AI Prompting for LDs

As AI tools become increasingly prevalent in educational settings, learning designers must adapt their skillset to include prompt engineering. This guide offers a structured approach to crafting effective prompts for AI-assisted design.

Simply telling ChatGPT to create a training course on XYZ is unlikely to garner much more than a generic outline and some bullet points. Don't let this put you off, though.

Nicola Wylie for Action@Work

In statistics, there's a saying: garbage in, garbage out. If you don't put the right information into ChatGPT, you're not going to get the right output out of it.

Gianluca Mauro, AI entrepreneur

In the book [Teaching Effectively with Chat GPT], we suggest a simple formula... [first] describe the task: what is it that you want ChatGPT or the AI tool to do? Then give instructions on how you wanted to do it and then give context. What is it that ChatGPT should know about this?

Dan Levy, Senior Lecturer in Public Policy at Harvard Kennedy School

Create Your Own Prompt: A Step by Step Guide

For the guide, there are two example prompts.

Prompt 1: you are a university professor designing a summative assessment.

Prompt 2: you are a corporate trainer designing microlearning modules.

Step 1: Define the Task and Context

Begin by clearly articulating the specific task you want the AI to perform. For example, you might need to create learning objectives, design assessment activities, or develop engaging course content.

Consider the context of your course, including the subject matter, target audience, and learning environment.

What write for the LLM AI Model of your choice will thus be informed by the following goals (Do not include this in your prompt, use it to guide your writing for the next steps).

Prompt 1's goal: Create engaging discussion prompts for a college-level psychology course on cognitive development.

Prompt 2's goal: Design a series of micro-learning modules for corporate employees on cybersecurity best practices.

Step 2: Specify the AI's Role

Assign a persona or role to the AI. This helps frame the interaction and can lead to more tailored responses. For instance, you might instruct the AI to act as an expert instructional designer or a subject matter expert in a particular field.

Prompt 1: You are an expert educational psychologist specializing in active learning strategies.

Prompt 2: You are a seasoned corporate trainer with expertise in adult learning principles.

Step 3: Provide Relevant Information

Supply the AI with necessary background information. This may include course outlines, syllabi, or learner characteristics. The more context you provide, the more accurately the AI can assist you.

Prompt 1: The psychology course is for second-year undergraduates and covers Piaget's and Vygotsky's theories.

Prompt 2: The cybersecurity modules are for employees with varying levels of technical expertise and should be completed in 5-10 minutes each.

Step 4: Structure Your Prompt

Use a clear structure for your prompt. A recommended format includes:

1. Task description
2. Instructions for completion
3. Context or background information

Prompt 1

Task: Create discussion prompts.

Instructions: Generate five thought-provoking questions.

Context: Second-year psychology students studying cognitive development theories.

Prompt 2

Task: Design micro-learning modules.

Instructions: Outline content for three modules.

Context: Corporate employees learning cybersecurity best practices.

Step 5: Incorporate Specific Parameters

Include any constraints or requirements in your prompt. This might involve specifying the desired output format, word count, or alignment with particular learning theories or models.

Prompt 1: Each discussion prompt should encourage critical thinking and be answerable in 150-200 words.

Prompt 2: Each micro-learning module should include one practical exercise and be completable within 7 minutes.

Step 6: Request Examples or Variations

To encourage creativity and obtain diverse options, ask the AI to provide multiple examples or variations of the requested output.

Prompt 1: Provide two alternative phrasings for each discussion prompt.

Prompt 2: Suggest three different interactive elements that could be incorporated into each module.

Step 7: Refine Through Iteration

Prompt engineering is often an iterative process. Review the AI's initial output and refine your prompt as needed. You might need to clarify instructions, add more context, or adjust parameters to get the desired results.

Prompt 1: After reviewing initial prompts, adjust the language to focus more on real-world applications of theories.

Prompt 2: Based on initial module outlines, ask for more emphasis on visual learning elements.

Full Example Prompts

Prompt 1

You are an expert educational psychologist specializing in active learning strategies. Please create five engaging discussion prompts for a college-level psychology course on cognitive development. The course is for second-year undergraduates and covers Piaget's and Vygotsky's theories. Each prompt should encourage critical thinking and be answerable in 150-200 words. Provide two alternative phrasings for each prompt. Focus on real-world applications of the theories.

Prompt 2

You are a seasoned corporate trainer with expertise in adult learning principles. Design a series of three micro-learning modules for corporate employees on cybersecurity best practices. The modules are for employees with varying levels of technical expertise and should be completed in 5-10 minutes each. Outline the content for each module, ensuring that each includes one practical exercise and can be completed within 7 minutes. Suggest three different interactive elements that could be incorporated into each module. Please emphasize visual learning elements in your design.

Prompts to Copy and Paste

Try these in Claude, Gemini, ChatGPT or Perplexity.

Scheduling Help

You are an expert planner. Please provide faculty members with a listing of all the Tuesdays between August 21 and December 18. Please list them in the following format: Tuesday, September [Date]. If any US holidays happen between each Tuesday listed, please include the holiday and its date. Additionally, please include any religious holidays or special days for Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, or other major religions.

Data Analysis or Outlining

You are an expert at data analysis. Please combine these documents [upload pdf files] into a master file so I can [insert purpose]. Do not summarize or leave anything out. There should be categories and one of these should be accredited organizations.

You are an expert writer with a direct, helpful style. Please organize these meeting notes into a [detailed] outline for my personal use. Be sure to identify action steps at the end.

Email

You are an expert writer with a professional, direct and friendly tone. Please write an email that begins “Dear colleagues, We are writing to inform you” and ends with a request for their consent to participate in a survey. Recipients will consent by signing an attached form. Keep the email between 200-300 words.

Info/Summary Table

You are an expert writer. Please share a 200-300 word summary for faculty and staff of how FERPA protects student privacy? Also include what staff should know about FERPA-protected data and using AI tools. Please also provide the same information in a table.

Learn More

For a deeper dive on Prompt Engineering, we recommend this highly digestible, 12-minute video from Wharton Interactive's Faculty Director Ethan Mollick and Director of Pedagogy Lilach Mollick.

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