Generative AI: Prompt Engineering Basics
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Generative AI: Prompt Engineering Basics
This course is part of multiple programs.
Instructors: Antonio Cangiano
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What you'll learn
Explain the concept and relevance of prompt engineering in generative AI models.
Apply the best practices for creating prompts.
Assess commonly used tools for prompt engineering.
Apply common prompt engineering techniques and approaches for writing effective prompts.
Skills you'll gain
Tools you'll learn
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5 assignments
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There are 3 modules in this course
As generative AI (GenAI) reshapes workplaces and job roles, using it effectively is now essential. Prompt engineering is the key to directing GenAI models and refining their output for desired results.
This course is for professionals, executives, students, and AI enthusiasts ready to harness prompt engineering to unlock tools like ChatGPT. Youβll learn practical techniques, structured methods, and best practices for crafting strong prompts. Explore zero-shot and few-shot prompting to boost reliability and output quality. Discover advanced methods such as the Interview Pattern, Chain-of-Thought, and Tree-of-Thought to produce accurate, context-aware responses. Hands-on labs and projects provide experience with multimodal prompting, the playoff method, and image generation. Youβll practice blending text and visuals and evaluating AI outputs for precision and usefulness. Podcasts, dialogues, and discussions link theory to real-world scenarios, while expert insights highlight strategies for effective prompt use. A final project and graded assessments ensure you can apply these techniques with confidence, leaving you with practical, job-ready skills. Hear from practitioners about the techniques and artistry behind writing impactful prompts. Enroll today to master prompt engineering and unlock GenAIβs potential.
In this module, you will learn the concept of prompt engineering in generative AI. You will also learn the best practices for writing effective prompts and assess common prompt engineering tools.
What's included
7 videos4 readings2 assignments3 app items1 discussion prompt1 plugin
7 videosβ’Total 38 minutes
- Course Introductionβ’3 minutes
- What Is a Prompt? β’5 minutes
- What Is Prompt Engineering? β’6 minutes
- Best Practices for Prompt Creationβ’6 minutes
- Common Prompt Engineering Toolsβ’6 minutes
- Expert Viewpoints: Best Practices for Effective Promptsβ’5 minutes
- Expert Viewpoints: Exploring Prompt Engineering in Generative AIβ’6 minutes
4 readingsβ’Total 25 minutes
- Course Overviewβ’8 minutes
- Specialization Overviewβ’8 minutes
- Helpful Tips for Course Completionβ’5 minutes
- Reading: Lesson Summary: Concept of Prompt Engineeringβ’4 minutes
2 assignmentsβ’Total 35 minutes
- Practice Quiz: Concept of Prompt Engineeringβ’10 minutes
- Graded Quiz: Prompt Engineering for Generative AI β’25 minutes
3 app itemsβ’Total 80 minutes
- Lab: Getting to Know Our AI Prompting Toolβ’20 minutes
- Lab: Experimenting with Promptsβ’40 minutes
- Lab: Naive Prompting and Persona Patternβ’20 minutes
1 discussion promptβ’Total 10 minutes
- AI in Everyday Interactionsβ’10 minutes
1 pluginβ’Total 3 minutes
- Podcast: Recap: Concept of Prompt Engineeringβ’3 minutes
In this module, you will discover techniques for skillfully crafting prompts that effectively steer generative AI models. You will also learn about various prompt engineering approaches that can enhance the capabilities of generative AI models to produce precise and relevant responses.
