This module is designed to enhance educators’ understanding and ability to effectively interact with GenAI by practicing the art of prompt design. This skill is critical in optimizing the utility of GenAI technologies in educational settings.

This module, with several resources and interactive activities, aims to support educators to explore the concept of prompting and some principles of effective prompt design.

Overview of prompt literacy

Prompt literacy refers to the proficiency in formulating initial prompts (information, sentences, or questions that you enter into a GenAI tool) and follow-up queries that clearly, precisely, and unambiguously communicate the user’s requirements to a GenAI tool. In educational settings, well-designed prompting can transform how content is delivered, personalized, and assessed, making it an integral part of digital pedagogical strategies.

Importance of prompt literacy:

• Enhances the quality and relevance of generated content.
• Improves efficiency in lesson planning and resource creation.
• Supports facilitating personalized learning experiences.
• Encourages critical thinking about GenAI interaction.

Effective prompt design: the smart assistant approach

When creating prompts, imagine that you’re explaining a task to a smart assistant. This approach helps you understand the importance of effective communication from the get-go as how successful your assistant can carry out the task really depends on how good you are at providing a comprehensive context and clear instruction. Here is a step-by-step guide:

• Provide full context: begin by setting the scene for your request. For example, specify that you are crafting a curriculum for a first-year social sciences course at the University of Victoria. This immediately clarifies the educational setting and the target audience for the output.
• Detail your specific needs: clearly articulate what you need from GenAI. Is it a complete course syllabus aligned with your institutional framework? Or a specific learning module on a topic within your course? Or an engaging icebreaker activity for your class? Or a review quiz for a unit reading?
• Specify the desired format: indicate the format in which you’d like the response. This could be a narrative description or a bulleted list of key points or any other structured format that suits your needs.
• Include relevant parameters: mention any specific requirements or constraints, such as time constraints, required learning standards, or preferred teaching methods.

Example: I’m developing a curriculum for a 100-level social sciences  course on global economics at the University of Victoria. The course is for first year undergraduate students majoring in international relations. I need a complete syllabus for a 15-week semester aligned with the University of Victoria’s guidelines for undergraduate education. Please include weekly topics, required readings, and suggested in-class activities. Present the syllabus in a tabulated format with columns for week number, topic, readings, and activities. Ensure that the course progresses logically from foundational concepts to more advanced topics, and incorporates at least three case studies of international economic events from the past decade.

Key principles of effective prompt design:

•  Clarity: use simple, straightforward language.
•  Specificity: provide detailed instructions and parameters.
•  Context: offer background information and relevant details.
•  Structure: organize prompts logically and coherently.
•  Iteration: refine prompts based on initial outputs.

For more information, please read Chapter 1.3. on “Prompt engineering to generate desired outputs” (pp. 11-12)  in UNESCO’s Guidance for generative AI in education and research.

You can also enhance the clarity and effectiveness of your prompts by considering these important features: task, format, voice, and context (Bowen & Watson, 2024, pp 48-51).

Here’s a breakdown of each component:

Task: what exactly do you want GenAI to do?

Create, summarize, analyze, elaborate, reimagine, explain, identify, translate, transform, transcribe, resolve, assemble, argue, monitor, detect, generate, predict, recommend, brainstorm, clarify, combine, list, compile, make, draw, rephrase, develop, expand, provide, synthesize, abridge, explore, invent, write.

Format: what is the specific output?

Essay, opinion piece, blog post, email, press release, jargon free summary, dialogue, script, list, syllabus, lesson plan, outline, game plan, game instruction, product description, legal brief, nursing notes, codes, spreadsheets, CSV file, table, chart, PDF, graph, visual.

Voice: what style of language is desired?

• Style options: academic, marketing, comic, medical, right-wing, left-wing, modern, archaic, in the style of the King James Bible, or a Walmart press release, like a copywriter, engineer, human resources manager, millennial, politician, a professor, Oprah, or a historical/anthropological figure.
• Personas: respond as if you were a specific individual (e.g. Martin Luther King or Taylor Swift) or embody personas such as single/married or happy/sad.
• Tone modifiers: serious and empathetic, casual and funny, or positive and enthusiastic.

Context: what further context or examples can you provide?

• Use/read/follow these models/examples.
• Suitable as a reading assignment for an undergraduate course.
• I’m trying to be serious and funny at the same time.
• I want a range of solutions that are inexpensive/variable/accurate/specific/fanciful.
• Only do this if that happens. Wait until I respond.

Sample prompts:

• Produce ten different ways to introduce topic Y into a class for non-majors at a regional state school. I would like more creative and unusual ways to do this.
• Write a 300-word essay about Hamlet for an undergraduate class. Write in academic style, but also include language that makes it clear you are an undergraduate. Use books and ideas of <my professor> to shape the content without mentioning him/her in the essay.
• Lesson planning: when preparing a lesson plan, use the task to direct the AI to develop a syllabus, select the format as an outline or detailed document, choose the voice to be academic and serious, and add context by specifying educational standards or themes to be covered.
• Research assistance: for research tasks, set the task for the AI to summarize and analyze recent articles, pick the format as a jargon-free summary or detailed report, determine the voice to be academic, and provide context with examples of previous research summaries for style guidance.
• Engaging content creation: to create interactive classroom materials like games or quizzes, designate the task to compile or invent, specify the format for game instructions or a quiz, adjust the voice to be casual and funny, and clarify the context with a learning objective or theme.

Further frameworks or guidelines for prompting

The following is a growing collection of guides, frameworks, and articles on prompt design/prompt engineering that consists of extracted pieces from a variety of resources. Please explore the full text of these resources for a deeper understanding of their respective approaches to prompt design and engineering. Try the frameworks or guidelines in your own context and reflect on which one works for you.

1. Harvard University’s getting started with prompts for text-based Generative AI tools
   • Be specific in your request.
   • Ask AI to act as if it were a certain expert or played a certain role.
   • Tell AI how you want your output to be presented.
   • Use clear do and don’t instruction.
   • Provide examples.
   • Consider tone and intended audience.
   • Build on previous prompts, correct mistakes, and continuously give feedback.
   • Ask AI to create prompts, clarify requirements, or inquire what else it needs from you.
2. Harvard University’s getting started with prompts for image-based Generative AI tools
   • Describe the subject in as much detail as you can
   • Specify the style of image (photographs, paintings, cartoons, etc.)
   • Add more details and refine (considering lighting, the positioning of the subject within the frame, background details, etc.)
   • Add you preferred output (considering the format, for example, poster, email header image, etc.)
3. The CLEAR path – A framework for enhancing information literacy through prompt engineering
   • Concise: keep prompt brief and to the point.
   • Logical: ensure prompts follow a logical structure and sequence.
   • Explicit: be explicit about expected outcome.
   • Adaptive: adjust prompts based on prior results and learning.
   • Reflective: encourage reflection on the output to refine future prompts.
4. The five « S » model
   • Set the scene.
   • Be specific.
   • Simplify your language.
   • Structure the output.
   • Share feedback.
5. Microsoft’s educational prompts repository
   • This repository provides prompts for teachers to create engaging lessons, offer instant feedback, and generate creative materials. It’s designed to enrich classrooms, inspire students, and save time on preparation.
6. AI Prompt Cookbook by Chris Sharp and Leslie Mojeiko
   • This resource includes several recipes (prompts) and ingredients (keywords and considerations) to use with GenAI. All recipes outlined in this cookbook are focused on teaching by assisting with course preparation and facilitation. Educators can use this guide to help with brainstorming ideas during course preparation, delivering student-centred content, and designing interactive, personalized lessons and activities.

Prompt review and revise activities

Summary

By engaging with this module, we developed our understanding of prompting literacy, which is necessary to leverage GenAI tools effectively. We also learned to review and revise prompts using existing established framework(s).

Final reflective question

Choose one question to reflect your learning about prompt literacy. What framework would you recommend others apply when designing prompts and why? In what ways can prompt literacy enhance your teaching practice? Give one example.