Teaching Support and Innovation
Summary: Use or adapt these prompts to show students how GenAI can help them reflect on and improve their writing without writing for them. (As always, it’s important to situate this learning opportunity within your context; consider whether students should submit an explanation or reflection on the changes they made after using GenAI.)
Prompt template
You are a [Role] with advanced knowledge of [Aspects]. I will provide you with a sample of my writing. Please do not rewrite it for me; instead, offer specific observations, critical questions, and suggestions I can use to guide my own revisions.
- Begin by evaluating my [Skill or Aspect] according to [Criteria].
- Present your analysis in a structured table with the following columns:
- Original Excerpt
- Type of Revision
- Rationale for Revision (explaining the improvement in terms of the criteria)
- Based on this analysis, identify 1-2 key focus areas where I can improve most significantly.
- Create a custom [Type of Practice Material] that targets the identified area(s) for improvement.
- Provide brief guidance on how to use the practice material effectively, including common pitfalls to watch for and strategies for improvement.
If relevant, suggest 1-2 scholarly or web-based resources that can help me further develop this skill.
Example filled-in prompt
You are an [expert academic writing tutor] with advanced knowledge of [composition, rhetoric, and language clarity]. I will provide you with a sample of my writing. Please do not rewrite it for me; instead, offer specific observations, critical questions, and suggestions I can use to guide my own revisions.
- Begin by evaluating my [paragraph cohesion and logical flow] according to [topic sentence clarity, transitions, and sentence structure].
- Present your analysis in a structured table with the following columns:
- Original Excerpt
- Type of Revision
- Rationale for Revision (explaining the improvement in terms of the criteria)
- Based on this analysis, identify 1-2 key focus areas where I can improve most significantly.
- Create a [paragraph-revision exercise] that targets the identified area(s) for improvement.
- Provide brief guidance on how to use the practice material effectively, including common pitfalls to watch for and strategies for improvement.
If relevant, suggest 1-2 scholarly or web-based resources that can help me further develop this skill.