Course Aim

This course aims to help you configure Claude Desktop App across its context layers (Instructions for Claude, Global Instructions, and, for team admins, Organisation Instructions) so the AI holds the learner's context in every conversation from then on. Claude then knows who you are, what you do, who you work for, who you serve, and how you serve them.

Course-level Outcomes

By the end of the course, a learner can:

• Navigate the Claude Desktop settings that matter, including the privacy and data controls relevant to business use

• Write and save Instructions for Claude (Tier 1) covering identity, role, and general output preferences

• Write and save Global Instructions for Cowork (Tier 2) covering standing rules for how Claude works on their files

• Team and Enterprise admins can write and save Organisation Instructions (Tier 0) covering team identity, communication standards, and compliance rules that apply to every member

• Explain the four-tier context model (Organisation Instructions, Instructions for Claude, Global Instructions, folder CLAUDE.md) and apply the drift rule, so no instruction is duplicated across fields

• Use a guided template to produce each setup rather than writing it from scratch

Lesson-level Outcomes

On completing each lesson, the learner can:

• Lesson 1 — The settings that matter: locate the settings panels that matter (General, Privacy, Account, Customise, Desktop App, Cowork, Profile) and the two instruction fields within them, and set the privacy and data controls.

• Lesson 2 — Instructions for Claude: produce and save a complete Instructions for Claude profile using the guided template.

• Lesson 3 — Global Instructions: produce and save Global Instructions for Cowork, and place a given instruction correctly within the context model.

• Lesson 4 — Organisation Instructions: (Team/Enterprise admins) produce and save Organisation Instructions within the 3,000-character limit, explain how organisation precedence works over personal settings, and apply the thin-core-plus-pointer pattern.

• Resources: retain the three guided templates, the settings shortlist, the worked examples (three completed setups), the completion checklist, and the "what to have ready" prep list for reuse.

Prerequisite / plan note

Lessons 1 and 2 work on any Claude plan. Lesson 3 (Global Instructions) uses Cowork, a paid-plan feature (Pro, Max, or Team). Lesson 4 (Organisation Instructions) is set only by an Admin, Owner, or Primary Owner on a Team or Enterprise plan; solo users and non-admin members complete the course at Lesson 3.