Using ChatGPT and Generative AI for Efficient Teaching and Work

Generative AI tools like ChatGPT can simplify and enhance academic work by automating content creation, providing personalized feedback, writing course objectives, summarizing course content, providing lesson ideas, assisting with meeting preparation and documentation, starting a draft or presentation, and more. In this article, we will explore some of the positive uses of ChatGPT and similar tools to make work easier. We will also share good prompt-writing tips for making AI work for you! Note that AI tools are rapidly developing and changing as of the writing of this article (August 2024). If you use AI tools at NC State University, please review the OIT compliance process.

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Workshops

Generative AI Tools

By “generative AI tools,” we are referring to digital tools that can mimic human intelligence and perform tasks, including creating text, images, audio, code, and data with minimal human intervention. These tools continue to learn and develop based on input, training, and feedback. There are many AI tools, but this article will focus on the most popular generative tools that are used primarily for text generation.

NOTE: Below is a list of current tools used at universities, businesses, libraries and other places worldwide. If you plan to use AI tools at NC State University, please review the OIT compliance process.

Commonly Used Language Generating Tools:

  • ChatGPT
    • Popularity: ChatGPT is the most widely used generative AI tool, with around 1.6 billion monthly visits and 180 million users.
    • Free Access: The basic version of ChatGPT, using GPT-3.5, is available for free but not connected to the internet so searches relying on recent information are not useful.
    • Paid Features: Access to GPT-4, priority access, and faster response times are available through the ChatGPT Plus plan for $20/month.
    • Description: ChatGPT is an AI chatbot that can generate human-like text responses to a wide range of prompts. It is used for conversation, content creation, brainstorming, and more. The tool leverages deep learning to produce coherent and contextually relevant text across various topics. Can generate text, images, and code.
  • Claude AI
    • Popularity: Claude AI has seen rapid growth, with about 71.8 million monthly visits.
    • Free Access: A free tier with limited usage is available.
    • Paid Features: Higher limits and faster processing are offered in the paid plans, starting at $20/month.
    • Description: Claude AI is focused on “safety” and behaving with more human rules and it is designed to be conversational. Some sources believe it excels in tasks such as text analysis, summarization, creative writing, and solving complex math problems. Uploading large documents is a useful feature. Claude can generate text and code snippets
  • Perplexity AI
    • Popularity: Perplexity AI is rapidly growing in popularity, with around 73.2 million monthly visits and 10 million active users.
    • Free Access: Perplexity AI is free to use for unlimited “quick” searches and 5 pro searches per day
    • Paid Features: 600 pro searches per day – users can select an AI model to use, upload unlimited files and get 50 visualizations per day at $20/month
    • Description: Perplexity AI is a conversational search engine that combines the power of large language models with real-time data retrieval from the web. Unlike traditional search engines, it offers direct, conversational responses to user queries while providing references and links to sources. It’s particularly effective for users looking to get quick, precise answers backed by credible sources. Can generate text, code, and images.
  • Google Gemini (log in with a non-NC State Google account)
    • Popularity: Google Gemini, previously known as Bard, has quickly gained traction, with over 100 million users and 316 million monthly visits.
    • Free Access: Google Gemini offers a free version accessible through Google Search and other Google services.
    • Paid Features: Premium features are integrated into Google One subscriptions at $20/month and Google Workspace subscriptions (but not NC State University accounts as of August, 2024).
    • Description: Gemini is a multimodal AI model that supports various tasks, including text generation, image creation, and code writing. It integrates deeply with Google’s ecosystem, providing powerful tools for both personal and professional use. Can generate text, images, and code and works with Google Docs and other Workplace apps.
  • Microsoft Copilot
    • Popularity: Copilot, integrated into Microsoft 365, is used by over a million customers and 37,000 organizations.
    • Free Access: Limited free trials are available through Microsoft 365 products — can generate text, images, code and documents
    • Paid Features: Full access is included with certain Microsoft 365 subscriptions but not NC State University accounts (as of August, 2024).
    • Description: Microsoft Copilot uses generative AI to enhance productivity in Microsoft Office applications by offering writing assistance, summarization, data analysis, and more, all integrated into familiar tools like Word and Excel. Uses Microsoft’s Bing search engine to provide citations and recent information. Can generate text, code, and images.
  • Canva Magic Studio
    • Popularity: Canva’s AI tools are part of its broader design platform, which boasts 170 million active users and 833 million monthly visits.
    • Free Access: Basic AI tools, including text-to-image generation and design suggestions, are available for free.
    • Paid Features: Advanced features and higher usage limits are accessible through Canva Pro subscriptions.
    • Description: Canva Magic Studio provides a suite of AI-powered tools for graphic design, including image generation, automatic design layout suggestions, and text enhancement. It’s widely used for creating presentations, social media graphics, and marketing materials. Can generate text, images, and documents.

