Generating Exemplars for Course Engagement using an AI Prompt Chain 

I use AI chatbots to help generate relevant examples of course concepts for students with a “prompt chain,” a sequence of user-based prompts until the LLM produces the desired outcome. Crafting an example of a concept within our discipline can be easy, but it can be challenging to find an example that is relevant and understood by the average college student. Try asking an AI chatbot for approachable examples of concepts you already teach in your courses. 

The Generation Gap in Teaching

While I knew my students may not know who John Cleese is, I thought for sure they would remember Nearly Headless Nick, the ghost from the first couple of Harry Potter films. But upon mentioning this genuinely funny icon and how his creative philosophy could empower my students’ next project, I got many blank stares and aloof looks.

Teaching is all about building and connecting new concepts to old concepts in our learners’ minds. When we have a concept to portray to our students, obviously it is necessary to utilize nomenclature which our learners can understand and to build upon the concepts of previous coursework and learning as we weave in those new concepts. But it is also necessary to utilize examples of each of our new concepts to which our learners can relate.    

 

The Challenge of Relevance

While in my mind John Cleese is a relevant and insightful creative whose philosophy illuminates much of my own professional work, in the minds of my students his notoriety was not an extra layer of relevance as it was for my students even ten or twenty years ago. At no surprise to you more senior colleagues, as time moves forward, many of the pieces of art and culture with which have resonated with me personally have slowly started to become “retro” or at least outside the main eye of society as a whole. Engaging with contemporary students becomes increasingly challenging with greater generational distance. 
 
Now, I am certainly not advocating for “out with the old, in with the new” for its own sake. It will always be relevant to rely on the great thinkers, practitioners, and researchers of our fields. But I am advocating for thinking about how to connect our course content to our learners of today through the creation of relevant examples. Our learners can have the same emotional and intellectual experiences as we have had, but the elements and humans in these experiences might be different. We, as faculty, need to acknowledge these differences and aim to help students connect those dots with meaningful, relevant examples.  
 

Characteristics of Effective Exemplars

Relevance of exemplars is not just about timeliness but also practicality, engagement, personal connection, etc.:

• Timely: Does the example utilize something happening in the world right now which could be found on the news or other public space?
• Practicality: Is the example from a real-world situation or could it be utilized by the student in the near future?
• Engaging: Does the example capture students' attention? Is it interesting on its own?
• Personal Connection: Can students see a connection to their own personal experiences?
• Curriculum Progression: Is the example used in previous coursework and can build on what students already know?  

Leveraging AI for Exemplar Generation

To thread the needle on finding examples that clearly demonstrate my concept and directly relate to students, I have found AI chatbots to be increasingly helpful in brainstorming these exemplars. Then as the expert, I can take its ideas and select the one that best fits me, my students, and my content. A recent example: 
 
In my lecture on the art of persuasion in my freshman public speaking course, I address the concept of cognitive dissonance, and how this concept may be a barrier to persuading their audience. While certainly there are lots of examples of this on the national stage, I wanted a more every day, practical example that might resonate with a college freshman, most of whom make up this class. I asked ChatGPT:  
 
What are 5 real world examples of cognitive dissonance?

It responded:

"Certainly! Here are five real-world examples of cognitive dissonance: 

 1. Smoking and Health Consciousness: Someone who is aware of the health risks associated with smoking but continues to smoke might experience cognitive dissonance. They may justify their behavior by downplaying the risks or convincing themselves that they will quit soon, thus reducing the discomfort caused by the conflicting beliefs. 
 
2. Environmental Awareness and Consumer Behavior: A person who is passionate about environmental conservation but regularly purchases products with excessive packaging or engages in behaviors that harm the environment might experience cognitive dissonance. They may rationalize their actions by believing that their individual impact is insignificant or by compartmentalizing their beliefs and behaviors. 
 
3. Political Beliefs and Contradictory Actions: Individuals who support a political ideology that emphasizes equality and social justice but engage in discriminatory behavior or actions that perpetuate inequality may experience cognitive dissonance. They may justify their actions by convincing themselves that their behavior is justified in certain circumstances or by denying the impact of their actions on others. 
 
4. Healthy Eating and Indulgent Food Choices: Someone who values health and fitness but frequently indulges in unhealthy foods may experience cognitive dissonance. They may justify their indulgences by viewing them as occasional treats or by convincing themselves that their overall diet and lifestyle are still healthy. 
 
5. Financial Investments and Ethical Concerns: An investor who prioritizes ethical considerations but chooses to invest in companies with questionable business practices may experience cognitive dissonance. They may rationalize their investment decisions by focusing on potential financial returns or by convincing themselves that their investment will lead to positive change within the company."

These examples illustrate how individuals may experience cognitive dissonance when their beliefs or values conflict with their actions or choices, leading them to justify or rationalize their behavior to reduce discomfort. 
 
Again, I was looking for everyday examples, but didn’t get quite what I wanted.
So I asked again with a modifier: “Give me 5 more but on a smaller scale.”

"Certainly! Here are five examples of cognitive dissonance on a smaller scale: 
 
1. Procrastination and Productivity: Someone who values productivity and efficiency but frequently procrastinates on tasks may experience cognitive dissonance. They may justify their procrastination by convincing themselves that they work better under pressure or by minimizing the importance of the tasks they are avoiding. 
 
