Prompt Engineering with ChatGPT - A Paradigm Shift in Education: A Guide for School teachers

Abstract

Advancements in the area of Artificial Intelligence (AI) significantly impacted education
in the era of the fourth industrial revolution. ChatGPT is an AI-powered application
designed to generate chat responses in a conversational style, paving the way for
flexible and responsive education to become mainstream. Various research on ChatGPT
has sparked debates about its potential implications to support education for providing
adaptive and personalized environments. This ongoing descriptive study analysed the
use of ChatGPT by 24 school teachers who participated in a course in the first step of
study. It aimed to evaluate teachers’ initial knowledge regarding ChatGPT, particularly
its educational applications and potential advantages, before their course. Based on
connectivism learning theory the present study sought to pinpoint effective prompts
that teachers could incorporate into their teaching methods. Furthermore, it aimed to
gauge the impact of the course on enhancing teachers’ awareness and understanding
about ChatGPT, basically prompt engineering with its possible applications. The data
was collected from base survey, feedback form, discussion forum and assignments and
analysed using the descriptive method. The first step of the study revealed that teachers
have minimal baseline knowledge of ChatGPT but after the course they found ChatGPT
as their virtual teacher assistant. It emphasises the importance of preparing teachers
for a paradigm shift in education.

The study found a direct correlation between cognitive engagement and interaction levels
of connectivism theory. However, as interaction levels increase, participant involvement
tends to decline.