Guide for ChatGPT usage

in teaching and learning

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ChatGPT escalated the conversation on the impact of Artificial Intelligence in Higher Education
when it was activated in November 2022. It disrupted the status quo in Higher Education when
students started using it to write their essay submissions. ChatGPT is a powerful large language
model (LLM) that mimics human conversation. Large language models have demonstrated
impressive results in identifying language patterns and predicting contextual words, and
ChatGPT excels at generating coherent and relevant textual responses with minimal input from
the user. By leveraging its extensive database of trained language patterns, ChatGPT can provide
generated textual responses that accurately reflect the context of the user’s input. These
generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies can be helpful for academics and students,
providing personalised and adaptive learning experiences, improving student engagement, and
reducing the burden on educators and administrators. However, these disruptions have also
prompted educators to reconsider their teaching, curriculum, and assessment. It is essential to
assess the benefits and limitations of these AI technologies carefully, including potential ethical
concerns, and to adapt teaching strategies to ensure they align with the changing landscape of
educational technology.

ChatGPT is an easy-to-use AI tool that can assist with writing poems, coding, essays, and solving
mathematical equations. Best of all, it is currently available for free.

AI holds immense promise in enhancing our productivity and learning. Nonetheless, it’s
important to note that ChatGPT cannot understand the meaning of text, but rather generates
text based on the relations between words it has latched onto during the training of its model.
Thus ChatGPT should only assist learning and not act as a substitute for human creativity and
critical thinking.

This guide which was developed with the help of ChatGPT and aimed to offer practical tips for lecturers
and students to maximise the benefits and the ethical use of ChatGPT. To get started, it’s important
to familiarise yourself with ChatGPT and other AI tools. The URL for accessing ChatGPT is: https://chat.
openai.com/auth/login. The free access to ChatGPT is sometimes unavailable due to high demand.
However, Microsoft has launched a new version of its Bing search engine with built-in support for
OpenAI’s ChatGPT, which provides citations and uses updated data sources.

General guidelines principles

When using generative AI like ChatGPT for teaching and learning at universities, it is important to follow
some guiding principles to ensure that the technology is being used effectively and ethically. Here are
some guiding principles that could be considered:
• Clarify the purpose: The use of generative AI like ChatGPT should be aligned with the goals of teaching
and learning, and the purpose should be clearly defined. It should be used to enhance learning
outcomes and provide additional support to students, not to replace human interaction.
• Emphasize critical thinking: While generative AI like ChatGPT can provide helpful information, it should
not replace critical thinking. It is important to encourage students to evaluate the information they
receive and to develop their own ideas and perspectives.
• Provide guidance and communicate rules: Students should be guided on how to use generative AI
like ChatGPT effectively. This includes understanding how to interpret the results, how to use the

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 technology to enhance their learning, and how to avoid potential pitfalls. Communicate your rules
regarding using ChatGPT in your study guide and explain how to properly acknowledge its use.
• Ensure transparency: It is important to be transparent about using generative AI like ChatGPT with
students. This includes explaining how the technology works, what data is being collected, and how
it will be used.
• Respect privacy: Using generative AI like ChatGPT should respect the privacy of students. Any data
collected should be stored securely and only used for the intended purpose.
• Openly discuss the ethical implications: Discuss the ethical implications of ChatGPT openly and
encourage discussions about its limitations and potential biases, implications on copyright, concerns
about labour, environmental impacts, data rights, etc. It is important to critically evaluate the quality
of results and to use it in accordance with academic integrity policies.
• Avoid using personal or confidential data: To ensure compliance with data privacy laws, it is important
to avoid using ChatGPT for personal or confidential data. The model learns from its interactions,
which may include sensitive information, and treats it as public domain data.
• Explain how ChatGPT works: Explain to your students that ChatGPT generates statistically likely word
sequences based on a database and that ChatGPT does not understand, think or reason. ChatGPT is
a tool to support learning and not a replacement for their own creativity and thinking.
• Cross-check information: Look for other sources and check for the accuracy and credibility of Chat
GPT answers. Use Chat GPT as a supplement to other credible sources of information and not as
your only source.

