested; owner decision pending |
| Printer paper | 2 packs | Front desk | November 5, 2026 | Requested; owner decision pending |
| Practice heads | 12 | Education | November 6, 2026 | One request; owner decision pending |

Ask for tab-separated text and paste into a blank spreadsheet's first cell. Check that each column and date survived. If pasting does not split columns, use the spreadsheet's import/split option or enter this small table manually. A generated table does not buy or approve anything.

### Reusable starter

```
Turn these notes into a table for [job]: [notes].
Use columns [columns]. Preserve units and source wording for dates.
Mark missing information, show possible duplicates and ask before
assuming. Sort by [meaningful order]. After I correct it, return
only the table as tab-separated text for my spreadsheet.
```

# 13. Your working-day practice pack

Use beside [Put the skills together](https://cowanworks.com/aicourse/learn/course-1/lesson-16). This pack combines speaking, clarification, planning, writing and checking without connecting accounts.

### Practice facts

You have 45 minutes before a fixed 10 AM meeting, plus 20 minutes at 2 PM. A quote review takes 15 minutes and is due noon. A session outline needs 25 minutes drafting plus 10 checking. You need to ask Education for an approved example; the note's duration and response deadline are unknown. Website hours need confirming with Operations; only the web editor publishes.

### Run the job

```
Interview me about the fictional practice facts above, one question
at a time. Read back the facts and open decisions before suggesting
a plan. Then produce a realistic plan, a short request to Education
for an approved example, and a request to Operations to confirm the
website hours and source. Assign nobody or send anything.
```

### Illustrative working outputs

**Plan:** quote review 15 minutes, then outline draft 25 before 10 AM, leaving 5 minutes. Use 10 minutes of the 2 PM opening to check the outline. The short notes and other work still need time estimates; do not claim all tasks fit.

**Education draft:** “I'm preparing the educator session and would like one approved example for paired practice. Could you suggest one and let me know when you could share it? I'll check it against our session goal before use.”

**Operations draft:** “Could you confirm the current website hours and the approved source? I'll send the checked wording to the web editor once confirmed.”

### Use the method again

```
Help with [job]. I have [actual openings]. Fixed commitments are
[facts]. Tasks, effort and deadlines are [notes]. Decisions I retain
are [decisions]. Interview me one question at a time about gaps.
Read back the situation, then help produce [one useful output].
Keep suggestions separate from agreed commitments. Tell me what
cannot fit or is still unknown. After correction, make a reusable
starter without carrying over today's dates or private details.
```

Change one constraint and check the revision. Keep only the prompt and context that help the next real task; there is no worksheet quota.

# 14. Personalization and memory practice card

Use this alongside [Personalize how AI responds](https://cowanworks.com/aicourse/learn/course-1/lesson-17) and [Understand memory and temporary chats](https://cowanworks.com/aicourse/learn/course-1/lesson-18). No special combination of settings is required. Choose what helps you.

### Test a response preference

1. Send a harmless question before changing anything. Keep that answer.
2. Open your tool's personalization or instructions editor. Choose one preference based on what you found difficult in the answer.
3. Save it, start a fresh chat and send the same question.
4. Compare the feature you meant to change. Wording varies; one comparison is an observation, not proof of cause.
5. Keep, revise or remove the preference. Preserve earlier instructions you still need.

```practice
Question I used:
What I wanted to change:
Preference I tested:
What I noticed in the fresh answer:
Keep, revise or remove:
Where I can change it again:
```

**Filled example:** The question is “I run Beauty School. Explain how I can turn rough notes into a clear staff update.” The preference asks for an overview, three steps and everyday language. The learner checks those three features in the new answer. There is no prescribed verdict: keep it only if it helps. If the service does not return an answer, leave the comparison unresolved and retry later.

