Stage 1 Part A Checkpoint — Your First Useful AI Workflow

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STAGE 1 · PART A · PRACTICAL CHECKPOINT

Part A Checkpoint: Your First Useful AI Workflow

Time to turn ten lessons into something you can genuinely use. You’ll solve one everyday problem, explain your choices, and save a repeatable prompt of your own.

45–60 MINUTESBEGINNER FRIENDLY

What you’re making

A small, reusable AI-assisted workflow: a task you understand, a prompt you can reuse, a checked result and a note on what you changed. It doesn’t need coding, automation or access to any private data.

Choose one project

A · Organise a busy week

Make a realistic plan from fictional or non-sensitive tasks, time limits and priorities. Ask the AI to identify what’s missing and what won’t fit. Final output: a one-page action checklist.

B · Create a useful communication

Draft a fictional community-event invitation, revise for two audiences, and check that missing dates and contact information stay as placeholders. Final output: two ready-to-review versions and an accuracy checklist.

C · Learn something new

Choose a safe, public topic. Ask for a simple explanation, use the AI as a one-question-at-a-time tutor, and verify two factual claims against reputable sources. Final output: a one-page learning guide.

The six steps

  1. Define your goal: write one sentence: “I want to use AI to help me ___.”
  2. Create a first prompt: include task, context, format and constraints. Avoid confidential information.
  3. Run and review: identify at least two things the first answer could do better.
  4. Refine it: give two follow-up instructions and save the improved output.
  5. Verify and protect: check any factual claims that matter; note any data you deliberately withheld.
  6. Save a repeatable template: write a prompt you can use again by changing the details in brackets.

Copy this project brief

My project is: [A, B or C].
My goal: [one clear result].
Who it’s for: [audience].
My constraints: [time, length, budget, tone or limits].
Format I want: [checklist, messages or study guide].
Important: Use fictional or non-sensitive details; don’t invent facts or sources. Flag missing information for me to confirm. Start by asking up to two useful clarification questions.

Your self-assessment

Give yourself one point for each statement you can honestly answer yes to:

  1. I wrote a clear goal.
  2. I supplied relevant context and constraints.
  3. I asked for an appropriate output format.
  4. I improved the first answer using feedback.
  5. I checked important facts or labelled them unknown.
  6. I avoided sharing unnecessary private information.
  7. I saved a reusable prompt.
  8. I can explain when a human must review the result.
Your completion standard: aim for 8 out of 8. If you miss a point, revisit the relevant lesson and improve your project. This is a self-assessment — we aren’t claiming formal accreditation or automatic grading.

Reflection: five useful questions

What did you want? What did the AI get wrong or miss at first? Which instruction helped most? What did you verify? Would you use this process again — and why?

Ready for Part B?

You’ve completed the first half of Stage 1. You now know how to ask, improve, verify, protect and apply. Continue with Lesson 11 to explore documents, tables, research, AI tools, longer tasks and repeatable workflows. Your final Stage 1 challenge follows Lesson 20.

Back to Stage 1Start Part B — Lesson 11

Artificially Us · Beginner AI Foundations