By following these guiding principles, the use of generative AI like ChatGPT can be a valuable tool for
teaching and learning at universities.

Hints on how to improve your prompt (input) and receive the desired result
If you are new to using ChatGPT, it may be helpful to have some hints on how to improve your prompt
(input) and receive the desired result:

Hint Examples of ChatGPT prompt (input)

Be clear, concise and specific Explain the concept of blockchain technology in simple terms?

What are some effective study techniques for someone preparing to

Provide context
take a biology exam

Ask follow-up questions Explain more about how they work?

Specify the language output Respond in UK English

Specify the length of the I would like a brief/detailed/300 words response (the maximum is
response about 3000 words)

Specify the response format Present your response in bullet points/table/paragraph

Respond suitable for a second-year university student” or “an A-rated

Specify the level of output
student,” or “I would like an in-depth analysis.

Specify the tone/style of the

Write my text in the style of Shakespeare.
output

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Here is an example of a possible prompt: “Write a one-page essay about the supernatural role in Macbeth
and to what extent it motivated Macbeth’s actions in UK English for a second-year university student.”

Use ChatGPT to improve teaching and learning by lecturers

There are several ways in which ChatGPT can be utilised to enhance teaching, learning, assessment,
and student support. When lecturers use ChatGPT effectively, it can enhance students’ comprehension,
foster critical thinking skills, and aid them in their own planning.

Enhance students’ critical thinking abilities

Below are some recommendations on how lecturers can utilise ChatGPT to enhance students’ critical
thinking abilities:
• Actively teach students what critical thinking entails in your discipline at the appropriate NQF
level of the module.
• Requiring students to submit a ChatGPT version of the assignment, including the prompts, and
their reflection/critique on the ChatGPT version based on the course material provided and
their own final assignment in track changes.
• Use ChatGPT to generate varied viewpoints and prompt students to compare and critically
evaluate them by:
° Identifying the assumptions
° Evaluating the soundness of arguments
° Evaluating the reliability of sources and evidence presented
° Identifying common logical fallacies that can weaken an argument
• Use ChatGPT to generate questions that challenge assumptions.
• Encourage students to develop assessment criteria/rubrics for evaluating the ChatGPT
responses.
• Use ChatGPT to create multiple versions of an essay or research paper and identify areas for
further development. Have students work in groups to compare, discuss, rate, and debate
their ChatGPT prompts/responses and rank them from best to worst.
• Provide a mind map for each assignment or have students explain their thought processes.
• Prompt students to reflect on their learning about the topic using ChatGPT.
• Emphasise problem-solving in the assignments.

Use ChatGPT to improve your teaching

Below are some suggestions for how lecturers can utilise ChatGPT to enhance their teaching:

Task Examples of ChatGPT prompt (input)

Design a comprehensive lesson plan for a first-year philosophy class

focusing on the contrasting views of Kant and Plato on reality. The
Create lesson plans plan should include an assessment task and a memorandum for
students, a challenging group assignment that requires higher-order
thinking, and a clear rubric to evaluate the assignment.

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 I am a first-year university lecturer and I need to write clear and
measurable outcomes for my upcoming lesson on genetics. Write
Write lesson outcomes specific outcomes in the following format: ‘By the end of this unit,
students will be able to describe the scientific methods and provide
examples of its application’.

I am a university lecturer teaching second-year French, and must

create a worksheet for my students to practice their vocabulary.
Develop a worksheet
Create a worksheet with some exercises, activities, problems, and a
group-work activity.

I am a third-year history lecturer and must create a PowerPoint

presentation for my upcoming lesson on World War II. Create ten
Create PowerPoint slides
engaging and informative slides to enhance my student’s learning
experience.

I am a grade 9 mathematics teacher and my students struggle with

Improve students’
linear equations. Give me some tips on how to help improve their
understanding
understanding of this concept.

Identify the big ideas of a I am a grade 12 high school English teacher creating a new unit on
course, unit, or lesson Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Identify the big ideas for this unit.

