How do I communicate with AI?

A prompt is what you provide to an AI system (like ChatGPT, Claude a.i., or Gemini) to tell it what you need. Think of it as a set of instructions or a question that guides the AI in creating a specific response.

A strong prompt helps the AI understand your expectations and should be:

• Clear and Specific: Make sure it’s easy to understand exactly what you’re asking for.
• Contextual: Include enough background information or examples to keep the response relevant.
• Focused: Let the AI know your goal, whether it’s to generate a question, draft content, or brainstorm ideas.

Learn How to Use ChatGPT

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Learn what ChatGPT is, how it was created and trained, and its potential applications across various industries. Select: Learn How to Use ChatGPT (free, be sure to read and use the various hints for the exercises).

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Lessons

1. Introduction to ChatGPT
2. How ChatGPT Works
3. Using ChatGPT
   1. Risks and Limitations of ChatGPT
   2. Prompt Engineering with Generative AI
   3. ChatGPT Project: Effective Prompt Engineering

Effective Prompt Engineering:

• Specificity: Provide specific context, instructions, and desired output format. The more detail you provide, the better the results.
• Constraints: Set limits on the length, style, or content of the AI's response (e.g., "Write a 200-word summary," "Use a formal tone," "Focus on the economic impact").
• Iterative Refinement: Refine your prompts based on the AI's output. If the first response isn't satisfactory, try rephrasing or adding more detail.
• Using Keywords and Phrases: Use specific keywords and phrases relevant to the subject matter to guide the AI's response.

Create an Assessment - fast and easy with AI!

Remember: You are the expert. Always review and confirm the accuracy of any AI generated content.

1. Define the Learning Objective:

• Be Specific: Clearly identify the specific knowledge, skill, or concept you want to assess. Avoid vague objectives. Instead of "understanding cell biology," aim for "identifying the functions of different cell organelles."
• Use Action Verbs: Use measurable action verbs to describe what students should be able to do (e.g., identify, explain, compare, analyze, apply, evaluate).

2. Choose the Question Type:

• Multiple Choice: Suitable for assessing factual recall, comprehension, and application of concepts.
• True/False: Useful for quick checks of basic knowledge but prone to guessing. Use sparingly.
• Short Answer: Requires students to provide a concise written response, assessing deeper understanding and critical thinking.
• Essay: Allows for more in-depth exploration of a topic and evaluation of higher-order thinking skills.
• Matching: Tests the ability to associate related concepts or terms.
• Fill-in-the-Blank: Assesses recall of specific terms or facts.

3. Craft the Prompt:

• Provide Context: Clearly state the topic or subject area for the questions.
• Specify the Question Type: Explicitly tell the AI what type of questions to generate (e.g., "Generate 5 multiple-choice questions about...").
• Set the Difficulty Level: Indicate the desired level of difficulty (e.g., "at an introductory level," "for undergraduate students," "requiring critical thinking").
• Include Specific Instructions: Provide detailed instructions on the format, length, and content of the questions.
• Use Keywords: Use relevant keywords and phrases related to the learning objective.
• Give Examples (Optional but Highly Recommended): Providing examples of the desired question format and content can significantly improve the quality of the AI's output.

4. Iterate and Refine:

• Review the Generated Questions: Carefully review the questions generated by the AI for accuracy, clarity, and relevance to the learning objective.
• Refine the Prompt: If the questions are not satisfactory, revise the prompt by adding more detail, clarifying instructions, or providing better examples.
• Repeat: Repeat the process of generating and reviewing questions until you are satisfied with the results.

How Can I Keep Track My AI Conversations?

Prompting Tips

• Save your chat history with descriptive titles (e.g., "Effective_lesson_Prompts_fall24") for easy reference and future use, especially after receiving valuable feedback.
• Start with simple, clear requests (e.g., "Explain [topic] at a first-year college level" or "Give me 3 main topics to cover in an intro psychology unit on memory"). Avoid overly broad requests like "Create a comprehensive unit."
• Save successful prompts (e.g., "Write 5 discussion questions about [INSERT READING] that encourage critical thinking") as templates for repeated use.

Image AI Prompts:

• Enhance basic image ideas by asking the text AI to add specific details about style, lighting, perspective, and mood (e.g., instead of "kids playing," ask for "Elementary school children playing hopscotch on a sun-dappled playground, vibrant chalk drawings, candid style, warm afternoon lighting").
• Generate multiple variations of your image prompt to explore different artistic approaches (e.g., ask for the same scene in "Watercolor illustration style," "Photography style," and "Digital art style").

Learn by Example

Example 1: Multiple Choice (Cell Biology)

• Poor Prompt: "Generate questions about cells."

• Good Prompt: "Generate 5 multiple-choice questions at an introductory college level about the functions of the following cell organelles: mitochondria, ribosomes, endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi apparatus. Each question should have four options (A, B, C, D) with one correct answer clearly indicated. Provide the correct answer after each question."

• Even Better Prompt (with example): "Generate 5 multiple-choice questions at an introductory college level about the functions of the following cell organelles: mitochondria, ribosomes, endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi apparatus. Each question should have four options (A, B, C, D) with one correct answer clearly indicated. Provide the correct answer after each question.

  • Example: Which organelle is responsible for producing energy through cellular respiration?
    • A) Ribosomes
    • B) Mitochondria
    • C) Endoplasmic Reticulum
    • D) Golgi Apparatus
    • Answer: B"

Example 2: Short Answer (Nursing - Patient Assessment)

• Poor Prompt: "Generate questions about patient assessment."
• Good Prompt: "Generate 3 short-answer questions for nursing students about assessing a patient with chest pain. Questions should focus on gathering relevant patient history and performing a focused physical exam. Each answer should be concise (around 50-75 words)."
• Even Better Prompt (with constraints): "Generate 3 short-answer questions for second-year nursing students about assessing a patient presenting with acute chest pain. Questions should focus on gathering relevant patient history, including characteristics of the pain (onset, location, duration, character, aggravating/alleviating factors), and performing a focused physical exam, including vital signs, cardiac and respiratory assessment. Each answer should be concise (around 50-75 words)."
  • Examples:
    • What key characteristics of chest pain should be assessed when taking a patient’s history? (Remember/Understand)
    • What focused physical exam findings would indicate a potential cardiac cause of acute chest pain? (Apply)
    • How would you synthesize a patient’s history and assessment findings to develop an initial plan of care for acute chest pain? (Analyze/Evaluate)

Example 3: Applying a concept (Physical Therapy)

• Poor Prompt: "Generate questions about range of motion."

• Good Prompt: "Generate 3 short answer questions for physical therapy students that require application of knowledge about range of motion (ROM) assessment. Provide clinical scenarios where the student needs to determine which ROM measurements should be prioritized and justify their choices."

• Even Better Prompt (with Example): "Generate 3 short answer questions for physical therapy students that require application of knowledge about range of motion (ROM) assessment. Provide clinical scenarios where the student needs to determine which ROM measurements should be prioritized and justify their choices.

  • Example: A patient presents with right shoulder pain following a fall. They report difficulty reaching overhead and behind their back. Which ROM measurements would you prioritize during your initial assessment and why?"

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