### Inspect what carries forward

| Control | What to inspect | How to practise without private information |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Current conversation | Facts and requests in this chat | Correct one fictional detail with a follow-up |
| Custom instructions | Preferences you deliberately saved | Edit the practice preference and save |
| Memory | Information the tool carries between chats | Correct Beauty School from a presumed workplace to a fictional example; read it back |
| Temporary or incognito chat | Visible mode notice and its limitations | Open the mode before asking a harmless question; do not assume zero retention |
| App connections | Account, data and available actions | Inspect or cancel the connection flow; no real inbox is required |

The memory lesson includes a real corrected summary and describes where to find bulk-removal controls without activating it. Do not erase useful account information to copy the exercise. Deleting a conversation, removing memory, deleting a file and revoking a connection are different actions.

### Keep your choices portable

Save a short copy of useful preferences in your own approved notes. If you use Claude or Grok, follow the provider notes linked in the lessons and test the equivalent feature where offered. Similar names do not guarantee identical behavior. If a feature is unavailable, supply the relevant context in the current chat instead.

For deciding what an AI can read or do on your behalf, use [Understand permissions and actions](https://cowanworks.com/aicourse/learn/course-1/lesson-13) and the [permissions worksheet](https://cowanworks.com/aicourse/templates/first-week?section=9).

# 15. Practice supplier notice

# Beauty School: supplier notice

Teaching practice material. No real order, supplier or customer information.

Confirm the educator kit order by November 6.
We expect dispatch November 12.
We will contact you before substituting unavailable items.

# 16. Your access and task-status card

Use this with [what AI can see and do](https://cowanworks.com/aicourse/learn/course-1/lesson-19). Start with the smallest source that supports the job.

| Record | Filled practice example | Your next task |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Result wanted | Reply draft asking about delivery | |
| Source available | Pasted fictional supplier message | |
| Missing information | Delivery timing | |
| Access needed | Current chat only | |
| Action still with me | Check and send through my normal email app | |
| Visible completion | A checked draft in chat; no email sent | |

```
For this task, identify the sources you received, any
missing source or access, the result you can produce now and any
action that remains with me. Use only the material I supplied.
Do not connect accounts or claim background work is running.
```

For a future reminder, verify its saved time, timezone and destination. For a persistent task, record its actual task entry, permitted sources, status and how to stop it. A written promise alone does not fill those fields.

# 17. Your model-choice and usage card

The [model and allowance walkthrough](https://cowanworks.com/aicourse/learn/course-1/lesson-20) uses ordinary writing and a constrained workshop comparison.

| Task | Starting capability | Success check |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Shorten a supplied message | Default chat | Preserve the event and reply deadline |
| Compare workshop options | Reasoning-capable mode if available | A costs $120 and needs 120 minutes; B costs $210 and needs 75; neither fits $180 and 100 minutes |
| Find a current public price | Search with direct sources | Open the actual current offer and check terms |

For your own task, record: product and workspace; model/mode if visible; input source; result required; how you checked it; waiting time; and any displayed usage notice. One trial does not establish universal model quality.

```
Before recommending a different model or mode, identify the
capability this task needs, the information still missing and
how I can judge the result. Do not invent plan features or prices.
```

Inspect any usage, reset information or extra-usage setting the actual account displays. If a field or page is absent, record Not displayed and consult the provider’s current plan/help information; do not hunt guessed menus or upgrade for the exercise. Keep API billing separate from a chat subscription. Never write API keys or payment details on this card.

# 18. Your chat organization card

Use [the two-chat walkthrough](https://cowanworks.com/aicourse/learn/course-1/lesson-21). A project groups related work; each chat has its own outcome.

| Chat | Outcome | Current facts to provide |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Practice: workshop venue choice | Compare venues and unresolved terms | Six attendees; Thursday; $180 maximum; A now $195; B $210; no booking |
| Practice: workshop staff message | A truthful staff draft | Workshop planned; venue and exact time unconfirmed; no booking claim |

For real work, record the chat title/link, outcome, current source/version and next action. Keep standing approved reference material separate from temporary quotes and personal practice.

```
We are continuing this specific job: [outcome]. Current confirmed
facts: [facts]. Superseded information: [old facts]. Shared reference:
[approved source/version or supplied excerpt]. Before continuing,
read back the facts that matter and identify anything you cannot access.
```

Do not assume the next chat receives a correction automatically. Supply the checked change and verify its answer. Use the provider's actual project and memory controls for the account you have.

