Mater Dei AI Club
JoinSign in

Learning guide

13 guides, in the order the club works through them. Written for people who have never opened a terminal.

  1. Getting Started with Claude CodeThink of Claude Code as hiring an incredibly smart assistant who lives inside your computer. You tell it what you want — in plain English — and it builds it for you. No coding knowledge required.
  2. What Claude Code Can DoClaude Code is like a Swiss Army knife for getting things done on your computer. Here's everything it can do, explained in plain English.
  3. Setting Up Claude Code Your WayImagine training a new assistant on your first day together. You'd tell them your preferences, your pet peeves, and how you like things done. That's exactly what configuration is — telling Claude Code how to work your way.
  4. Your Shortcuts (Skills)Imagine you keep asking Claude Code the same thing every week: "Review my website for broken links." Instead of typing that out every time, you can save it as a shortcut and just type /check-links. That's what skills are — saved instructions you can reuse with a single command.
  5. Working on Multiple Things at Once (Agents)Imagine you have an assistant, and that assistant can call in otherassistants to help. One researches, another writes, another checks for problems — all working at the same time. That's what agents do in Claude Code.
  6. Automatic Actions (Hooks)Think about the things you do every single time without fail — like always checking your spelling before sending an email. Automatic actions (hooks) are rules that tell Claude Code: "Every time you do X, also do Y." They run automatically, every time, no exceptions.
  7. Connecting Claude Code to Your ToolsClaude Code can connect to the apps and services you already use — Gmail, Slack, databases, file storage, and more. These connections use something called MCP (Model Context Protocol), but you don't need to understand the technical details. Just think of it as “plugging Claude into your tools.”
  8. How Claude Code Remembers & LearnsOne of Claude Code's most powerful features is its ability to remember things about you and your projects across conversations. This means you don't have to repeat yourself every time you start a new session.
  9. Where You Can Use Claude CodeClaude Code isn't limited to one place. You can use it in your web browser, as a desktop app, inside code editors, or from the command line. Each option has different strengths, so pick the one that fits how you work.
  10. Quick Reference Card!(data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHdpZHRoPSIyNCIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNCIgdmlld2JveD0iMCAwIDI0IDI0IiBmaWxsPSJub25lIiBzdHJva2U9ImN1cnJlbnRDb2xvciIgc3Ryb2tlLXdpZHRoPSIyIiBzdHJva2UtbGluZWNhcD0icm91bmQiIHN0cm9rZS1saW5lam9pbj0icm91bmQiIGNsYXNzPSJsdWNpZGUgbHVjaWRlLXBy
  11. Real-World ExamplesHere are practical examples of how people use Claude Code in their daily lives. Each example includes what to say, what Claude does, and how to set it up. You don't need to be a developer for any of these.
  12. Power Moves: Getting More From Claude CodeOnce you're comfortable with the basics, these techniques will help you work faster, automate repetitive tasks, and get more value from every session. You don't need to be a developer to use most of these — they're just smarter ways to direct Claude.
  13. Building Apps Powered by ClaudeThis page is for people who want to build their own apps, tools, or automations that use Claude's intelligence behind the scenes. Maybe you want to add a smart chatbot to your website, automatically categorize customer emails, or build a tool that analyzes data for your business.