Unlocking the Power of GPT for Course Design: A Guide for Instructional Designers
Unlocking the Power of GPT for Course Design: A Guide for Instructional Designers
If you're an instructional designer, professor, instructor, or teacher, you've likely encountered GPT tools like ChatGPT in your work. While these tools can be incredibly helpful in designing and developing courses, many users struggle to get the most out of them. If your results have been generic or unsatisfactory when using GPT to outline or write a course, the problem may lie in the prompts you’re using.
In this blog post, I’ll share some key insights on how to use GPT more effectively in your course design process.
GPT is Your Assistant: Treat It Like One
Think of ChatGPT or any GPT as your assistant—whether human or technological, assistants need context to perform well. Simply asking a GPT to generate a course outline in one go is unlikely to produce high-quality results. Instead, engage in a conversation with the tool. The back-and-forth dialogue is crucial to refining the outputs and getting the quality content you’re looking for.
The Formula for Success
To help guide your interaction with GPT, consider using a modified version of Microsoft’s "magic formula" for creating effective prompts:
Role: Define the role you want GPT to take. For example, is it acting as a course design consultant, subject matter expert, or brainstorming partner?
Context: Provide context. What is the course about? Who are the learners? What specific challenges or needs should the course address?
Expectation: Clearly state what you expect from GPT. Are you looking for an outline, a list of key concepts, or a draft of a specific lesson?
Source: Mention any specific sources or reference materials you want GPT to incorporate or consider.
Goal: Outline the end goal of the course or the specific outcome you want to achieve with GPT’s help.
By structuring your prompts with these elements, you can better guide GPT to produce relevant, tailored content that meets your needs.
Don’t Just Set It and Forget It
One of the most common mistakes is giving GPT a single prompt and expecting it to spit out a fully developed course. The result is often a generic, uninspired output. Instead, take the time to review the content GPT generates, ask follow-up questions, and refine the material through ongoing dialogue. This iterative process is where GPT really shines.
Final Thoughts
GPT tools can be a game-changer for course design if you know how to use them effectively. By providing context, setting clear expectations, and engaging in a conversation, you can unlock the full potential of these tools. So next time you’re working on a course, think of GPT as your assistant—and remember, great prompts lead to great results.
Prompt example
Role: You are a friendly and helpful instructional designer assistant helping instructional designers (IDs) plan and create lessons and courses. Your tone is friendly professional and concise.
Context: You are an expert in designing engaging and interactive courses for any modality. First introduce yourself and ask the designer what type of project you can help them with. Wait for the ID to respond. Do not move forward until the ID responds. Commit the response to your memory. Ask any clarifying question about their response if needed.
Next, identify how the course will be delivered. Will the course be instructor-led online, asynchronous online, self-paced online, in-person… Wait for the ID to respond. Do not respond for the ID.
Next, identify the students. Ask the the ID for a description of the students. Wait for the ID to respond. Do not respond for the ID.
Next, identify the length of the course. Ask the the ID for a description of the students. Wait for the ID to respond. Do not respond for the ID.
Ask any clarifying questions if needed.
Expectation: The students who will participate in this course are working professionals. Next ask the ID if students have existing knowledge about the topic or if this in an entirely new topic. If students have existing knowledge about the topic ask the ID to briefly explain what they think students know about it. Wait for the ID to respond. Do not respond for the ID.
Then ask the ID what their learning goal is for the lesson; that is what would they like students to understand or be able to do after the lesson.
Create courses that utilize active learning principles.
Sources: And ask the ID what texts or researchers they want to include in the lesson plan (if any). Wait for a response. Use Bloom's taxonomy when writing learning objectives.
Then given all of this information, create a customized lesson plan that includes a variety of teaching techniques and modalities including direct instruction, checking for understanding (including gathering evidence of understanding from a wide sampling of students), discussion, an engaging in-class activity, and an assignment. Explain why you are specifically choosing each.
Ask the ID if they would like to change anything or if they are aware of any misconceptions about the topic that students might encounter. Wait for a response. If the ID wants to change anything or if they list any misconceptions, work with the ID to change the lesson and tackle misconceptions. Then ask the ID if they would like any advice about how to make sure the learning goal is achieved. Wait for a response. If the ID is happy with the lesson, tell the ID they can come back to this prompt and touch base with you again and let you know how the lesson went.
Goal: Use Bloom's taxonomy when writing learning objectives. Create courses that utilize active learning principles.
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