Evaluate the output

for correctness and Evaluate the correctness and completeness of the output.
completeness

Consider the student’s Consider what your own reaction as a student would have been to
perspective being subjected to the content or assignment.

Use ChatGPT to enhance planning activities related to teaching and learning

Here are some recommendations on how ChatGPT can enhance planning activities related to teaching
and learning:

Task Examples of ChatGPT prompt (input)

Proofread written work

and check for grammar,
Proofread the following text: …
punctuation, and spelling
errors

Create PowerPoint slides for Create a ten-slide PowerPoint presentation on the topic of renewable
presentations energy

Summarise and theme your Provide a 300 words overview/summary/essay about the role of
information central banks in addressing macroeconomic challenges

Create an Excel formula to

Create an Excel formula to calculate the average of a range of cells
automate calculations

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 Solve mathematical
Solve the following quadratic equation: x^2 + 5x + 6 = 0 and explain
equations and explain the
the steps
steps

Provide an overview of
Can you provide an overview of the concept of quantum mechanics?
complex lengthy concepts

Generate code for various

programming languages and
Write a Python program that calculates the Fibonacci sequence
applications, from simple
scripts to complex algorithms

Summarise and theme Summarise the main themes in this set of student feedback for me.
information What are the key takeaways from these data points?

Create a set of guidelines for effective project management based on

these criteria …
Create guidelines
What are the key elements that should be included in a social media
policy?

What is an appropriate response to this email from a colleague asking

Assisting in replying to emails
for feedback on a project?

Translate this report from English into Spanish.

Translate written work into What is the French equivalent of this key term in my document?
different languages (Note that machine translation may not always be perfect, so it’s
important to double-check the output to ensure accuracy).

Assessment and the impact of ChatGPT

Assessment is a critical component of higher education, as it makes students’ learning visible and
evaluates their progress towards specific learning outcomes. To enhance the integrity of assessments,
a balance of formative and summative assessments over time, collected from multiple sources, is
essential. Various tools and approaches, including technology-enhanced and online assessments,
can provide new opportunities for assessing student learning. However, it is important to ensure that
students use these tools in a way that enhances academic integrity and does not undermine it. The
University of Pretoria’s plagiarism declaration states “I declare that this essay, report, project, assignment,
dissertation, thesis, etc. is my own original work. Where other people’s work has been used (either from a
printed source, the internet or any other source), this has been properly acknowledged and referenced in
accordance with the requirements as stated in the University’s plagiarism prevention policy.” ChatGPT has
released a text classifier for AI-generated text (https://platform.openai.com/ai-text-classifier), while
Turnitin is currently in the process of developing its own AI text classifier which will be available in the
near future.

With the advancement of technology, particularly with ChatGPT, assessments should focus on higher-
order levels such as applications, analyses, and problem-solving. Lecturers should design assignments
that pose issues with no straightforward correct answer to encourage students to think critically and
creatively. Incorporating authentic assessments as part of a module’s assessment strategy will provide
students with the opportunity to provide direct evidence that they can apply module content to solve

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real-life problems through the execution of tasks. By adopting a more holistic approach to assessments
and encouraging deeper learning, lecturers can create an environment that supports students’
academic success and prepares them for future challenges.

There are various ways in which lecturers can use ChatGPT for various assessment-related purposes:

Task Examples

Prompt: “Create six multiple-choice questions to assess the students’

understanding of integration from first principles in a first-year
Create quizzes and
university mathematics course. Each question should be categorised
assessments
according to Bloom’s taxonomy, and the correct answer should be
provided”.

ChatGPT can provide an objective and consistent evaluation of

students’ essays, allowing lecturers to focus on providing more
Essay marking detailed feedback on content rather than grading. This saves lecturers
time and enables them to use AI to give more personalised feedback
to students.

Generate a summary of After marking all essays with ChatGPT, ask it to generate a summary
the problem areas of the of the problem areas of the assessment so that you can improve your
assessment teaching.

