Faculty work includes many tasks that are intellectually important but operationally repetitive: turning a topic into discussion questions, drafting a rubric, generating examples, brainstorming activities, or adapting explanations for different levels of student readiness.
ChatGPT can help you move faster on those tasks, especially when you treat it as a collaborator in planning and iteration rather than a source of finished teaching materials. The goal is not to remove your judgment. The goal is to spend more of your time on course design, disciplinary expertise, and student interaction.
When To Use ChatGPT:
Use this workflow when:
- you want to identify which teaching tasks are worth testing with ChatGPT
- you are preparing materials for an upcoming course or seminar
- you need help generating options before choosing an instructional approach
- you want to reduce blank-page time without outsourcing course ownership
Why It Works
Faculty often know what they need done, but not always the fastest way to brief the tool. Asking ChatGPT to suggest high-value faculty workflows helps because it translates broad teaching responsibilities into concrete promptable tasks.
That shift matters. "Help me use AI in teaching" is too broad. "Give me three ways to use ChatGPT when I am planning a discussion-heavy seminar" is actionable. Once the task is concrete, the quality of the output usually improves.
Try This Prompt
I teach at a university and I want to use ChatGPT in ways that support, rather than replace, my teaching judgment.
Based on that goal, give me 3 high-value workflows for a faculty member. For each one, include: - when to use it - a sample prompt - what I should review or revise myself before using the result with students |
What Good Looks Like
A strong response should:
- recommend workflows that fit the realities of course preparation
- keep the faculty member in control of pedagogy and standards
- produce prompts that are specific enough to reuse
- flag where disciplinary accuracy, tone, or learning goals need human review
The most useful outputs usually lead to a second step. For example, if ChatGPT suggests discussion planning as a workflow, the next prompt should help you generate or refine those questions for a specific class session.
Refine Your Prompt
Try follow-ups like:
- "Now tailor these workflows for a first-year writing course."
- "Make one of these workflows specifically about designing discussion prompts from a reading."
- "Adapt these ideas for a STEM lab course with mixed student preparation."
- "Show me which of these tasks are best for drafting versus revising."
Use Responsibly
Students should experience your judgment, not generic pedagogy. Review everything for disciplinary fit, difficulty level, accessibility, and alignment with your course goals. If your institution or department has guidance on AI use in teaching, follow that policy alongside your own professional standards.
Try This Next
After identifying one strong workflow, use ChatGPT to plan a specific class meeting, seminar, or activity sequence.
