Image created by Trina Adams CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
Generative AI tools are only as good as the instructions you give them. The key to making AI a powerful study tool lies in prompt engineering – the art and science of writing clear, specific, and effective prompts. Think of it like talking to a very knowledgeable, but sometimes literal, assistant: the clearer your instructions, the better the help you'll get.
A good prompt usually includes these elements:
Role/Persona: Tell the AI who it should act as. (e.g., "Act as a history professor," "You are a study buddy," "Imagine you're a peer reviewer.") This helps the AI tailor its response.
Task/Goal: Clearly state what you want the AI to do. (e.g., "Summarize this article," "Generate five quiz questions," "Explain the concept of...")
Context/Background: Provide any relevant information the AI needs to understand your request. This could be text, a specific topic, or relevant course details.
Format/Output: Specify how you want the information presented. (e.g., "Provide a bulleted list," "Write a short paragraph," "Create a table.")
Constraints/Limitations: Set boundaries. (e.g., "Keep it under 100 words," "Focus only on causes, not effects," "Use simple language.")
Remember the Ethical Guardrails: While these prompts help you use AI for learning, always remember the ethical guidelines from the previous section. The AI is a tool to assist your learning, not to do the work for you on graded assignments without proper disclosure or permission. Always verify information provided by AI, as it can sometimes "hallucinate" (make up) facts or sources.
"You're a university professor known for making difficult ideas accessible. Break down the concept of 'quantum entanglement' as if explaining it to a curious first-year college student who has no physics background. Use relatable analogies (e.g., dice, twins, or texting), define unfamiliar terms, and avoid jargon. After your explanation, include a 3–5 sentence summary that captures the essential idea in plain English."
"Act as a study guide generator for my upcoming biology exam. Using the following notes [insert notes], create:
10 multiple-choice questions (with 4 answer choices and clearly marked correct answers),
5 flashcards with term-definition pairs, and
A quick quiz recap that identifies the most commonly misunderstood concept in the material based on typical student errors."
"You are a graduate teaching assistant. I need a critical summary of this article: [paste text or link]. Please:
List the author's main thesis and 3–5 key supporting arguments in bullet points,
Note any data, statistics, or examples used to strengthen the case,
Keep the entire summary under 150 words,
Flag any bias or limitations you notice in the argument (if applicable)."
"You're a brainstorming partner—not a writer or editor. Help me generate ideas for an argumentative essay in a sociology class. The topic is the impact of social media on mental health.
Please:
Suggest five possible thesis statements that represent different perspectives.
For each one, briefly note the general angle or reasoning behind it.
Do not create an outline, write paragraphs, or suggest phrasing for the actual essay. This is purely for brainstorming purposes so I can choose a direction before doing my own research and writing."
"You're an academic writing coach. Review the following paragraph from my research paper [paste paragraph].
Identify:
Grammar or punctuation errors,
Phrasing that sounds awkward or unclear,
Sentences that could be more concise or better structured.
Don’t rewrite the paragraph—just give numbered feedback comments with explanations so I can revise it myself."
"I’m completely new to Python and want to learn how to use a basic ‘for’ loop.
Teach me how to write a for-loop that prints each number in a list.
Include a simple code example.
Then walk me through it line by line, explaining what each part does and why it’s written that way.
Wrap up with a bonus challenge: how would I modify the code to print only even numbers?"