Crafting Effective Generative AI Prompts

General Principle

A good prompt is clear, creative, and encourages focused, thoughtful responses.

How to write an effective prompt

1. Define clear learning objectives
   Clearly connect activities to course-specific learning objectives.
2. Provide an explicit context
   Provide clear details about who students are, the institutional context, and the precise timeframe.
3. Include the detail for expected deliverables
   Outline exactly what students must produce, how they should approach it, and criteria for success.
4. Clarify relevance
   Ensure tasks have clear practical relevance, increasing student engagement and motivation.
5. Encourage purposeful Generative AI Use
   Encourage thoughtful and strategic use of Generative AI tools to enhance student learning and deepen engagement, rather than superficial or generalized applications.
6. Provide examples as guidance
   Ask for explicit examples to demonstrate expectations clearly and concretely.

Prompt Example (Annotated)

You are an expert instructor ¹ in Applied Brewing Science and Engineering, teaching undergraduate students in a public research university ¹. Design a semester-long (3-month) group research project ² (groups of 3 students) where students will investigate and demonstrate³ the chemistry, biochemistry, or engineering principles underlying one critical stage of beer production. Clearly outline how their chosen stage (such as malting, brewing operations, fermentation, or finishing operations) influences beer quality, sustainability, or economic viability ⁴ in local brewing communities. Additionally, instruct students to use Generative AI (e.g., ChatGPT, Gemini, or Copilot) ⁵ to enhance their research and analysis, specifically in areas like experimental design, data analysis, process optimization, or troubleshooting brewing issues. Provide three detailed examples ⁶ of appropriate project topics.

Annotations

¹ Contextual Clarity: Clearly defines instructor role, student audience, and institutional context.

² Specificity of Scope: Explicitly states duration and group structure.

³ Instructional Transparency: Clearly defines expected student actions and outcomes.

⁴ Relevance and Authenticity: Ensures practical application and real-world relevance.

⁵ Strategic Integration of Generative AI: Clearly directs purposeful use of Generative AI tools.

⁶ Providing Concrete Examples: Ensures clarity by explicitly requesting detailed examples.