There are so many ways for educators (and everyone else!) to use ChatGPT to get efficient and effective results. ChatGPT can write lesson plans, research background knowledge on upcoming units, give feedback on student writing, create leveled texts and draft report card comments, to name a few.
To get the results that you want and need, it is important to write and refine clear and accurate prompts that guide the AI towards the output you want. The data that ChatGPT uses to generate outputs are vast and varied, which means the bot needs a little help getting you the results that you need. Here are five tips to get you started with Prompt Engineering for your AI outputs:
1. Define your Purpose:
What is it that you would like ChatGPT to do for you?
Be specific and clear, and don’t be afraid to add details. Unlike a Google Search that requires specific and limited details, ChatGPT prompts get better with more information.
2. Define your audience:
Providing information about who this output is intended for, as well as their expectations and how this output will be used, helps ChatGPT give results more aligned with your goals.
3. Define ChatGPT’s role:
Give the AI a role that it is playing – Peer reviewer? Researcher? Personal assistant? Language tutor?
Tell the bot its specific role as well as perceived characteristics of that role and how it should frame answers.
4. Define parameters of output:
Specifying parameters such as desired output length, format, and user age or reading level will increase the effectiveness of your prompt.
5. Be Critical:
Is the output what you needed? Decide if the text is ready for the intended purpose; most likely it needs some amount of tweaking. Consider editing the text directly or adding additional prompting to get to the intended results.
Engineering a better prompt for generative AI will provide the more accurate results you and your students are looking for.
