Prompt Engineering Masterclass
Go from competent to exceptional. Master the RCTF framework, chain-of-thought reasoning, few-shot prompting, system prompts, and structured output — and build a personal prompt library that compounds in value every week.
Read the course introduction transcript
Welcome to Prompt Engineering Masterclass. You will learn how to give AI clearer instructions, create better results, and build prompts you can use again. From simple frameworks to advanced techniques, this course turns good ideas into dependable workflows. Let's build your prompt toolkit.
Your learning map
Course materials at a glance
See what you can watch now and what is available as a written lesson.
- Watch now
- 9 videos
- Read and practice
- 8 written lessons
- Learn at your pace
- 93 minutes
Published and ready to play
Available throughout the course
Short, focused learning blocks
Editable workbook
Prompt Engineering Fieldbook
An editable Word workbook for applying RCTF, recording the prompts you refine, and building a personal prompt library.
Video library
Watch now
Begin with the published course introduction. Additional narrated lesson videos are shown here only when they are ready to watch.
- Watch introduction
Prompt Engineering Masterclass: Course Introduction
Orientation video · 0:22 Lesson 1: What Is Prompt Engineering — And Why It Matters
Narrated lesson videoLesson 2: The RCTF Framework: Your Prompt Blueprint
Narrated lesson videoLesson 3: Chain-of-Thought Prompting: Making Claude Think
Narrated lesson videoLesson 4: Few-Shot Prompting: Teaching by Example
Narrated lesson videoLesson 5: System Prompts and Persistent Context
Narrated lesson videoLesson 6: Structured Output: Getting Exactly What You Need
Narrated lesson videoLesson 7: Iterative Prompting: Refining Your Way to Excellence
Narrated lesson videoLesson 8: Building Your Prompt Engineering Practice
Narrated lesson video
Lesson roadmap
8 lessons shown · Est. study time: 1 hr 33 min
This selection fills a suggested week of study.
Lesson 1What Is Prompt Engineering — And Why It Matters
Video available10 min
Lesson 1What Is Prompt Engineering — And Why It Matters
Lesson 2The RCTF Framework: Your Prompt Blueprint
Video available14 min
Lesson 2The RCTF Framework: Your Prompt Blueprint
Lesson 3Chain-of-Thought Prompting: Making Claude Think
Video available12 min
Lesson 3Chain-of-Thought Prompting: Making Claude Think
Lesson 4Few-Shot Prompting: Teaching by Example
Video available11 min
Lesson 4Few-Shot Prompting: Teaching by Example
Lesson 5System Prompts and Persistent Context
Video available13 min
Lesson 5System Prompts and Persistent Context
Lesson 6Structured Output: Getting Exactly What You Need
Video available12 min
Lesson 6Structured Output: Getting Exactly What You Need
Lesson 7Iterative Prompting: Refining Your Way to Excellence
Video available11 min
Lesson 7Iterative Prompting: Refining Your Way to Excellence
Lesson 8Building Your Prompt Engineering Practice
Video available10 min
Lesson 8Building Your Prompt Engineering Practice
Course lesson
Lesson 1 of 8 · What Is Prompt Engineering — And Why It Matters
What Is Prompt Engineering — And Why It Matters
Most people use Claude the way they use a search engine — short, vague queries and hope for the best. Prompt engineering is the discipline of communicating with AI precisely and intentionally. It is the difference between a tool that occasionally impresses you and one that reliably transforms your work.
Start protected lesson playback
This paid lesson is available to your enrolled account. Playback is protected and limited to one active device at a time.
Key Takeaway
Prompt engineering is the skill of communicating with AI precisely. It is built on four dimensions: Role, Context, Task, Format (RCTF). The gap between average and expert users is almost entirely explained by prompt quality.
Which of the following best describes what prompt engineering actually is?
Master Prompt Templates
Eight battle-tested templates covering every technique in this course. Copy, customise the brackets, and add them to your personal prompt library.
You are a [role with expertise level and domain]. Context: [background information Claude needs]. Task: [specific deliverable with constraints — length, audience, goal]. Format: [structure — bullet points, table, numbered steps, prose].
Analyse [topic/decision/problem]. Think through this step by step: (1) Identify the key assumptions and constraints. (2) List the main risks and opportunities. (3) Consider at least three different approaches. (4) Recommend the best option with your reasoning. Context: [your situation].
Here are three examples of my writing style: Example 1: [paste example] Example 2: [paste example] Example 3: [paste example] Now write [content type] about [topic] in exactly the same style, tone, and voice as these examples.
You are my personal AI assistant. About me: I am a [role] at [company/context]. My communication style: [direct/formal/casual]. My current focus: [main projects or goals]. Standing preferences: [always/never do X]. For every task, [any standing instructions].
Create a comparison table for [options]. Columns: [Option Name] | [Key Feature] | [Best For] | [Main Limitation] | [Price/Cost] | [Recommendation]. Keep each cell to one sentence. Add a 'Bottom Line' row at the end.
Here is my current draft: [paste draft]. Please improve it by: [specific change 1], [specific change 2], [specific change 3]. Keep [what to preserve]. The audience is [audience] and the goal is [goal].
Write [number] different versions of [content type] about [topic]. Version 1: [tone/approach]. Version 2: [tone/approach]. Version 3: [tone/approach]. For each version, label it clearly and keep it under [word count] words.
You are a senior research analyst. Research [topic] and produce a structured brief covering: (1) Executive summary (3 sentences), (2) Key facts and data points, (3) Main perspectives or schools of thought, (4) Implications for [my context], (5) Recommended next steps. Flag any areas where you are uncertain.