What's included
5 videos1 reading2 assignments4 app items1 discussion prompt4 plugins
5 videosβ’Total 24 minutes
- Text-to-Text Prompt Techniquesβ’6 minutes
- Interview Pattern Approachβ’3 minutes
- Chain-of-Thought Approachβ’5 minutes
- Tree-of-Thought Approachβ’7 minutes
- Expert Viewpoints: Key Considerations in Choosing Prompt Engineering Approachβ’4 minutes
1 readingβ’Total 2 minutes
- Reading: Lesson Summary: Key Techniques of Prompt Engineeringβ’2 minutes
2 assignmentsβ’Total 31 minutes
- Practice Quiz: Techniques and Approaches for Writing Effective Promptsβ’10 minutes
- Graded Quiz: Prompt Engineering: Techniques and Approachesβ’21 minutes
4 app itemsβ’Total 140 minutes
- Lab: The Interview Pattern Approach in Prompt Engineeringβ’20 minutes
- Lab: The Chain-of-Thought Approach in Prompt Engineeringβ’30 minutes
- Lab: The Tree-of-Thought Approach to Prompt Engineeringβ’30 minutes
- Lab: Playoff Methodβ’60 minutes
1 discussion promptβ’Total 10 minutes
- The Future of Interaction: Prompt Engineering in Practiceβ’10 minutes
4 pluginsβ’Total 53 minutes
- Reading: Multimodal Promptsβ’10 minutes
- Lab: Multimodal Promptsβ’30 minutes
- Reading: The Playoff Method: A Powerful Tool in Prompt Engineeringβ’10 minutes
- Podcast: Recap: Key Techniques of Prompt Engineeringβ’3 minutes
This module includes a graded quiz to test and reinforce your understanding of concepts covered in the course. The module also includes a glossary to enhance comprehension of generative AI-related terms. The module includes a final project, which provides an opportunity to gain hands-on experience on the concepts covered in the course. The module also includes optional content. This content includes the techniques for writing effective prompts for image generation. Additionally, you can learn about Prompt Lab, a prompting tool designed to maximize your prompt engineering capabilities in IBM watsonx.
What's included
2 videos3 readings1 assignment2 app items1 discussion prompt2 plugins
2 videosβ’Total 11 minutes
- Text-to-Image Prompts Techniquesβ’6 minutes
- Course Wrap upβ’5 minutes
3 readingsβ’Total 10 minutes
- Prompt Hacksβ’6 minutes
- Congratulations and Next Stepsβ’2 minutes
- Team and Acknowledgementsβ’2 minutes
1 assignmentβ’Total 30 minutes
- Final Quiz: Generative AI: Prompt Engineering Basicsβ’30 minutes
2 app itemsβ’Total 60 minutes
- Lab: Effective Text Prompts for Image Generationβ’30 minutes
- Final Project: Applying Prompt Engineering Techniques and Best Practicesβ’30 minutes
1 discussion promptβ’Total 10 minutes
- Tackling Real-World Challenges with AI β’10 minutes
2 pluginsβ’Total 7 minutes
- Course Glossaryβ’3 minutes
- Podcast: The Future of Prompt Engineering β’4 minutes
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Reviewed on Apr 11, 2026
Detailed explanations, rich slides, and multi-approached learning material. This course was curated with care and a genuine interest in the participants learning. My most sincere gratitude!
Reviewed on Jul 22, 2025
Good and useful, in the customization of artificial intelligence, the course focused on the clarity of the guidance in writing accurately, about what you want from the AI.
Reviewed on Mar 11, 2026
This is an excellent course for beginners. It clearly aligns the mind to think and write in a particular way that helps in getting better results from the AI tools.
Frequently asked questions
No. This course is designed for non-technical professionals, executives, and students. We focus on "natural language programming"βthe ability to use clear, structured English to direct AI behavior. While we explore advanced concepts like chain-of-thought and tree-of-thought, the goal is to help you communicate your intent effectively to models like ChatGPT without writing a single line of code.
This course goes beyond simple instructions to teach you the high-level strategies used by professional prompt engineers. You will learn to use zero-shot and few-shot prompting for immediate results, and master the interview pattern and chain-of-thought to solve complex, multi-step problems. Youβll also gain hands-on experience with multimodal prompting, learning how to blend text and images for high-fidelity generative outputs.
As organizations increasingly integrate AI into their daily operations, the ability to generate reliable, high-quality AI output has become acritical workplace competency. This IBM-designed course provides you with "job-ready" skills to automate repetitive tasks, refine business strategy, and enhance creative workflows. By earning a certificate from the IBM, you demonstrate to employers that you can navigate the "art and science" of AI communication to drive measurable productivity.
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