You may also want to explore these tools specifically designed to assist in research: Elicit, Consensus, Scite and Research Rabbit. You can also search for discipline-specific AI tools – here’s a list of AI tools for education and a listing of AI video generators. This list was created in August, 2024 for an AI Workshop at DELTA.

There are many articles published comparing different generative AI Tools if you’d like more guidance in comparing tools:

All of these AI tools may collect data that would lead to potential privacy violations, so do not use sensitive information in conversations with the chatbots. Check and verify information created by any of these generative AI tools. The authors of this article prefer the creativity and contextual conversational style of ChatGPT, so you will see many examples from ChatGPT but try each tool to determine what works best for you!

Positive Uses of AI

Idea generators: AI can offer fresh ideas and perspectives. By providing prompts with specific topics, these tools can generate multiple suggestions, helping you to consider various angles and perspectives. 

Save time: By using AI assistance, you can save time in the content creation process. Instead of starting from scratch, you can leverage the AI’s capabilities to speed up the writing process and focus on other aspects of course preparation.

Supplementary Writing: AI can supplement your existing content with additional information, examples, or explanations, making your work more comprehensive.

Diverse Writing Styles: AI is versatile and can adapt its writing style to match your tone or the specific needs of your target audience. Whether you require a formal, professional tone or a more casual, conversational approach, AI can accommodate various writing styles.

Automating Content Creation

Use these tools to generate blog posts, articles, emails, or social media content and save time by letting AI create repetitive and time-consuming content. They can also help with creating video scripts which provide users with a skeleton of a script to then read/use while filming an instructional video. These tools can also take existing content from an article or narrative and turn it into a script format. Using different formats can quickly transform content to better fit an audience.  While AI tools can generate content, it still requires some human editing and proofreading to ensure accuracy. The syllabus recommendations on our “Developing an AI Syllabus Statement for Your Course” were originally drafted with ChatGPT.

Develop course outlines and objectives

Generative AI language tools excel at generating a wide range of basic information. One possible application for AI in the classroom is to use the algorithm to generate outlines for broad topics. As an example, if an instructor wanted an outline of basic nutritional guidelines, ChatGPT would excel using the prompt “What are the basic nutritional guidelines?” After the AI generates the text, it is important to edit the output and ensure that all the information is correct. AI outlines are not intended to be final products but instead an initial start to the outline process. Here is an example course outline for a college statistics course.

AI can assist in crafting clear and concise course objectives.  You can also ask ChatGPT to revise or write “measurable” objectives using Bloom’s Taxonomy verbs at various levels. By inputting a syllabus or course overview, ChatGPT can generate objectives aligned with the course content. If you are revising objectives, write a narrative of what you want students to learn or existing objectives that may not be written with measurable outcomes, and ChatGPT can revise the objectives.

Additionally, ChatGPT can save time by summarizing articles. Simply paste the article content into ChatGPT, and it will provide a concise summary. This is particularly useful for selecting course materials or gaining a better understanding of new concepts.  

Generate lesson plans and instructional materials

You can input your course objectives, target audience, and desired outcomes into ChatGPT to generate detailed lesson plans. This includes sequencing activities, selecting resources, and outlining instructional strategies. Note: resource selection may be improved by using Bing Chat or Google Bard, which are connected to the internet.

