Welcome!
Use this page as the follow-along hub for Abilene sessions. Below you'll find session slides, a short recap of what the session covered, copy-ready prompt starters, and current OpenAI Academy resources to keep momentum going after the event.
Quick reminders - Protect sensitive personal, student, staff, and business data.
- Use Search or Deep Research when you need current, cited information.
- Keep a human in the loop for important decisions and external communications.
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Prompting checklist - Task: what you want ChatGPT to do.
- Context: what it should know about your audience, constraints, or files.
- Expectation: what done looks like - format, tone, length, and required sections.
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Morning: Small Business Track
Created for owners, operators, and small teams who want practical AI for everyday work.
What this session covers
- Getting started with ChatGPT and responsible use basics.
- How to get better results with prompting and meta-prompting.
- Which tools to use first: Search, Data Analysis, Apps, Voice Mode, and Projects.
- Practical small-business workflows like customer replies, hiring, planning, marketing, and SOPs.
- How to turn a recurring task into a reusable assistant or GPT.
Starter prompts
I run a [type of business]. Give me 3 practical ways ChatGPT can help me save time this week.
Write a clear customer update and an internal action plan for a delayed order. Return: 1) a customer email, 2) a 30-second phone script, 3) a 5-step internal checklist.
Analyze the uploaded file. First tell me what it is, how clean it is, and what context is missing. Then show the biggest patterns, one simple chart, and the top 3 actions this business should take next.
Using the notes attached, create: 1) a customer-ready summary, 2) an internal checklist, 3) a short follow-up email.
Learning resources
- Small Business Prompt Pack - Ready-to-use prompt examples for planning, customer communications, operations, and day-to-day small-business work.
- Small Business Community - The best ongoing home for new resources, future events, and peer examples tailored to small-business owners.
Afternoon: Students, faculty, and staff
Created for students, educators, and campus staff who want practical AI support for learning, communication, planning, and career readiness.
What this session covers
- Getting comfortable with ChatGPT, responsible use, and institution-aware AI habits.
- Academic workflows: understanding learning materials, reading files, drafting and translating messages, and improving written work.
- Study and project planning with Projects, timelines, and structured follow-through.
- Career readiness workflows like resume bullets, cover letters, and interview practice.
- How to build a reusable assistant for a recurring course, campus, or support workflow.
Starter prompts
I am a [student / teacher / administrator] at [institution]. Give me 3 practical ways ChatGPT could help me this week.
Summarize the uploaded document in plain language. Then give me 3 versions of help: 1) a student-friendly explanation, 2) an educator version with next steps, 3) an admin version with actions and follow-ups.
Turn these notes into: 1) a short student-facing announcement, 2) a family email, 3) a staff update. Then translate the family email into Spanish. Keep the tone clear, warm, and practical.
Help me study for my circuits exam. I am a second-year engineering student preparing for an upcoming exam. Create a 3-week revision plan with daily study goals and topic breakdowns.
Learning resources
- ChatGPT on Campus collection - A higher-ed collection that bundles introductory campus content on prompts, academic success, organization, career prep, and collaboration.
- Prompt Pack for Faculty - Ready-to-use prompts for teaching, research, course design, and student feedback workflows.
Go deeper
- Data analysis - How to upload files, inspect data quality, surface patterns, and create charts inside ChatGPT.
- Projects - How to organize repeatable work with shared files, instructions, and context across chats.
- Custom GPTs - How to turn a good repeatable workflow into a reusable assistant.
- Deep research - Best for source-heavy, cited research tasks that go beyond a quick answer.
Suggested next step after the event
- Pick one recurring task you already do every week.
- Use one of the prompt starters above and revise it until the output is genuinely useful.
- If the workflow repeats, save it in a Project or turn it into a custom GPT.
- Stay tuned for more OpenAI Academy programming coming soon to Abilene.
