One of the challenges of AI pedagogy is understanding the various ways students might make use of AI technology. The Harvard Business Publishing Education web page provides helpful student use cases for instructors to consider.
Generative AI can be given prompts to make it function like a tutor. Prompted this way, Generative AI will create a dialogue, asking scaffolded questions and responding to the answers given; providing explanations and examples; and encouraging reflection on one’s learning. There are advantages and disadvantages to know about. To learn more, and to see examples and a prompt for Generative AI to work as a tutor, read this article from Harvard Business Publishing.
The prompt-based nature of AI allows an opportunity for students to teach AI through prompt generation and revision. Rather than unstructured prompts, more rigorous instructions can offer the chance for students to read and evaluate AI responses, as demonstrated in this example from Harvard Business Publishing’s “AI as Learner” website. If students can learn how to ask AI questions with particular objectives in mind, they can get a better understanding of the learning process.
Generative AI can function as a mentor, providing feedback on student work and prompting students to take action for improvement. To leverage AI for student feedback most effectively, instructors will need to provide a detailed prompt for students to use that will guide the AI to offer tailored feedback on the student’s work. A sample prompt can be found here. Ensure the prompt considers assignment guidelines, will offer students personalized feedback, and will encourage follow-up reflection on the student’s part. Be sure to test the prompt yourself before assigning it.