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Lansing Community College Library

Artificial Intelligence: A.I. & Prompt Literacy

How to use our human intelligence to leverage artificial intelligence for learning, creating, and problem solving. This is a key skill all of us need to develop.

Class Assignments

Use this guide to learn more about artificial intelligence. Before using A.I. for an assignment, check with your instructor and course syllabus.

When is it helpful to use A.I. and when is it better not to? See this article called "15 Times to Use A.I. and 5 Not To" by Ethan Mollick.

Prompt Engineering for Beginners

Prompt Literacy

Why Use A.I.?

  • Productivity Booster- It can automate your work, amplify your productivity, and make you more efficient.
  • Tutor- It can help you learn faster.
  • Research Assistant- A.I. can help you access more research and identify collaboration partners.
  • Problem Solver- A.I. used responsibly offers unparalleled opportunity to solve some of the world's big problems.

The Key Skill for 2025

You can have great impact on your organization or team if you know how to work with A.I. Tools. A pivotal skill is the ability to give good instructions to a.i.- this is called Prompt Literacy or Prompt Engineering.

Book & Blog Recommendation

"We already know one major effect of AI:  it levels the playing field….in field after field, we are finding that humans working with an AI co-intelligence outperforms all but the best humans working without AI." - pp. 188-9, Co-Intelligence: Living and Working with AI by Ethan Mollick

Top Prompts for College Students

  1. Explain Complex Concepts:
    • "Can you explain the concept of __________ in simple terms?"
  2. Homework Help:
    • "I'm working on ______ and I'm stuck. Can you help me understand how to _____________"
  3. Writing Assistance:
    •  Help me brainstorm topics I could write about in a college English class. I'm interested in__________
    • I'm writing a college argumentative essay. Here's my outline. Evaluate my outline for strengths and weaknesses.
  4. Study Guides and Summaries:
    • Here are my notes for this class. (Paste in your notes) I'm preparing for an exam. Write a study guide based on these notes to help me review.
  5. Research Question Development:
    • "I'm doing a research project on renewable energy sources. What are some compelling research questions I could explore?"
    • What are some keywords I could use to research this question?
  6. Language Learning:
    • "Can you help me practice French by providing a conversation starter and then continuing the conversation with me?" You can turn on the microphone and change the language.
  7. Coding and Programming Help:
    • Example: "I'm trying to write a Python script to sort a list of numbers. Can you guide me through the process of writing a bubble sort algorithm?"
  8. Career Advice:
    • "What are the key skills I should develop if I want to pursue a career in __________?"
  9. Exam Preparation:
    • "I have a ________ exam coming up. Can you quiz me on the topic of __________?"
  10. Time Management and Study Strategies:
    • "I'm feeling overwhelmed with my coursework. Can you suggest some effective time management strategies for college students?"
    • Break down this (big task) into short step-by-step tasks.
    • Here's what I have to do today. Create a study schedule, including breaks.