ai tips and tricks - session #1
flipped classroom idea
flipped classroom??
What is a Flipped Classroom?
The flipped classroom is an instructional model where traditional teaching methods are reversed. Instead of introducing new content during class, students engage with materials like videos, readings, or exercises at home before class. In-class time is then used for interactive, hands-on activities such as discussions, problem-solving, or collaborative work, allowing students to apply their knowledge with teacher guidance.
This approach promotes active learning, deeper understanding, and greater student engagement, as class time focuses on addressing challenges and reinforcing concepts, while self-paced learning outside the classroom helps students absorb new information at their own speed.
flipped classroom scenario
Scenario background
flipped classroom scenario
Output required
With the correct prompts thought through prior to asking Copliot, you will be able to save even more time.
In our example we are looking for 2 things:
1) a detailed summary of the key points of the Ted Talk
2) a multiple choice quiz, to give the students to consolidate knowledge.
We will return to this example later but first a quick introduction to Prompt Engineering
Introduction to prompt engineering
Overview of Prompt Engineering
Prompt engineering is the process of designing and refining the inputs (prompts) given to AI models to elicit the most useful and relevant responses. In the context of Microsoft Copilot, prompt engineering involves crafting questions, instructions, or statements that guide the AI to generate desired outputs. This skill is crucial for educators looking to leverage AI effectively in the classroom, as it ensures that the AI provides accurate, relevant, and pedagogically valuable responses.
AI models like Copilot are trained on vast amounts of data and can perform a wide range of tasks, from answering questions to generating creative content. However, the quality of their output heavily depends on the quality of the input they receive. Effective prompt engineering can help educators maximize the benefits of AI by ensuring that the AI’s responses are aligned with educational goals and standards.
Best Practices for Prompt Engineering
Clarity and Specificity:
Ensure that your prompts are clear and specific. Ambiguous or vague prompts can lead to irrelevant or confusing responses.
For example, instead of asking, “Tell me about history,” you could ask, “Provide a summary of the causes and effects of the French Revolution.”
Best Practices for Prompt Engineering
Contextual Information:
Provide context to help the AI understand the background and purpose of the prompt. This can include specifying the audience, the desired tone, or any relevant details.
For instance, “Explain the concept of photosynthesis to a group of high school students.”
Best Practices for Prompt Engineering
Iterative Refinement:
Prompt engineering is often an iterative process. Start with a basic prompt and refine it based on the AI’s responses.
Adjust the wording, add more details, or change the focus to improve the output.
Best Practices for Prompt Engineering
Use Examples:
Including examples in your prompts can help the AI understand what you’re looking for.
For example, “Generate a lesson plan for a 45-minute class on the water cycle. Include an introduction, main activities, and a conclusion.”
Best Practices for Prompt Engineering
Test and Evaluate:
Regularly test your prompts and evaluate the AI’s responses. This helps you identify what works well and what needs improvement.
Collect feedback from students and colleagues to further refine your prompts.
Best Practices for Prompt Engineering
Ethical Considerations:
Be mindful of ethical considerations when using AI in the classroom.
Ensure that your prompts do not encourage biased, inappropriate, or harmful content. Promote inclusivity and respect in all AI interactions.
Examples of Prompt Engineering
Example 1: Creating Study Guides
Prompt
“Generate a study guide for a college-level course on European History.
Include key events, important figures, and major themes.”
Example 1: Creating Study Guides
Refinement
If the initial response is too broad, refine the prompt:
“Generate a study guide for a college-level course on European History, focusing on the period from 1789 to 1914. Include key events, important figures, and major themes.”
Example 2: Developing Interactive Activities
Prompt
“Create an interactive classroom activity to teach high school students about the principles of Newton’s Laws of Motion.”
Example 2: Developing Interactive Activities
Refinement
If the response lacks detail, refine the prompt: “Create an interactive classroom activity to teach high school students about Newton’s First Law of Motion.
Include a hands-on experiment and discussion questions.”
Example 3: Enhancing Critical Thinking
Prompt
“Generate a list of discussion questions for a college seminar on the ethical implications of artificial intelligence.”
Example 3: Enhancing Critical Thinking
Refinement
If the questions are too general, refine the prompt:
“Generate a list of discussion questions for a college seminar on the ethical implications of artificial intelligence, focusing on privacy, bias, and job displacement.”
Introduction to Prompt engineering
Summary
Prompt engineering is a powerful tool for educators looking to integrate AI into their teaching practices. By crafting clear, specific, and contextually rich prompts, lecturers can harness the full potential of AI models like Copilot to enhance learning experiences, create engaging content, and support student success.
Remember to iterate and refine your prompts, test their effectiveness, and always consider the ethical implications of AI use in the classroom.
flipped classroom example
flipped classroom example
Step 1. Defining the objective
Clearly state what you want to achieve with the prompt. In this case, you want:
- A 1000-word summary of a TED Talk on AI in Education.
- A 15-question multiple-choice quiz with answers, formatted for easy upload into Microsoft Forms.
flipped classroom example
Step 2: Provide Context
Include the necessary context to help Copilot understand the task.
Mention the TED Talk’s title, speaker, and key themes.
flipped classroom example
Step 3: Specify the Format
Clearly outline the format you want for the output.
For the quiz, specify that it should be in a format compatible with Microsoft Forms.
flipped classroom example
Step 4: Write the Prompt
Combine the objective, context, and format into a clear and concise prompt.
flipped classroom example
Example Prompt
Objective: Generate a 1000-word summary and a 15-question multiple-choice quiz based on the TED Talk “How AI Could Save (Not Destroy) Education” by Sal Khan.
Context: The TED Talk discusses the potential of AI in education, including personalized tutoring, coaching, feedback, and guidance for students and teachers. It also demonstrates features of the AI chatbot, Khanmigo, and addresses ethical considerations.
Format:
- Summary: Provide a detailed 1000-word summary of the TED Talk.
- Quiz: Create a 15-question multiple-choice quiz with answers. Format the quiz for easy upload into Microsoft Forms.
flipped classroom example
Example Outputs
The PDF below is the output from Copilot, generated in approximately 30 seconds.
It contains a summary of the TED TALK, and 15 multiple choice questions with answers to create a formative assessment on the TED TALK.
TED TALK Summary Output
In this example, the questions and answers would then simply be copy/pasted one at a time into a Microsoft Forms.
In next week’s session will dive a little deeper into Prompt Engineering, and cover how a quiz can be outputted in a format which can be uploaded into Moodle in one go.
Forms currently doesn’t have that option… but I wouldn’t be surprised if that was updated soon
power automate example
copilot 365 integration
Overview
I’m sure you’ve seen the Copilot logo appearing in all your 365 apps.
We certainly don’t have the time to cover all possible integrations… we’d be here until Easter 2030 🙂 … and we know your time is valuable.
Here’s a neat little example of Copilot within Power Automate.
copilot 365 integration
Example using Power Automate
course sections session #1
AI and my data
