AI is no longer a futuristic concept; it is the engine driving the next era of professional performance. The Professional Academy Diploma in AI Productivity with ChatGPT was created for working professionals across all industries and roles who want to enhance their daily productivity and efficiency through the power of generative AI. Whether you are looking to save time on drafting emails, improving documents, analysing data, planning projects or creating clear workflows, this course equips you with the skills to use ChatGPT as a high-precision business tool. You will move beyond casual 'chatting' with ChatGPT to using it for structured, reliable, and ethical applications in a professional environment. By applying proven prompt engineering frameworks and best-practice governance, you will learn how to produce high-quality outputs, reduce rework, and build repeatable AI-enabled workflows that integrate seamlessly into your daily operations.
COURSE LENGTH:
COURSE STRUCTURE:
- Introduction to AI and ChatGPT
- ChatGPT Essentials: Roles, Tones, and Constraints
- The CLEAR Framework: Structured Prompting
- Ethical AI and "Red Flag" Protocols
- Generating Professional Visuals with DALL-E 3
- Data Analysis and Visualisation
- Office Productivity: Automate Documents, Spreadsheets & Presentations
- Building Custom GPTs
- Strategising with ChatGPT: Time Management & Priority
- Delegating to ChatGPT & Deep Research
- Leading with ChatGPT: Strategic ROI & Leadership
- The ChatGPT Playbook: Shared Toolkits and 2026 Readiness
STUDY OPTIONS:
Part Time
1 x 3 hour live online evening class per week over 12 weeks
SUMMARY:
This course shows you how to move from "hit-and-miss" results to structured, reliable outputs using the proprietary CLEAR framework (Context, Limits, Examples, Ask, and Refine). You will explore how to use AI for a wide range of business tasks, including drafting emails, improving documents, generating images, and analysing data without needing any technical or coding skills. The learning experience is built on a "Monday Morning Guarantee": every single unit ends with a tangible asset - a prompt, checklist, or tool - that you can immediately use at your desk the next day. You will participate in hands-on labs and real-world case studies to build a personal 'ChatGPT Playbook', a library of custom prompts and workflows tailored to your specific role. Beyond basic tasks, you will learn to innovate safely by identifying ethical "Red Flags" like hallucinations and bias. You will even participate in Adversarial "Red Team" Simulations, which are high-fidelity exercises designed to stress-test your business proposals and negotiation strategies in real-time. By the end of the course, you will have the skills to build Custom GPTs - tailored AI agents that know your business rules, tone, and style - allowing you to automate Standard Operating Procedures and reclaim time for high-value strategic work. Important Resource Requirement: Learners must have a ChatGPT Plus account activated to fully participate in this course. While some aspects can be completed with a free account, a paid subscription is required to use advanced features like data analysis, image generation, and custom GPTs.
Learners taking part in this course will now have access to the EBSCO Online Library, free of charge, for the full duration of the course. Here you can browse thousands of relevant journal articles and other reliable academic and commercial texts like the Harvard Business Review, Bloomberg Businessweek and Forbes Magazine, to supplement your learning and assignments.
CAREER OPPORTUNITIES:
As AI literacy becomes a baseline professional competency, this course equips you with the frameworks and judgment to remain effective as AI reshapes the workforce. By completing this Diploma, you will be able to:
- Drive Operational Efficiency: Streamline workflows by producing high-quality outputs faster and reducing manual rework.
- Standardise Team Quality: Build and deploy "Golden Prompt" toolkits and Custom GPTs that ensure consistency across your department.
- Lead with AI Strategy: Audit business operations for AI potential, draft ROI-focused business proposals, and stress-test strategies through simulations.
- Ethical Governance: Navigate data security and GDPR compliance while spotting "Red Flags" like bias and hallucinations.
- Future-Proof Your Role: Develop a tested portfolio (The ChatGPT Playbook) that demonstrates advanced competence in AI-assisted analysis, planning, and communication.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
Learners should have a working knowledge of Microsoft 365 applications (such as Word, Teams, PowerPoint, Outlook, Excel). No previous knowledge or experience of Co-Pilot or artificial intelligence is required.
- You must also have a Microsoft 365 Business Subscription with Copilot activated. Learners with a Microsoft 365 Personal subscription and Copilot activated can still join the course, but may be unable to fully participate in parts of two units. This will not affect your ability to complete assessments.
- To take part, you’ll need a computer with a reliable internet connection and video/audio suitable for Zoom classes.
ASSESSMENT AND CERTIFICATION
This Professional Academy Diploma is assessed through an Action Learning Log and a final Business Report. The Action Learning Log, worth 25% of your grade, records your reflections and applied learning throughout the course, helping you connect classroom knowledge with your own professional context. The Business Report, worth 75%, allows you to demonstrate integrated ChatGPT into a specific workflow, proving the efficiency gains and outlining how you will maintain high-quality AI governance moving forward.
You will have two days after the final class to submit your Action Learning Log, and two weeks following the end of the course to complete and submit your Business Report.
Your UCD Professional Academy Diploma will be issued electronically on a secure platform, with a link that you can share with employers and others wishing to verify your credentials. You’ll also be able to add the certification to your LinkedIn profile to demonstrate your achievement to your network as well as recruiters and potential employers searching for individuals with your skills and experience.
This course is not on the National Framework of Qualifications.
LEARNER PROFILE:
This course is ideal for professionals who manage high volumes of information and want to reduce the time spent on routine tasks. You may be:
- Business/Operations Professionals (HR, Finance, Admin, Operations): Looking to reduce time spent on drafting, reporting, and analysis.
- A Manager or Team Lead: Responsible for planning and decision-making who wants to automate procedures and improve team output quality.
- An SME Owner or Entrepreneur: Seeking a "virtual assistant" to support content creation, research, and process design.
- Information Driven Roles: In a fast-paced environment aiming to save time and enhance productivity through workflow automation.
No technical or programming experience is required. You should be comfortable working with digital tools and motivated to build repeatable workflows that improve your daily work.
