01
A shared starting point
A Need Brief and weighted criteria give every team a say and make the comparison fair from the first meeting.
Camderson Academy · CA-AI-020
Choose the right AI tools with a clear, fair process every team can trust.
A practical, self-paced course for every role and every team. Start with the job, build weighted criteria, check data and security, test with your own work, count the full cost and value, and write a decision record that is ready to share.
About 3 hours · 6 lessons · Intermediate · Works with any AI tool you are considering · Self-paced · Tools you keep
Clear choices, fair comparisons and decisions you can explain.
02
Evidence from your own work
A small pilot, a written rubric and a full cost sheet help you choose from results instead of demonstrations.
03
Decisions that last
A decision record with an owner, a review date and an exit plan keeps the choice clear when people or tools change.
Learning outcomes
What you will be able to do
5 practical outcomes, each practiced in an exercise and checked in the final assessment or the capstone.
- Define the job a tool is meant to do, and decide whether AI is the right kind of help at all.
- Build weighted criteria and compare options, including keeping your current method, in a simple decision matrix.
- Check data, security and privacy terms for your own plan, and set access by job.
- Test tools on your own work with a small pilot, a written rubric and two scorers.
- Count the full cost and value, and write a decision record with an owner, a review date and an exit plan.
Your toolkit
Simple tools for every decision
Need Brief
Job · People · Today · Sign of success · Simpler fix
Name the job, who does it and how you will know it improved.
Criteria Matrix
Options · Criteria · Weights · Must-haves · Ratings
List options, agree criteria and weights and score as a team.
Data and Security Check
Information in · Plan and settings · Access · Terms and date · Renewal
Record what goes in, which plan applies and who has access.
Pilot Test Plan
Job · Samples · Rubric · Prediction · Results
Plan a small, fair test with real samples and a written rubric.
Cost and Value Sheet
Costs · What differs · Value · Payback and NPV · 90 day check
Count every cost and estimate value from your own test.
Decision Record
Decision · Conditions · Owner · Review · Exit
One page with the decision, conditions, owner, review date and exit plan.
Define. Compare. Protect. Test. Count. Decide.
Curriculum
Inside the course
2 modules, 6 lessons with worked examples
01
Define the Job and Compare Fairly
Start with the job, build criteria and weights everyone can see and check data and security before you test.
02
Test, Count and Decide
Test with your own work, count the full cost and value and document the decision with a plan for change.
What is included
Skills, tools and templates you keep and use in your work
- 6 lessons, each with a written lesson, worked examples and figures, at your own pace
- A short stand-alone example in every lesson, drawn from many kinds of workplaces
- A fillable Workbook with Try it and Reflect pages for every lesson
- AI Tool Evaluation Templates (Word) for every teaching tool
- A practice tracker with live formulas, a solutions version and a reusable template
- Quick Reference Cards and the Practice Examples
- An optional visual companion PDF with every lesson figure
- Knowledge checks for every module and a 20-question final assessment
- A capstone you can build for your own team or from practice scenarios, with a rubric you use to check your own work
- Access to the Camderson Academy community
- A Camderson Academy Certificate of Completion when you pass the final assessment and the capstone
Is this course right for you?
This course is for you if
- You help choose, test, approve or use AI tools, in any role
- You want a fair, simple way to compare options
- You want a decision record you can share with your team
It is not the right fit if
- You need legal, security or procurement advice for a specific purchase
- You need training on one specific AI product
- You want a tool that chooses and buys for you with no person involved
Your instructor
Meet your instructor
Taught by Camderson Advisory
A consulting firm for practical workplace skills
Your instructor is Camderson Advisory, a consulting firm that helps organizations build practical skills for the people who do the work. In this course, your instructor helps you compare AI tools in ways that stay clear, fair and well documented.
About
About Camderson Academy
Camderson Academy is the education division of Camderson Advisory Services. Camderson helps leaders build organizations that work without them in the room. Everything we teach has been used in a real organization first.
Training a team?
We offer group enrollment for teams and whole organizations that want everyone, in every role and department, to build the same skills. Email connect@camderson.com to talk through your group.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need any experience or a previous course?
No. There is no prerequisite. If you help choose or use tools at work and want a clear way to compare them, you are ready. Some experience with an AI assistant is useful, and no technical background is needed.
Who is this course for?
Team members, team leads, managers, owners and IT colleagues in every department who help choose, test, approve or use AI tools. The examples come from many kinds of workplaces, and the skills fit businesses, schools, clinics, nonprofits and public agencies of every size.
How long do I have access?
Your access does not expire. We review the course on a regular cycle, and any updates are added for you at no extra cost.
How long does it take?
About 3 hours in total, including the written lessons, the Try it exercises, the knowledge checks, the final assessment and the capstone. Everything is self-paced.
Questions about your purchase?
Email support through academy.camderson.com.
What tools do I need?
A spreadsheet program that opens .xlsx files (Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, Apple Numbers or LibreOffice Calc), a word processor that opens .docx files and a PDF reader. All templates and practice files are included as downloads.
Do I have to use my own organization for the capstone?
No. You can build your evaluation for the practice scenarios in the Capstone Practice Brief included in the course. If you use your own organization, use roles instead of names and leave out anything confidential.
Does the course recommend products or give professional advice?
No. It works with any AI tool your organization considers and names no product as the one to use. It is general education, not legal, security, procurement or professional advice. Camderson Academy is not affiliated with any vendor.
What does the certificate confirm?
You receive a Camderson Academy Certificate of Completion after passing the final assessment and completing the capstone. This certificate confirms completion of a Camderson Academy course.
How was this course written and checked?
This course was written and edited by Camderson Advisory. Sources are listed with the date each was read. Where a source could not be opened on that date, the Sources page says so. This course teaches skills for everyday work. It is not legal, tax, financial, medical or professional advice. Laws and rules vary by place and change over time, so talk with your own attorney or qualified professional about your situation. Last updated: November 2026. Next planned review: November 2027.
Choose the right AI tools with a clear, fair process every team can trust.
Self-paced, about 3 hours, with a Workbook, templates, Quick Reference Cards and a practice tracker.
This course earns a Camderson Academy Certificate of Completion. This certificate confirms completion of a Camderson Academy course. This course is general education about how to evaluate and choose AI tools with care. It is not legal, security, privacy, procurement, financial, employment or professional advice, it does not promise any particular result, and it does not replace professional judgment, your organization's policies, the rules for your industry or the guidance of a qualified professional when the stakes are high. Rules, vendor terms, tool settings and product plans change often and differ by country, state, industry and plan, so confirm the current version before you rely on it. Examples, numbers and tools are fictional or illustrative unless a source is named. Camderson Academy is not affiliated with any vendor or author named in the sources and does not endorse any product.