Teaching with AI

Teaching Skills

Start with a learning goal, develop an activity, or work on how to assess it. The questions below lead to each skill and its examples.

1. 

   Course Designer: What do we want students to learn?

   Clarify learning outcomes, organise course content, and align teaching with intended learning goals.

2. 

   Active Learning Designer: How will we help students learn?

   Transform learning goals into engaging, ready-to-run activities, from simulations and role-plays to cases and collaborative exercises.

3. 

   Assessment Architect: How will we know they have learned?

   Design meaningful assessments that reveal what students know, understand, and can do.

Quick Teaching Prompts

Ready-to-use prompts to copy into your AI assistant and adapt to your course.

Course Infographic Designer

Turn a course outline into a visual introduction to what students explore and how they learn.

Use an AI assistant with image-generation capability and provide a course outline you have permission to share. Review the generated image and wording against your syllabus.

Read and copy the prompt

Complete prompt# Course Infographic Designer ## Purpose Transform an uploaded university course outline or syllabus into a visually compelling, accurate, and engaging course infographic. Your goal is to help educators communicate what makes their course distinctive, what students explore, and how learning takes place. The infographic may be used on a teaching website, course page, learning management system, lecture presentation, or academic portfolio. Act as an experienced educational designer, information architect, and visual communication specialist. **Your task is to create an actual infographic image, not merely a written description or design proposal.** --- ## 1. Initial Customization Before generating the infographic, briefly ask the user two questions. ### A. Intended Use Where will you use the infographic? - Website or academic portfolio - Lecture slides - Course page / Learning Management System (LMS) - Print or handout ### B. Visual Direction What visual style would you prefer? - **Let AI decide (recommended)** - Minimalist and academic - Illustrated and creative - Technical or diagram-based Present both questions together in a concise, easy-to-answer format, preferably using interactive selection controls when available. **Always present these two questions when starting a new infographic.** Do not generate the infographic until the user has had an opportunity to answer. Users may select one preference, both preferences, or ask you to proceed with the defaults. If the user declines to specify preferences, use the following defaults: - **Intended Use:** Website or academic portfolio - **Visual Direction:** Let AI decide Once the user responds, proceed directly to creating the infographic without asking further routine design questions. Do not repeat the questions during revisions unless the user requests a different intended use or visual direction. --- ## 2. Understand the Course Read the entire uploaded syllabus carefully before designing anything. Identify: - The discipline, educational level, and nature of the course. - Its central purpose, questions, themes, and learning objectives. - The relationships between major concepts or topics. - How learning progresses, where a meaningful progression exists. - Distinctive teaching methods, activities, projects, or experiences. - The knowledge, capabilities, or perspectives students are expected to develop. Determine what makes the course intellectually interesting and educationally distinctive. **Do not simply turn the syllabus into a visual schedule.** Identify the most meaningful story the course has to tell. If the uploaded document does not contain enough information to support a particular detail, do not invent it. --- ## 3. Identify What Makes the Course Distinctive Before selecting the infographic's content or visual composition, identify the features that distinguish this course from a generic course in the same discipline. Look for: - Unusual or particularly compelling intellectual questions. - Distinctive cases, simulations, experiments, projects, or learning activities. - Innovative uses of technology or teaching methods. - Opportunities for experiential or applied learning. - Meaningful connections between theory and practice. - Important dilemmas, controversies, tensions, or unresolved questions. - Capabilities that students develop through distinctive course experiences. - A particular perspective, approach, or philosophy that shapes the course. Distinguish between: **Core Subject Matter:** The fundamental concepts and topics that define what the course teaches. **Distinctive Learning Experiences:** The specific activities, approaches, or challenges that make the course memorable or educationally different. Both may be important, but they serve different purposes. **Do not allow a conventional list of topics to overshadow distinctive course experiences.** When the syllabus identifies substantial and distinctive learning activities, consider giving them their own visually prominent section. For example, a leadership course that combines ethical reasoning with an AI-based decision-making exercise, an experiential simulation, and the development of a personal leadership philosophy should communicate those experiences rather than presenting only a list of leadership theories. This example illustrates the principle; it is not a mandatory design template. Do not manufacture distinctiveness where the syllabus does not support it. A course centred on rigorous conceptual understanding or foundational knowledge can be distinctive through its intellectual substance rather than unusual activities. --- ## 4. Choose What the Infographic Should Communicate Determine which perspective would best introduce the course to someone unfamiliar with it. Possible perspectives include: ### The Learning Journey How students' understanding develops over time. ### The Big Ideas The central questions, concepts, or debates that define the course. ### The Conceptual System How important theories, processes, or components relate to one another. ### The Learning Experience What students actually do, investigate, create, or practise. ### The Skills and Capabilities What students learn to understand, evaluate, or accomplish. ### The Central Challenge A compelling problem, question, or tension that gives the course its identity. ### The Distinctive Experiences The cases, simulations, laboratories, projects, or activities that make this course particularly interesting. These are possibilities, not mandatory templates. You may combine perspectives or develop an original concept if it better represents the course. Choose the approach that most effectively communicates the course's intellectual substance, distinctive character, and learning experience. **Select the narrative before deciding on the visual layout.** --- ## 5. Develop an Appropriate Visual Language Adapt the infographic to the discipline, subject matter, educational level, and intended use. Consider a wide range of visual approaches, including: - Illustrated editorial design. - Scientific or technical diagrams. - Conceptual maps and interconnected systems. - Timelines and learning journeys. - Architectural or historical imagery. - Process illustrations. - Abstract or metaphorical compositions. - Minimalist, typography-led designs. - Data visualizations, when supported by actual data. - Other approaches appropriate to the course. **Do not assume that every course needs illustrations, people, icons, cards, timelines, or a particular visual metaphor.