This module clears the ground. Before prompt tactics and advanced workflows, the reader needs a current picture of what ChatGPT is, what changes by plan and model, where key controls live, and how to keep that picture fresh as the product evolves.
Module summary
Module 00 is designed to remove the two biggest beginner problems: vague mental models and misplaced confidence. It gives the reader a stable picture of ChatGPT as a workspace, not just a chatbot, then explains how plan differences, model choice, interface surfaces, privacy controls, and product updates actually affect day-to-day use.
This is foundational material, but it is not disposable orientation. Readers who skip it often spend the rest of the course solving the wrong problem. They try to fix workflow issues with better prompts when the real issue is tool choice, continuity choice, or a misunderstanding about what their current setup can actually do.
Lessons in this module
what-chatgpt-is-now- Replace the old chatbot frame with a modern mental model of ChatGPT as a workspace.plans-models-and-tool-availability- Use a three-layer model so plan, model, and tool differences stop feeling arbitrary.interface-tour- Read the interface by function so UI changes stop breaking your workflow.privacy-and-control- Understand which controls solve which privacy problem before you rely on them.how-to-stay-current- Use a calm maintenance loop so your workflows keep pace with the product.
How to use this module
Read this module in order. The sequence matters.
The first lesson expands your mental model. The second teaches the availability logic that explains most apparent inconsistency. The third helps you read the interface by function rather than by unstable layout. The fourth gives you a usable privacy decision model. The fifth turns all of that into a small maintenance loop so your understanding does not decay.
If you already use ChatGPT daily, resist the urge to skim. Experienced users often underestimate this module because the headings look basic. In practice, this is where many of the highest-leverage corrections happen.