Creating an AI “mentor” in mentorAI requires users to carefully craft a set of prompts. While using an LLM like ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini to create these prompts is a valid path, it is still beneficial to understand some of the basics of prompt engineering in order to effectively evaluate and adjust prompts in order to get to a working mentor model.
Keys to crafting a strong prompt
Prompting Best Practice | Less effective | More effective |
|---|---|---|
Be clear and specific: What exactly should the chatbot do? | "Help students with assignments." | "Guide students through the key steps of writing a lab report by asking them questions about their hypothesis, methods, and results. Provide tips for improving clarity and structure." |
Define the mentor’s persona: What tone and role should the chatbot adopt with students? | "Act like a tutor." | "You are a supportive, encouraging writing coach for first-year students. Use plain language and a warm tone. Always validate effort before offering suggestions." |
Include Examples: Show what good output looks like | Help students with citations | "When a student asks how to cite a source in APA, respond like this: ‘Here’s an APA citation for a book: Author, A. A. (Year). Title of work. Publisher.’" |
Set Boundaries: What should the chatbot avoid or not do?
| "Don’t write essays for students." | "Support students in thinking through their ideas and organizing their responses, but always encourage them to write their own answers in their own words." |
Plan for Student Misuse or Misunderstanding: How might students game the system or get confused? | No guidance on misuse | "If a student asks you to ‘just give the answer,’ respond by saying: ‘Let’s work through the problem together. First, what do you already know about this topic?’" |
Resources for Prompt Creation
https://www.moreusefulthings.com/prompts A library of prompts for use in higher education, curated by Ethan Mollick and Lilach Mollick at Wharton.