ChatGPT can grade short-answer questions and provide instant

feedback to students, allowing lecturers to focus on providing more
Automated short-answer
in-depth feedback on more complex questions. This also saves
marking
lecturers time, allowing them to provide more timely feedback to
students.

ChatGPT can analyse each student’s work to identify individual

strengths and weaknesses, allowing lecturers to provide targeted
Personalised feedback feedback for each student. This helps to improve students’ learning
outcomes and saves time in having to provide feedback for each
student.

ChatGPT can assess each student’s language proficiency level in

Language proficiency a specific language, allowing lecturers to provide individualised
assessment language instruction and support. This saves time in having to
evaluate each student’s language proficiency manually.

Generate a marking scheme for an essay for second-year university

Grade an essay based on a
students; follow-up prompt: “Grade the following essay using the
marking scheme
marking scheme: …”.

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 Benefits of ChatGPT for students
Using ChatGPT can be a valuable tool for students who aim to enhance their learning experience at
the University of Pretoria. As students progress through their studies, they are expected to develop
various skills that are required in the workplace, such as self-motivation, professional communication,
ethical practice, teamwork, and problem-solving abilities. It is important for students to utilise every
assignment and assessment to learn their discipline and to develop these skills, as they are essential to
the student in standing out as the best candidate during a job interview. ChatGPT can offer personalised
recommendations and answer complex questions, making it a useful resource for students.

To make the most of ChatGPT, students can use it to gain a deeper understanding of various subjects.
By exploring the features of ChatGPT, students can effectively utilise the tool to improve their academic
performance. However, it is important for students to note the University of Pretoria’s plagiarism
declaration and to ensure that they use ChatGPT ethically and appropriately:

“I declare that this essay, report, project, assignment, dissertation, thesis, etc. is my own original work. Where
other people’s work has been used (either from a printed source, the internet or any other source), this has
been properly acknowledged and referenced in accordance with the requirements as stated in the University’s
plagiarism prevention policy.”

As responsible users of ChatGPT, students should prioritise ethical considerations, such as respecting
privacy, avoiding discrimination, acknowledging sources of information, and critically evaluating the
advice provided to ensure that their use of the technology benefits themselves and society as a whole.

Uses of ChatGPT for students to enhance learning:

Task Examples of ChatGPT prompt (input)

Provide a 300 words overview/summary/essay about the role of

Summarise and theme your
central banks in addressing macroeconomic challenges or use your
information
own text.

Solve mathematical Solve the following quadratic equation: x^2 + 5x + 6 = 0 and explain
equations and explain the the steps. Then use these steps to solve equations with different
steps values to practice solving these equations yourself.

Provide an overview of
Can you provide an overview of the concept of quantum mechanics?
complex lengthy concepts

Suggest a creative writing prompt for a short story involving time

Generate writing prompts for travel.
creative writing assignments Evaluate the suggestions and use one or a combination of these to
write your own creative piece.

Get alternative phrasing for I am having trouble expressing my argument for ...
difficult-to-express ideas Rephrase my main points

Help with language learning

Give me an example of a complex sentence using the word
and practising grammar and
‘notwithstanding’
sentence structures

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 I have to write an essay about the causes of World War II. Can you
Generate outlines for writing help me create an outline to organise my ideas? Evaluate the output
assignments against the assignment requirements to make sure you address the
main points.

Provide feedback on my essay about climate change and suggest

Get feedback on written work
areas where I could improve.

Get formative assessment

Provide feedback on grammar and vocabulary usage of the following
feedback on the quality of
…
the language

Create six multiple-choice questions to assess my understanding of

integration from first principles in a first-year university mathematics
Test preparation
course. Remember that your lecturer might set different questions
than these.

Write a computer code

or Excel formula and ask Explain how the ‘for’ loop works in Python, and provide an example
ChatGPT to explain how it code
works

What main topics need to be covered on this topic: African indigenous

Use ChatGPT to plan projects
plants? Evaluate the output against the assignment requirements and
and essays
the module content to make sure you address the main points.

