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Using Prompting Frameworks to Automate the production of standardised content
George Pratsos
January 10, 2025
Dear Educator,
You are receiving this email because you signed up for CourseGenie's complimentary plan. We aim to support your teaching journey by sharing practical insights on integrating AI into education.
Table of Contents
What is a Prompt?
A prompt is the text input given to an AI chatbot, such as ChatGPT or Claude, before it generates a response. Essentially, it consists of the instructions or guidance provided to the chatbot, also known as an LLM (Large Language Model), to guide its output. For example, a simple prompt could look like this:
Create a lesson plan on the topic of the Solar System
What is Prompting
So, prompting is the the process of creating and refining those instructions or questions to get the best results from the AI. It’s like learning how to ask the right questions or give clear directions so the AI understands exactly what you want.
What are Prompting Frameworks?
To further advance the concept of prompting, a prompting framework is like a recipe or a step-by-step guide to help you communicate clearly with an AI chatbot. It ensures you include all the important details so the AI understands exactly what you need. Here’s an example of a CRAFT, a prompting framework I’ve been using in Coursegenie.ai
Context: This is the background information. For example, you’re a middle school science teacher preparing a lesson on the water cycle.
Why it’s important: It gives the AI the big picture so it knows what you’re trying to achieve.
Role: This is who you want the AI to act as. For example, you might ask it to act as an experienced curriculum designer who specializes in creating engaging, hands-on science lessons.
Why it’s important: It tells the AI what perspective or expertise to use when creating the response.
Action: This is what you want the AI to do. For example, you might ask it to create a 45-minute lesson plan that includes a short lecture, a group activity, and a fun experiment to demonstrate the water cycle.
Why it’s important: It gives the AI clear instructions on the task it needs to complete.
Format: This is how you want the AI to present the information. For example, you might ask it to organize the lesson plan into sections with subheadings like “Introduction,” “Activity,” “Experiment,” and “Homework.”
Why it’s important: It ensures the output is organized and easy for you to follow.
Target Audience: This is who you’re teaching. For example, your target audience is 6th-grade students with varying levels of science knowledge.
Why it’s important: It helps the AI tailor the lesson to the right age group and learning level.
When are Prompting Frameworks Useful?
Prompting frameworks are incredibly helpful when you want to automate repetitive tasks or create consistent, high-quality outputs without starting from scratch every time. They’re like reusable templates that save you time and effort. Here are some specific examples for educators:
Automating Lesson Plan Creation
What it solves: Writing lesson plans from scratch can be time-consuming, even if you’re teaching similar topics year after year.
How frameworks help: You can create a prompting framework (like CRAFT) that includes the structure of your lesson plan (e.g., objectives, activities, homework). Then, you only need to change a few variables—like the topic, grade level, or learning goals—each time you use it.
Creating Activities and Projects
What it solves: Designing engaging activities or projects for students can take hours, especially if you’re trying to align them with specific learning outcomes.
How frameworks help: You can create a framework that outlines the type of activity (e.g., group project, hands-on experiment) and the learning goals. Then, you can reuse it for different topics or subjects.
Generating Assessments and Quizzes
What it solves: Writing quizzes, tests, or homework assignments can feel repetitive, especially when you need to cover similar concepts across different classes.
How frameworks help: You can create a framework that specifies the type of questions (e.g., multiple-choice, short answer) and the difficulty level. Then, you can adapt it for different topics or units.
Personalizing Content for Different Audiences
What it solves: If you teach multiple classes or grade levels, you might need to adjust your materials to suit different students’ needs.
How frameworks help: You can create a framework that includes placeholders for variables like grade level, learning style, or language proficiency. This lets you quickly adapt the same material for different groups.
Streamlining Communication with Students and Parents
What it solves: Writing emails, announcements, or progress reports can be repetitive, especially when you’re sharing similar information with different groups.
How frameworks help: You can create a framework for common communications, like weekly updates or assignment reminders, and tweak the details as needed.
Copy My Prompts!
You can use and adapt the prompts below to match your needs
Classic Lesson Plan Prompt
Context: I want to develop a comprehensive and engaging lesson plan on the topic of [topic]. This plan should be designed to effectively convey the subject matter to [audience] while meeting the below objectives
Skills, Knowledge, Attitude objectives: [ska objectives]
The lesson plan should also adhere to [educational standards] and have a duration of [duration]. The lesson should be flexible enough to be adapted for different learning environments and styles.
Role: Assume the role of an expert instructional designer. Utilize your skills in curriculum development, creative design, empathetic instruction, and technical proficiency to craft this lesson plan. Incorporate various pedagogical theories and instructional design principles to enhance learning outcomes.
Action: Using Context, Role, Format and Target audience, create a lesson plan that includes the following components: an engaging introduction, comprehensive direct instruction, an interactive learning activity, a practical application, assessment and feedback, and a conclusive summary. Make sure to integrate differentiation strategies for diverse learners and suggest appropriate technology tools for an enhanced learning experience.
Format: Follow a structured lesson plan format, ensuring each section is detailed and adaptable to different educational settings. The format should include clear learning objectives, materials and resources needed, instructional sequence, technology integration, and evaluation methods.
Target Audience: The lesson plan is intended for [audience], considering their specific learning needs, preferences, and characteristics. Adapt the content and activities to be most effective for this audience.
Course Description Prompt
Context: I want to use the below course title and audience to create a course description:
Course Name: [Course Name].
Course Audience: [Audience]
Role: Act as an experienced instructional designer and expert educator.
Action: use Context, Role, Format and Target Audience to create a Course Description.
Steps:
Step 1: use the title to infer the subject matter and core themes of the course.
Step 2: tailor the description to address the specific interests and needs of the intended audience.
Step 3: Include an overview of what the course will cover, its key learning objectives, and how it will benefit the participants.
Step 4: ensure that the description is engaging, informative, and clearly articulates the value and uniqueness of the course.
Step 5: avoid creating a course outline; focus solely on a compelling and concise description that would attract and inform potential learners.
Format: Create the following section headings:
Course Overview
Key Objectives
Key Benefits
Target Audience: [Audience]
Course Outline Prompt
Context: I want to use the below course description to create a comprehensive course outline consisting of [Desirednumber] modules. Course Description: [Course Description].
Role: Act as an experienced instructional designer and expert educator.
Action: use Context, Role, Format and Target Audience to create a course outline. To do this:
Steps:
Step 1: analyze the description to identify the course objectives, intended audience, prerequisites, and key topics.
Step 2: Ensure the content under each heading is concise, informative, and reflects the essence of the course description.
Format: Each module should start with a number and TITLE and similarly each lesson within a module should have a number and a title. Start with the Course title then Module title and then lessons. There should be between 4 and 5 lessons for each module using the exact format below:
Course Outline: Product Management for Junior Product Managers
Module 1: Introduction to Product Management
1.1 Course Overview and Objectives
1.2 Understanding the Role of a Product Manager
1.3 Key Skills and Competencies for Product Managers
1.4 Overview of the Product Lifecycle
1.5 Case Studies: Successful Product Management
Target Audience: [Audience]
Let me know if you’d like me to share more prompts like these. If you’d like to learn how to create these in a hand-on training, take a look at the option below.
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