AI for Productivity

AI for Productivity

Instructor: Ashley Smith

Access provided by UC Davis

4,384 already enrolled

4 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

35 reviews

Beginner level

No prior experience required

5 hours to complete

Flexible schedule

Learn at your own pace

4 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

35 reviews

Beginner level

No prior experience required

5 hours to complete

Flexible schedule

Learn at your own pace

What you'll learn

Operate generative AI tools (ChatGPT, Copilot, and Gemini) to automate tasks, boost productivity, and streamline your daily workflow
Analyze information responsibly using AI-powered data analysis, research , summarization, and note-taking tools
Create professional and engaging visuals, videos, and multimedia content with AI design tools like Canva, DALL·E, and Adobe Firefly

Skills you'll gain

Tools you'll learn

Details to know

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Assessments

4 assignments

Taught in English

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There are 4 modules in this course

Work smarter, not harder, with AI This course will teach you, a working professional, how to boost your workflows with AI. You’ll learn how to identify, evaluate, and apply cutting-edge AI tools to streamline your daily tasks. Through case studies and discussions, you will analyze, apply, and get ready to create using tools such as ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini, Notion, DALL·E, and Adobe Firefly, while learning to integrate AI responsibly into your professional routine.

In Week 1, you’ll explore how to use AI writing assistants to draft, summarize, and refine communication. In Week 2, you’ll discover how to optimize AI for your planning, scheduling, and administrative needs, using Copilot and ChatGPT. In Week 3, you’ll learn how AI tools like Gemini and Insight can illuminate the insights in your information by organizing your notes or assisting with data-driven analysis. Finally, in Week 4, you’ll discover how to responsibly use AI to conduct ethical research and generate multimedia content using tools like Research Rabbit, Consensus, Stable Diffusion, Synthesia, and Runway. By the end of this course, you’ll be able to identify key AI use cases, compare tools that enhance productivity, and build AI-driven workflows that save time, spark innovation, and let you focus on meaningful, high-impact work.

Get ready to work smarter with AI productivity tools. In Week 1, you’ll explore how generative AI tools can help you accomplish everyday tasks with ease and efficiency. You will look at how AI can assist with routine workplace responsibilities, whether drafting emails, summarizing notes, rewriting content, or improving the tone of your emails. You will practice writing effective AI prompts that produce polished, professional results. Then you will learn how to integrate AI into your work so it acts as a personal writing assistant for multiple modes of communication. Most importantly, we hope you will become excited to boost your workflow with AI, so you can focus on high-impact work. Featured Tools: ChatGPT, Grammarly, Microsoft Office and Google Docs integrations.

What's included

3 videos5 readings1 assignment1 discussion prompt

3 videosTotal 7 minutes

Boost Your Workflow with AI: Productivity Tips and Strategies2 minutes
Using AI for Communication and Writing2 minutes
Use Cases: AI for Communication and Writing 3 minutes

5 readingsTotal 30 minutes

**Security Alert**10 minutes
General Course Information5 minutes
Report a problem with the course.5 minutes
Effective Prompts for AI: The Essentials5 minutes
Writing with AI Chatbots5 minutes

1 assignmentTotal 30 minutes

Week 1 Quiz30 minutes

1 discussion promptTotal 10 minutes

Case Study: Ask AI to Draft a Blog Post 10 minutes

Streamline your planning so you can focus on execution! In Week 2, you will learn how to employ AI tools such as Copilot and ChatGPT to automate administrative tasks, plan projects, and build personalized schedules that boost productivity. You will discover how generative AI can automate routine administrative tasks, from resume reviews, to document cleanups and meeting summaries. You will determine ways that AI can help you efficiently manage projects and meetings, and achieve your personal goals with greater effectiveness. By the end of this week, you will be able to confidently use AI as a digital assistant, the low maintenance sidekick who helps you schedule better, save time, and stay focused. Featured Tools: Grammarly, Copilot, ChatGPT.

What's included

4 videos3 readings1 assignment2 discussion prompts

4 videosTotal 5 minutes

Using AI for Administrative Tasks and Editing1 minute
Use Cases: AI for Administrative Tasks and Editing2 minutes
Using AI for Scheduling and Organization1 minute
Scheduling Smarter with AI1 minute

3 readingsTotal 17 minutes

How to Use Copilot in Teams Meetings5 minutes
Career Spotlight: Shaping the Future of Project Management with AI7 minutes
How to Schedule Copilot Prompts5 minutes

1 assignmentTotal 30 minutes

Week 2 Quiz30 minutes

2 discussion promptsTotal 20 minutes

Practice Project Planning10 minutes
Case Study: Generate a Health and Wellness Timeline10 minutes

Analysis no longer needs to be a headache, because AI makes it simple. In Week 3, you will learn how to turn messy, unorganized information into organized insight using AI-powered note-taking and data tools. You will practice generating meeting transcripts and summaries automatically, transforming unstructured notes into polished documents, and creating coherent storylines from complex datasets. You’ll discover how to use AI to capture meeting highlights, condense long documents, and uncover trends hidden in spreadsheets. You’ll practice prompting generative AI to clean, organize, and analyze data. Ultimately, you will learn how to use AI as your assistant, helping you easily extract the story from your notes and datasets. Featured Tools: Copilot, Microsoft Stream, Clipchamp, Otter AI, Evernote AI, ChatGPT, Gemini (Google AI).

What's included

4 videos3 readings1 assignment2 discussion prompts

4 videosTotal 6 minutes

Using AI for Note-taking and Summarizing1 minute
Use Cases: Condensing and Summarizing Information with AI1 minute
Using AI for Data Search, Cleanup, and Visualization1 minute
See the Story in Your Data: AI for Data Search, Cleanup, and Visualization2 minutes

3 readingsTotal 20 minutes

How to Use AI to Summarize Transcripts5 minutes
AI Output for Dataset Formatting: QA Checklist5 minutes
Case Study: AI Cleans Up Some Data10 minutes

1 assignmentTotal 30 minutes

Week 3 Quiz30 minutes

2 discussion promptsTotal 20 minutes

Case Study: Have AI Organize Some Messy Notes10 minutes
Reflection: AI Cleans Up Some Data10 minutes

In Week 4, you’ll learn how to use AI research tools responsibly and creatively. Discover how to guard against AI hallucinations by demanding credible references, verifying peer-reviewed sources, and comparing outputs across platforms. You will learn how to streamline your research by prompting AI to find, summarize, and organize scholarly articles. You’ll also gain an introduction to AI-powered creative tools that generate images, videos, and multimedia content. From summarizing journal articles to designing visuals and videos, you’ll gain practical skills for responsibly using AI. Finally, you will analyze why AI’s creative outputs should be reviewed and refined with human insight, reflecting on how AI tools are simply a sidekick to human creativity. Featured Tools: Research Rabbit, Consensus, Insight, Gemini (Google AI) , Canva, DALL·E, Copilot, Stable Diffusion, Synthesia, Runway, Descript, Adobe Firefly, Filmora.