ChatGPT can also be used to design interactive quizzes and assessments to enrich your lesson plans. You can also ask ChatGPT to provide sample student answers that are correct and incorrect and possible feedback for each of those answers. This way, ChatGPT aids in creating comprehensive and engaging assessments to gauge student understanding effectively. If you include a link to an article from prior to 2021, ChatGPT can create guided reading questions to go along with the article.

You can also ask ChatGPT to suggest supplementary resources and materials that cater to students’ learning needs in the lesson plans.  Keep in mind that, ChatGPT does not have information from after 2021.  If you ask what are the most recently published articles, it will not show them.

Tool Alert! Check out “QuestionWell” to use AI to write question sets based on your topics or a copy/pasted reading. Questions can be exported to Moodle and other tools.

AI for Feedback

Ethan Mollick, an Associate Professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, publishes a blog detailing his uses of AI in his course assignments. In one feedback suggestion, he shares an idea to have students write a short paper explaining something they did or didn’t understand in class. Possible questions for students: “What was the most important idea or concept covered in class today” or “What is the most difficult class concept so far?” Instructors can gather responses and copy/paste them into an AI tool with this prompt: “I am a teacher who wants to understand what students found most important about my class and what they are confused by. Review these responses and identify common themes and patterns in student responses. Summarize responses and list the 3 key points students found most important about the class and 3 areas of confusion.” The results will provide teachers with a quick way to focus future classes and instructional materials.

Copy/paste text from a student-submitted written assignment and ask for feedback to improve the writing. If you use or provide rubrics for assignments, you can also include specific traits from the rubric into a tool and ask for feedback, suggestions for improvement, or a suggested grade. If you have character limits when using a tool, you can also try Claude.ai, which works with longer text segments.

Instructors may want to use AI-generated text to improve the critical thinking skills of their students. A suggestion is to have students generate text using AI and then critique the AI’s work similarly to how they use peer feedback in your course. By “grading” the AI’s work, students must demonstrate a mastery of the material and exercise critical thinking to critique the algorithm.

Despite AI’s strengths, a major complaint about ChatGPT is the vagueness that AI-generated text tends to display. Consider generating a body of text about course subjects and displaying the results for students. Use the opportunity to highlight how the AI failed to cite its sources, give a detailed explanation, and go deeper than superficial aspects. Let the AI be a “what not to do” example in your course. Showing clear and concise examples of both acceptable and unacceptable work is important for setting course expectations.

Prompt Writing Tips

Most language model AI tools need good prompts in order to provide the results you are looking for. This extensive list of prompts will help you get started thinking about different ways to use AI successfully.

Tips:

  • Talk to the AI as if it were an assistant, use complete sentences, and have a conversation.
  • Be clear and specific
  • Provide context and an identity, profession, or audience if appropriate to your informational goal
  • Try different formats, i.e., “create a script that…” or “create a matrix to…”
  • use an iterative process and ask follow-up questions to refine results.

Resources and References

NC State Office of Faculty Excellence: Navigating the Landscape of Higher Education in the Age of Artificial Intelligence

Cynthia Alby: AI Prompts for Teaching

Question Well: App to use AI to create questions based on reading or instructor topic

CHATGPT and higher education: Initial prevalence and areas of interest. EDUCAUSE Review. (n.d.). https://er.educause.edu/articles/2023/3/chatgpt-and-higher-education-initial-prevalence-and-areas-of-interest

American Psychological Association. (n.d.). How to use CHATGPT as a learning tool. Monitor on Psychology. https://www.apa.org/monitor/2023/06/chatgpt-learning-tool

McKenna, S. (2023, May 19). Chatgpt is the push higher education needs to rethink assessment. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/chatgpt-is-the-push-higher-education-needs-to-rethink-assessment-200314

Mollick, Ethan R. and Mollick, Lilach, Using AI to Implement Effective Teaching Strategies in Classrooms: Five Strategies, Including Prompts (March 17, 2023). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4391243 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4391243

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