Tag: AI

Hello! I am your AI academic writing tutor: A quick guide to creating discipline-specific tutors using ChatGPT

~ Brian Hotson

Vol. 5, No. 2 (Fall 2023)

By Brian Hotson, Editor, CWCR/ACCR

On August 31, 2021, OpenAI posted to their website, Teaching with AI, described as a guide “to accelerate student learning” using ChatGPT. This guide provides prompts to “help educators get started with” ChatGPT. These include prompts for lesson-planning development, creating analogies and explanations, helping “students learn by teaching,” as well as creating “an AI tutor.”

Prompts in ChatGPT are text inputs to generate responses—essentially asking ChatGPT questions. A simple prompt, such as “Write an outline for a five-page essay on sedimentary deposits of soil,” generates responses that are helpful, providing a guide to essay writing on a specific topic. However, by using a complex prompt, ChatGPT can be set up to answer questions in a specific way, turning it into an effective, discipline-specific writing tutor. Continue reading “Hello! I am your AI academic writing tutor: A quick guide to creating discipline-specific tutors using ChatGPT” →

ChatGPT snapshot: University of Waterloo

~ Brian Hotson

Vol 4, No. 7 (Spring 2023)

Clare Bermingham,
Director, Writing and Communication Centre,
University of Waterloo

In April 2023, I asked writing centre practitioners to answer 5 questions on ChatGPT and their centres’ responses. Over the next month, I’ll post the response. If you have a perspective to offer, please use this form, and I’ll post it here. Brian Hotson, Editor, CWCR/RCCR

What actions, policies, resources, or information has your institution put in place for ChatGPT?

At the University of Waterloo, the Office of the Associate Vice-President, Academic has shared several information memos and a FAQ resource, which includes guidance on the university’s pedagogy-first approach and maintaining academic integrity related to ChatGPT. Our university uses Turnitin and has just activated the ChatGPT detection option. The impact of this for instructors and students is unclear at this point in time. Continue reading “ChatGPT snapshot: University of Waterloo” →

ChatGPT snapshot: University of Saskatchewan

~ Brian Hotson

Vol. 4, No. 5 (Spring 2023)

Liv Marken,
Learning Specialist (Writing Centre Coordinator)
Writing Centre
University of Saskatchewan

In April 2023, I asked writing centre practitioners to answer 5 questions on ChatGPT and their centres’ responses. Over the next month, I’ll post the response. If you have a perspective to offer, please use this form, and I’ll post it here. Brian Hotson, Editor, CWCR/RCCR

What actions, policies, resources, or information has your institution put in place for ChatGPT?

It has been an exciting but challenging term because there has been uncertainty about who would take leadership on the issue. There wasn’t any official guidance issued, but on our academic integrity website, an instructor FAQ was published in early March, and soon after that a student FAQ. Library staff (including me and my colleague Jill McMillan, our graduate writing specialist) co-authored these with a colleague from the teaching support centre. Continue reading “ChatGPT snapshot: University of Saskatchewan” →