Effective AI Prompt Generation

Last updated on September 17, 2024

At MSU Denver,delivering high-quality educational content that enhances student learning and engagement is a major goal for everyone. With generative AI (GenAI) tools, such as Copilot, faculty members  now have the opportunity to streamline the content creation process. 

Whether you’re developing lecture notes, quizzes, or other instructional materials, using AI can save time and improve the accuracy and relevance of your content. But as with every new and useful tool, you could also waste a lot of time if the GenAI generator doesn’t understand what you’re looking for. 

GenAI is integrated into a set of tools that you can use to enhance and streamline your instructional practices, but are not something that can replace the human element and wisdom you bring to teaching and learning. Effective GenAI prompt generation is critical to getting the best results from any generative AI tool. 

By creating strong, accurate prompts, you can improve your chances that the GenAI tool understands your specific requirements and produces content that meets your needs. Prompt-generation not only aids in content creation but also allows for more personalized and adaptive learning experiences for your students and a more streamlined work process for you. Implementing the following best practices in GenAI prompt creation will allow you to use these tools efficiently and effectively.

Best Practices

Here are some best practices to keep in mind when creating and refining prompts.

Prompt Creation

AI prompt generation is particularly useful when you need to create large volumes of content quickly, such as lecture notes, quiz questions, and other educational materials. It’s also helpful for generating initial drafts that can be refined and tailored to your specific needs.

Prompt Generator

When prompting for non-image content creation, such as lecture content, quiz content, and other educational materials, the key is to provide detailed and structured information to ensure the GenAI tool understands the context and requirements. Here’s what you should generally include in your prompts:

• Content Type: Clearly specify the type of content required (e.g., lecture notes, quiz questions, essay, etc.).
• Subject Matter: Detail the topic or subject area that the content should cover.
• Objective or Purpose: Describe the educational goal or learning objective that the content aims to achieve.
• Target Audience: Specify the intended audience (e.g., age group, education level, specific course).
• Tone and Style: Indicate the desired tone (e.g., formal, conversational) and any style guidelines (e.g., APA, MLA).
• Length and Format: Provide guidelines on the length (e.g., number of words, number of questions) and format (e.g., multiple choice, short answer, narrative form).
• Special Requirements: Include any specific requirements such as inclusion of certain keywords, adherence to particular pedagogical approaches, or integration of multimedia elements.

Prompt Templates

Provided below are some specific templates that may be helpful to you as you write prompts for your course. 

• Drafting Lectures or Narrative Content for Canvas (Can be drop-downs to show examples, similar to this one.)
• Building Quizzes (Can be drop-downs to show examples, similar to this one.)
  • Prompt Template 1: Generate 10 multiple-choice questions for a [level of study] [topic] course focusing on meeting [the following objective(s)]. The questions should range from easy to moderate difficulty and cover key concepts like [specific concept].
    • What makes this a good template? This template ensures a balanced quiz with varying difficulty levels and comprehensive coverage of key concepts.
    • Example Prompt: “Generate 10 multiple-choice questions for an undergraduate Biology course focusing on meeting the following objective: understanding the basics of cellular respiration. The questions should range from easy to moderate difficulty and cover key concepts like glycolysis, the Krebs cycle, and oxidative phosphorylation.”
• Prompt Template 2: Create a 5-question short answer quiz for a [level of study] [topic], focusing on themes and symbols in [the following objective(s)]. Include one challenging question about [specific content].
  • What makes this a good template? This template focuses on deeper understanding and analysis, with an emphasis on thematic elements and critical thinking.
  • Example Prompt: “Create a 5-question short answer quiz for an undergraduate English Literature course, focusing on themes and symbols in ‘The Great Gatsby.’ Include one challenging question about the symbolism of the green light.”
• Prompt Template 3: Write 3 essay questions for a [level of study] [topic] course, focusing on meeting [the following objective(s)]. Each question should require students to analyze key ideas from [specific content], with supporting examples from their works.
  • What makes this a good template? This template encourages in-depth analysis and critical thinking, requiring students to engage with the material at a higher cognitive level.
  • Example Prompt: “Write 3 essay questions for a graduate-level Philosophy course, focusing on meeting the objective of understanding existentialist themes in the works of Jean-Paul Sartre. Each question should require students to analyze key ideas from Sartre’s ‘Being and Nothingness’ with supporting examples from his works.”
• Prompt Template 4: Based on the provided transcript of the lecture, create [insert college level and quantity] questions for student assessment. The Module/ Course Level Objectives are [insert relevant objectives]
  • What makes this a good template? This template ensures that the assessment questions are directly aligned with the lecture content and learning objectives.
  • Example Prompt: “Based on the provided transcript of the lecture, create 5 undergraduate-level questions for student assessment. The Module/Course Level Objectives are to understand the principles of evolutionary biology, including natural selection, genetic drift, and speciation.”
• For best results: With this prompt, it is important to provide a transcript of the applicable lecture. If a transcript is not available, provide useful information, like lecture notes, pdfs, and or assignment handouts