# 19. Your long-chat handoff and archive card

Follow [the fresh-chat transfer](https://cowanworks.com/aicourse/learn/course-1/lesson-22). Save only the practice material when learning.

**Filled handoff**

- Goal: draft an agenda to agree equipment-checklist ownership.
- Current facts: Friday, 20 minutes; Operations has not accepted ownership.
- Superseded facts: Thursday and 30 minutes.
- Work completed: a practice plan in chat. No message sent or event changed.
- Source: the supplied practice note and its explicit update.
- Open decision: who accepts checklist maintenance.
- Next action: draft a 20-minute agenda with ownership as a discussion item.

```
Prepare a handoff for a fresh conversation. Include the goal,
current confirmed facts, superseded facts, decisions still open,
source references, work completed and exact next action.
Keep proposals separate from approvals. Flag a source the next
conversation will need supplied again.
```

Check every consequential fact before copying. In the new chat, ask for a readback before continuing. Archive the old practice chat only after the useful result and handoff are saved. Verify you can find it again. Archiving does not establish deletion, zero retention or revoked account access.

# 20. Your account privacy inspection card

Use [the privacy walkthrough](https://cowanworks.com/aicourse/learn/course-1/lesson-23). Inspect first; do not change managed settings without understanding them.

| Item | Record Confirmed, Unclear or Administrator-managed |
| --- | --- |
| Selected account/workspace and actual plan | |
| History and deletion behavior | |
| Memory/personalization behavior | |
| Model-training use | |
| Retention terms for this product and features | |
| Sharing audience, attached sources and connectors | |
| Approved task and minimum suitable information | |
| Question for the responsible administrator | |

**Filled choice:** rehearse a management conversation using invented missed-meeting facts. No genuine employee identity, medical detail or personnel file is needed. A useful output asks what happened and proposes a discussion; it does not infer motives or decide employment consequences.

A business email does not verify a commercial plan. A training opt-out, private chat or shortened history is not a general approval for confidential information. Do not save credentials or sensitive records on this card.

# 21. Your recovery card

Use [the troubleshooting walkthrough](https://cowanworks.com/aicourse/learn/course-1/lesson-24).

| Record | Filled practice example |
| --- | --- |
| Wanted result | Count items in a practice list |
| Observation | No list uploaded and no drive connected |
| Problem type | Missing source/access |
| Supported next step | Supply the relevant approved text or file |
| Unnecessary access | Entire shared drive |
| Success check | Count agrees with the original rows |

```
Here is the task, the exact observed problem and what has already
been tried: [details]. Separate a content error, a missing source
or permission, and a service/usage problem. Suggest one supported
next step. Do not invent access or repeat the same failed approach.
```

For a wrong draft, correct the exact fact and say what stays unchanged. For a usage limit, inspect the account notice. For tangled context, check and transfer a handoff. Preserve original work before trying again.

# 22. Your save-and-reopen card

Use [the saved-output walkthrough](https://cowanworks.com/aicourse/learn/course-1/lesson-25). This download is a text reference; save your actual working document through your normal app.

| Task | Owner role | Due |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Count six demonstration kits | Operations | Not agreed |
| Check practice instructions | Education | Not agreed |
| Review proposed purchase | Owner | Not agreed |

**Revision practice:** the kit count becomes due Wednesday noon. Only that row changes. Keep v1 available; save the checked revision as v2 and identify it as current.

For your result, record the filename, saved location, current version, reopened date and the fact you verified. A model's statement that it saved a file is not the readback.

```
Turn this checked material into [format] for [use]. Preserve [facts].
If you cannot create an actual downloadable file, give copyable
content and explain that I need to save it myself. Keep the original
unchanged. Identify the checks I should make after opening the result.
```