Level 101: Prompt Engineering Basics

Welcome to the complete beginner's guide to prompt engineering! This course will teach you the fundamental skills needed to communicate effectively with AI models like GPT-5, Claude 4, and Gemini 2.5.

What You'll Learn

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

✅ Understand prompt engineering fundamentals
✅ Master basic prompting techniques (zero-shot, one-shot, few-shot, chain-of-thought)
✅ Configure AI models effectively for different tasks
✅ Apply the CLEAR framework to write structured prompts
✅ Use AI tools confidently in your daily work
✅ Apply skills to real-world scenarios
✅ Avoid common mistakes and pitfalls

Prerequisites

Basic computer skills
Familiarity with ChatGPT or similar AI tools
No programming experience required
No technical background needed

Course Structure

Level 101 Progress

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Learning Path

Lesson 1: Introduction
    ↓
Lesson 2: Basic Techniques
    ↓
Lesson 3: LLM Configuration
    ↓
Lesson 4: CLEAR Framework
    ↓
Practice & Application

Success Metrics

After completing Level 101, you should be able to:

Knowledge Check

[ ] Explain what prompt engineering is and why it's important
[ ] Describe the difference between zero-shot, one-shot, and few-shot prompting
[ ] Understand how temperature and other parameters affect AI responses
[ ] Apply the CLEAR framework to structure prompts
[ ] Identify common mistakes and how to avoid them

Practical Skills

[ ] Write effective prompts for common tasks
[ ] Configure AI models appropriately for different use cases
[ ] Use examples to guide AI responses
[ ] Structure prompts for clarity and effectiveness
[ ] Test and iterate on prompts for better results

Pro Tips

Practice Regularly: The more you practice, the better you'll become
Experiment: Try different approaches and see what works best
Iterate: Don't expect perfect results on the first try
Learn from Examples: Study good prompts to understand what makes them effective
Stay Updated: AI models evolve, so keep learning new techniques

Related Resources

Glossary

Prompt Engineering Terms - Key terminology
Language Models - Understanding different models

Next Steps

Level 201: Advanced Techniques - Master advanced prompting
Level 301: Enterprise Systems - Build production systems
Interactive Playground - Practice your skills

Pro Tip

Prompt engineering is a skill that improves with practice. Take your time, experiment, and don't be afraid to make mistakes. The more you practice, the better you'll become at communicating with AI effectively.