Prompt Refinement

Sometimes, generative AI creates content that is close to but not quite what you’re looking for. At that point, you can refine your prompts to improve the results. Here are some tips for enhancing the results that GenAI will return based on your prompt refinements:

• Provide Examples: Where possible, include examples of similar content or mention specific elements that have worked well in the past.
• Iterative Feedback: Use feedback from the initial outputs to refine and adjust subsequent prompts to better meet your needs.
• Use of Keywords: Incorporate relevant keywords to guide the AI more precisely towards the desired content focus.
• See an example of prompt refinement with feedback! (drop this down to show example, similar to this one.)
• Prompt: “Write 3 essay questions for an undergraduate History course, focusing on meeting the following objective: understanding the causes and impacts of World War II. Each question should require students to analyze key ideas from primary and secondary sources, with supporting examples from historical texts.”

Iteration 1: Feedback and Refinement

Feedback (that you provide):

• The initial prompt is too broad. Specify particular aspects of World War II to narrow down the focus.
• Mention key events or themes to guide the AI in generating more targeted questions.
• Define the types of primary and secondary sources to be analyzed.

Refined Prompt: “Write 3 essay questions for an undergraduate History course, focusing on meeting the following objective: understanding the political and economic causes and impacts of World War II. Each question should require students to analyze key ideas from key events such as the Treaty of Versailles, the rise of fascism, and the economic consequences, with supporting examples from primary sources like speeches and secondary sources like historical analyses.”

Iteration 2: Feedback and Refinement

Feedback (that you provide):

• Include more specific instructions on the analysis required.
• Emphasize the need to connect causes to impacts in the questions.
• Clarify the range of primary and secondary sources to be used.

Refined Prompt: “Write 3 essay questions for an undergraduate History course, focusing on meeting the following objective: understanding the political and economic causes and impacts of World War II. Each question should require students to analyze key ideas from specific events such as the Treaty of Versailles, the rise of fascism in Europe, and the economic consequences of the war. Students should use primary sources like political speeches and government documents, and secondary sources such as historical analyses and scholarly articles to support their answers.”

Iteration 3: Feedback and Final Refinement

Feedback:

• Ensure the questions encourage critical thinking and synthesis of information.
• Specify the need to discuss both short-term and long-term impacts.
• Indicate the importance of evaluating the reliability and perspective of sources used.

Final Prompt: “Write 3 essay questions for an undergraduate History course, focusing on meeting the following objective: understanding the political and economic causes and impacts of World War II. Each question should require students to critically analyze key ideas from specific events such as the Treaty of Versailles, the rise of fascism in Europe, and the economic consequences of the war. Students should use primary sources like political speeches and government documents, and secondary sources such as historical analyses and scholarly articles. The questions should prompt students to discuss both short-term and long-term impacts and evaluate the reliability and perspective of the sources used.”

By refining the prompt through iterations of feedback, the final prompt is more focused and detailed, ensuring the generated essay questions are relevant, challenging, and aligned with the learning objectives.

Let’s walk through it together

Below is a copy of the PowerPoint presentation used in the video above.

Wrapping Up

As GenAI tools continue to evolve, staying adept at prompt generation will not only streamline your content creation process but also enable you to deliver a more engaging and customized learning experience for your students. Of course, remember to apply your individual expertise when working with GenAI technologies. After all, these are just tools and are not equipped with the expert knowledge and experience that you bring to your subject area.