Generative AI Faculty Research Guide

Many faculty that are embracing AI have come up with creative ways to incorporate it into their classroom with the understanding that AI will be a part of future professions. For example, have your students do an assignment using ChatGPT and then fact-check and edit it. They can also come away with some useful tips, such as what happened with Professor Bourjaily's class assignment. 

Associate Professor Pamela Bourjaily from The University of Iowa created an assignment helping her students gain optimal output from ChatGPT. Here are her Best Practices (article linked below):

• Role - Tell ChatGPT its role, or desire role in the assignment. "Act as a college student" or "Act as a job applicant."
• Task - Summarize the function you want ChatGPT to complete. "Write an essay" or "Create a cover letter."
• Requirements - include desired elements in the output. "Referencing The New York Times" or "including a job experience at McDonald's."
• Context or constraints - Supply ChatGPT with the intended audience or define elements that should not be included. "For an English literature assignment," "Use 10 unique sources" or "Do not include an intro paragraph."
• Goal - Establish the why of the output, meaning what the reader should be able to do or understand at the end. "What further reading would you recommend for my audience?" or "Select topics that could be discussed in small groups."
• Format of output - Give ChatGPT a word or page limit or formatting specifications. "Five hundred words" or "10 pages."

Academic Success Tip: Working Smarter With ChatGPT

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