Uses of ChatGPT for students to enhance students’ productivity:

Task Examples of ChatGPT prompt (input)

Proofread written work

and check for grammar,
Proofread the following text: …
punctuation, and spelling
errors

Create an Excel formula to

Create an Excel formula to calculate the average of a range of cells.
automate calculations

Create PowerPoint slides for Create ten slide PowerPoint presentation on the topic of renewable
presentations energy or use your own text. Then personalise it to your style.

Generate code for various

programming languages and Write a Python program that calculates the Fibonacci sequence
applications

Write a CV based on the following information …; follow-up prompt:

Edit your CV, write a cover Use my CV to write a cover letter based on the following key
letter, and prepare for an requirements in the job description – paste job description; follow-up
interview prompt: Give me ten possible interview questions and the appropriate
reply to them based on my CV and the job description.

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Uses of ChatGPT for students for personalised 24/7 free Tutor support:

Task Examples of ChatGPT prompt (input)

Explain and teach a topic like Teach me how to solve cubic equations and include a quiz at the end.
a tutor Allow me to answer, and if it is wrong, explain the steps.

Summarise long or complex

Write a half-page summary about the main ideas of “ ... ”. Evaluate the
readings to make it easier to
output against the assignment requirements and the module content
understand and retain critical
to make sure you address the main points.
concepts

Solve the following quadratic equation: x^2 + 5x + 6 = 0 and explain

the steps.
Assist with homework
Follow-up prompt: Give an example of a real-world problem that
E.g., Calculate could be solved using this formula. Then use these steps to solve
equations with different values to practice solving these equations
yourself.

Generate alternative
phrasing or synonyms to Provide an alternative phrasing for the sentence: ‘The research
improve the quality and findings were inconclusive’.
clarity of written work

Identify prior knowledge

What prior knowledge do I need to understand the principles of
required to understand a
supply and demand in economics?
topic

Translate the following passage from English into isiXhosa: ‘The

Translate into home internet has revolutionised how people communicate and share
languages information. If you are unsure if the output is correct, check it with
another person who knows both languages’.

Break down the steps involved in solving a quadratic equation and

Provide scaffolding support
explain each step in simple terms.

Provide an example of a deductive argument and an inductive

Ask ChatGPT for examples
argument, and explain the difference between the two.

Provide coding support and

Explain how to use a ‘for’ loop in Python to iterate over a list of
explanations for different
numbers.
programming languages

Give study tips or ideas

to improve marks or time What are some effective study strategies for preparing for exams?
management tips

Create a glossary of terms for Create a glossary of terms for an introduction to psychology course in
a topic in different languages English and isiZulu.

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 Generate questions and
Generate ten multiple-choice questions and answers on the topic of
answers for studying or test
organic chemistry.
preparation

Review my essay on climate change and provide feedback on its clarity

Get feedback on written work
and organisation.

Summary
ChatGPT is a valuable tool for higher education due to its many strengths. One of its key strengths is its
automation and 24/7 availability, which provides instant support for students and educators. It also offers
personalised assistance, helping students better understand complex topics. Additionally, ChatGPT’s
scalability allows it to handle multiple inquiries simultaneously, making it an efficient support system. It is
also cost-effective compared to traditional educational support systems. ChatGPT’s ability to summarise
information in an easy-to-understand way promotes self-directed learning, and its speedy answers save
time for both students and educators. Its multilingual capability ensures accessibility for a broader range
of users, while its quick accessibility and availability mean that support is always available whenever
needed.

While ChatGPT has many strengths, it also has some weaknesses when used in higher education. One
of its main limitations is its limited contextual understanding, which can lead to incorrect or irrelevant
answers. Its dependence on data quality and quantity can also lead to biases or limitations, and the lack
of references makes it difficult to verify the accuracy of the information provided. Therefore, it is essential
to carefully evaluate the limitations of ChatGPT and use it in conjunction with other educational resources,
and never to replace practising and learning critical human reflection.

Other interesting links:

• Critical AI: Adapting college writing for the age of large language models such as ChatGPT: some next
steps for educator

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