2. Healthy Lifestyle and Sedentary Habits: A person who prioritizes a healthy lifestyle but spends most of their free time sitting or engaging in sedentary activities may experience cognitive dissonance. They may rationalize their behavior by believing that they are too tired to exercise or that they will make up for it later. 
 
3. Social Media Use and Time Management: Individuals who are aware of the negative effects of excessive social media use but spend significant amounts of time scrolling through their feeds may experience cognitive dissonance. They may justify their behavior by convincing themselves that they are staying informed or that social media serves as a form of relaxation. 
 
4. Budgeting and Impulse Purchases: Someone who is committed to sticking to a budget but frequently makes impulse purchases may experience cognitive dissonance. They may rationalize their purchases by convincing themselves that they deserve the item or that it is a necessary expense. 
 
5. Conflict Avoidance and Disagreements: People who value harmony and avoiding conflict but find themselves in disagreements or arguments may experience cognitive dissonance. They may justify their avoidance behavior by convincing themselves that the issue is not worth addressing or by minimizing the importance of the disagreement.

These examples highlight how cognitive dissonance can occur in everyday situations where individuals face conflicting beliefs or values, leading them to justify their behavior to alleviate discomfort.

"Certainly! Here are five examples of cognitive dissonance on a smaller scale: 

 
1. Procrastination and Productivity: Someone who values productivity and efficiency but frequently procrastinates on tasks may experience cognitive dissonance. They may justify their procrastination by convincing themselves that they work better under pressure or by minimizing the importance of the tasks they are avoiding. 
 
2. Healthy Lifestyle and Sedentary Habits: A person who prioritizes a healthy lifestyle but spends most of their free time sitting or engaging in sedentary activities may experience cognitive dissonance. They may rationalize their behavior by believing that they are too tired to exercise or that they will make up for it later. 
 
3. Social Media Use and Time Management: Individuals who are aware of the negative effects of excessive social media use but spend significant amounts of time scrolling through their feeds may experience cognitive dissonance. They may justify their behavior by convincing themselves that they are staying informed or that social media serves as a form of relaxation. 
 
4. Budgeting and Impulse Purchases: Someone who is committed to sticking to a budget but frequently makes impulse purchases may experience cognitive dissonance. They may rationalize their purchases by convincing themselves that they deserve the item or that it is a necessary expense. 
 
5. Conflict Avoidance and Disagreements: People who value harmony and avoiding conflict but find themselves in disagreements or arguments may experience cognitive dissonance. They may justify their avoidance behavior by convincing themselves that the issue is not worth addressing or by minimizing the importance of the disagreement.

These examples highlight how cognitive dissonance can occur in everyday situations where individuals face conflicting beliefs or values, leading them to justify their behavior to alleviate discomfort.

This list was a lot closer to what I was wanted, but I wanted to just see how adding an audience might curve the results, “Give 5 more that might be experienced by a college freshman.”

"Certainly! Here are five examples of cognitive dissonance that a college freshman might experience: 
 
1. Academic Goals and Social Activities: A college freshman who wants to excel academically but also desires a vibrant social life may experience cognitive dissonance. They may rationalize prioritizing social activities over studying by convincing themselves that they need a break or that socializing is an essential part of the college experience. 
 
2. Independence and Homesickness: Freshmen who are excited about the newfound independence of college life but also feel homesick may experience cognitive dissonance. They may justify their feelings of homesickness by convincing themselves that it's natural to miss home or that they'll adjust over time. 
 
3. Financial Responsibility and Spending Habits: Students who are mindful of their financial responsibilities but succumb to impulse purchases or overspending may experience cognitive dissonance. They may rationalize their purchases by convincing themselves that they deserve a reward or that they'll budget better next month. 
 
4. Career Aspirations and Major Choice: Freshmen who have ambitious career aspirations but are uncertain about their choice of major may experience cognitive dissonance. They may justify their indecision by convincing themselves that they have time to explore different options or that their major isn't as important as gaining a broad education. 
 
5. Health and Sleep Habits: College freshmen who prioritize their health but struggle to maintain regular sleep schedules may experience cognitive dissonance. They may rationalize staying up late by convincing themselves they need to study more or that they'll catch up on sleep later.

These examples illustrate how college freshmen may encounter cognitive dissonance as they navigate the transition to university life and balance various priorities and expectations."

The Power of Prompt Chaining

This prompting strategy of asking a series of questions to reach the desired outcome is called a “prompt chain.” In this process, the user provides a sequence of prompts until the LLM produces the desired response. Each prompt adds context and specificity to the initial prompt enabling the LLM to generate text closer to the desired outcome. I invite you to try this with your own concepts. Consider modifying it with some prompt engineering. 

Enhancing Prompts with the PERFECT Model

To take it a step further, Ratnayake & Wang wrote about the PERFECT Prompt Model in a recent publication: (read the article) Consider modifying your prompt with one, some or all of the following concepts:

• Purpose - Clearly define the purpose of the prompt
• Element - Choose the appropriate modular elements to include
• Role - Specify the role or perspective the model should take (if applicable)
• Format - Determine the desired format for the response
• Examples - Include examples or case studies (if relevant)
• Conditions - Set specific conditions or constraints for the answer
• Timeframe - Indicate a timeframe, if the prompt requires historical context or future predictions
• Purpose - Clearly define the purpose of the prompt

 

_References: