Generative AI Prompt Literacy
As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to gain popularity, it is essential for members of our campus community to develop skills in prompt literacy. To effectively utilize AI models, you must understand the capabilities and limitations of these models, and be able to write specific and detailed prompts. By building and refining these skills, you can effectively integrate AI into your work and education while mitigating many problems and frustrations that may arise.
Prompting for Education Purposes
- Understand the Capabilities and Limitations of AI: AI models, such as GPT-3.5 and 4, are powerful, but they have limitations. At this time, no GenAI technology actually ‘understands’ the thing it’s writing about in the way a human does. ChatGPT doesn’t know what a cup of coffee is, it just uses probability to select the correct words to write extensively about it. Additionally, they can’t provide opinions or make value judgments, and they can’t access real-time or personal data unless it’s included in the prompt.
- Learn About the Domain You’ll be Prompting: As you write your prompts you’ll need an understanding of the topic or domain you’re pointing the AI toward. This will help you with many of the following recommendations, but also account for things like hallucinations (outputs that sound plausible, but are incorrect or unrelated) and misinformation. You’ll also be able to give the AI more context and precision in your query. Finally, the more you know about the domain you’re writing for the more likely you’ll know if the output is accurate and of high quality.
- Be Specific and Detailed: By default, AI will give broad and general responses. The more specific and detailed your prompt is, the more useful the AI’s response is likely to be. If you’re asking the AI to generate text, provide as much context as possible. If you’re asking a question, make sure it’s clear and unambiguous. Be sure to indicate:
- The desired goal of your content.
- The desired language and tone that is appropriate for your audience.
- The specific format you want for the output.
- The focus of your theme for the content, e.g. nutrition, history, analytics, fashion.
- Minimize Logic ‘Work’: Going hand-in-hand with the ‘be specific’ advice above, you want to minimize the number of assumptions and logical reasoning the GenAI will need to make on its own to create your content. The tool will have a limited amount of processing resources available. A more detailed prompt that makes each of the AI tasks more bite sized will yield better performance and higher quality output.
- Be Creative with your Prompt: Prompting an AI requires a collaborative approach to problem-solving with that AI. To achieve your best results, you must think creatively and use a variety of conversational approaches when developing your prompt. The output you have formulated in your mind likely won’t match what the AI algorithm will produce. Sometimes you’ll need to think/write like an expert negotiator, debater, or sales person to get the output you have in mind.
- Use Iterative Refinement: It is unlikely that you will get a “perfect” response on your first try. Don’t be afraid to refine your prompt and try again. You can also use a technique called “iterative refinement,” where you provide feedback on the AI’s responses and ask it to improve them. Many prompt sessions evolve into lengthy dialogues.
- Tailoring to your Audience: As you evaluate and refine your prompt, make sure the output is appropriate for your audience and adjust as needed. Not only do you need to make sure the content is accurate and makes sense for the topic, but also appropriate for the reader’s knowledge level. Don’t be afraid to tell your GenAI who the target audience is, specifically.
- Consider Ethical Implications: Be mindful of the ethical implications of using AI in education. This includes issues like privacy, fairness, and transparency. Always make sure stakeholders understand when and how AI is being used.
- Stay Up-to-Date: AI is a rapidly evolving field. Stay up-to-date with the latest research and developments to understand how to best use AI in your work.
Generative AI Prompt Literacy
As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to gain popularity, it is essential for members of our campus community to develop skills in prompt literacy. To effectively utilize AI models, you must understand the capabilities and limitations of these models, and be able to write specific and detailed prompts. By building and refining these skills, you can effectively integrate AI into your work and education while mitigating many problems and frustrations that may arise.
Example Prompts and Output
Below are some example prompts developed by ODE and example outputs from ChatGPT.
Example Prompt:
Act as a digital literacy tutor and draw your inspiration from educational technology experts like Sal Kahn and Monica Burns. I am a university professor who teaches history, and my goal is to learn about tools that can enhance teaching and learning through the use of technology. I teach online and face-to-face so I will need different strategies for those two domains. I’m already comfortable with common tools like Canvas and Zoom. What are some popular and useful tools I can explore to help deliver content and assess my students more creatively?
Example Output:
Certainly, there are numerous tools you could consider that would not only help you deliver content in a more engaging way, but also assess your students more effectively. Drawing from the innovative approaches of educational technology experts such as Sal Khan and Monica Burns, here are some technology tools you might find useful:
- EdPuzzle: EdPuzzle is an interactive video platform…
- Flipgrid: Flipgrid is a social learning platform…
- Google Workspace for Education: Google Workspace for Education is an excellent suite of productivity tools…
- Padlet: Padlet is a virtual bulletin board…
- Screencast-O-Matic: This is a screen capture tool…
- Nearpod: Nearpod offers interactive slides with quizzes, polls, videos, and other media…
- Kahoot!: Kahoot! is a game-based learning platform…
- Wakelet: Wakelet allows you to organize and share content with your students…
- Jamboard: Google's Jamboard is a collaborative digital whiteboard…
- Quizlet: Quizlet is a study tool that offers various modes for students to study…
Remember that the best tools will depend on your teaching style…
Example Prompt:
You are a highly experienced teacher with the ability to create simple step-by-step guides on any task. I want you to give me a step-by-step guide on how to do an acid-base titration. Start by telling me everything I’ll need before I start, including any tools, ingredients or supplies. Then give me the instructions for each step as a numbered list. If the instructions go on longer than 400 words ask me if I want to see the rest of the steps.
Example Output:
Certainly! Here’s what you’ll need to perform an acid-base titration:
Tools and Supplies:
- Burette: A long, graduated glass tube with a tap at the bottom.
- Pipette: For accurate measurement of liquids.
- Beaker or Erlenmeyer Flask: To hold the solution being titrated.
- Stirring Rod or Magnetic Stirrer: To ensure thorough mixing.
- pH Indicator or pH Meter: To detect the endpoint of the titration.
- Standard Solution: A solution of known concentration to titrate against the unknown.
- Unknown Solution: The solution whose concentration you want to determine.
- Distilled Water: To rinse the equipment and dilute as necessary.
- Safety Equipment: Gloves, goggles, and a lab coat for protection.
Instructions
- Clean Your Equipment: Rinse the burette, pipette, and flask with distilled water, and then with a small amount of the standard solution that will be used in the burette.
- Fill the Burette: Close the tap of the burette and fill it with the standard solution. Open the tap to release any air bubbles trapped at the tip and refill if necessary. Record the initial volume.
- Measure the Unknown Solution: Use the pipette to measure a known volume of the unknown solution into the flask. Add a few drops of your chosen indicator if you are using one.
- Begin the Titration: Slowly add the standard solution from the burette to the flask, stirring continuously. Watch for color changes if using an indicator or monitor the pH if using a pH meter.
- Approach the Endpoint: As you near the endpoint, slow down the addition of the standard solution and add it drop by drop. The endpoint is reached when a permanent color change occurs in the indicator or the pH change slows or stops.
- Record the Final Volume: Note the final volume of the standard solution in the burette.
- Calculate the Concentration: Use the volumes and concentration of the standard solution to calculate the concentration of the unknown solution using the formula:
M1 × V1 = M2 × V2
where M1 and M2 are the molarities of the solutions, and V1 and V2 are their respective volumes.
Please let me know if you would like to see additional steps or more detailed instructions!