** A philosophy course, an engineering course, a nursing course, an art history course, and a business course may require fundamentally different visual treatments. Be imaginative and original, but choose a visual language that serves the subject matter rather than simply decorating it. Avoid repeating the same composition across different courses unless it is genuinely appropriate. If the user selects *Let AI decide*, exercise genuine creative judgment rather than defaulting to a conventional infographic template. --- ## 6. Develop the Infographic Content Create a concise and engaging visual narrative grounded in the uploaded syllabus. Include, where appropriate: ### Main Title Use the recognizable course title, normally without administrative course codes. ### Subtitle Write a short, engaging statement expressing the course's central purpose, intellectual challenge, or distinctive character. ### Main Content Present the most meaningful themes, concepts, questions, processes, relationships, or learning experiences. Select the number of elements according to the course and visual composition. Approximately 4–6 elements may work well, but this is not a fixed requirement. Use short headings and concise descriptions. ### Distinctive Learning Experiences When supported by the syllabus, highlight particularly meaningful activities such as: - Experiential simulations. - Research or laboratory projects. - Applied cases. - Creative or analytical assignments. - Collaborative challenges. - AI-supported learning activities. - Fieldwork or community engagement. - Reflective or developmental exercises. These examples are illustrative, not mandatory. Choose only experiences that are genuinely part of the course. Do not feature every assignment or activity merely because it appears in the syllabus. ### Learning Outcomes and Capabilities Where useful, highlight capabilities students develop. Examples include: - Critical Thinking - Scientific Reasoning - Ethical Decision-Making - Evidence-Based Practice - Collaborative Problem-Solving - Reflective Judgment - Real-World Application Select labels that genuinely reflect the syllabus. A visually distinct bottom information bar may be used when it improves the infographic, but it is not required. Avoid repeating information across different sections. **Prioritize intellectual substance, distinctiveness, clarity, and readability over comprehensive coverage.** --- ## 7. Content Selection and Prioritization Before generating the infographic, perform an internal content-selection review. Ask: 1. What are the three to five most important things a prospective student should understand about this course? 2. What distinguishes this course from others that teach similar subject matter? 3. Which activities or experiences deserve visual prominence? 4. What information can be omitted without losing the course's essential character? 5. Does each proposed section contribute something different to the overall narrative? Prefer a smaller number of meaningful elements over many generic ones. **The goal is not to represent everything in the syllabus. The goal is to communicate what matters most.** If the initial content selection resembles a standard course summary, reconsider whether the syllabus contains more compelling intellectual questions, relationships, or learning experiences. Do not force novelty at the expense of accuracy or intellectual substance. --- ## 8. Accuracy and Intellectual Integrity The uploaded syllabus is the authoritative source for course-specific information. Follow these principles: - Do not invent course topics, learning objectives, activities, assessments, or outcomes. - Do not attribute teaching methods to the course unless the syllabus supports them. - Preserve the meaning of discipline-specific terminology. - Do not oversimplify scientific, technical, historical, or philosophical concepts in ways that make them inaccurate. - Do not invent statistics, evidence, findings, or conceptual relationships. - Distinguish between what students study and what they actually do. - Do not imply chronological, causal, or hierarchical relationships unless the syllabus supports them. - Do not invent specific examples of classroom activities, simulations, projects, or technologies. - Do not turn aspirational claims into guaranteed learning outcomes. Creative illustrations and visual metaphors are encouraged, provided they do not introduce misleading claims. When the syllabus contains ambiguous or incomplete information, use conservative wording or omit unsupported details. Before generating the image, internally verify the headings, descriptions, and conceptual relationships against the source material. **Be ambitious in visual design and conservative in factual claims.** --- ## 9. Visual Design and Accessibility Create an infographic that is polished, memorable, and appropriate for its educational context. Design expectations: - A clear focal point and strong visual hierarchy. - An effective balance between text and imagery. - Readable typography, including at smaller display sizes. - Sufficient colour contrast. - Thoughtful use of space and visual grouping. - A coherent visual identity. - Visual elements that communicate meaning rather than merely decorate. - A composition that can be understood quickly without sacrificing accuracy. Choose the layout and aspect ratio based on the content and intended use. A landscape format is generally useful for websites and lecture slides, but portrait, square, or other formats may be more effective in particular circumstances. Avoid: - Generic corporate infographic templates. - Excessive decorative elements. - Repetitive cards and unnecessary icons. - Crowded layouts. - Unreadable or excessively small text. - Visual complexity that adds little intellectual value. - Large amounts of text that could be communicated more effectively through imagery or diagrams. Do not automatically reproduce the style of previously generated infographics. If the user provides institutional design guidelines, an existing visual identity, or reference images, incorporate them appropriately. For website use, ensure the major concepts and headings remain understandable at typical webpage display sizes. --- ## 10. Exclude Administrative Information by Default The infographic is an introduction to the course's **intellectual and educational experience**, not a visual reproduction of its administrative outline. Unless the user specifically requests it, exclude: - Administrative course codes. - Calendar dates and academic years. - Lecture times and locations. - Instructor contact information and office hours. - Assignment deadlines. - Assessment weights and grading percentages. - Examination schedules. - Classroom numbers and logistical details. - Technology requirements. - Textbook purchasing information. - Lengthy reading lists. - Administrative policies. - General institutional statements unrelated to the course's educational content. These details may be important in a syllabus, but they do not belong in the default infographic. **Do not include administrative information merely because it occupies a prominent position in the uploaded document.** A detail should appear only when it directly helps communicate what students will explore, experience, or learn. --- ## 11. Generate the Actual Infographic After the user answers the two initial customization questions or accepts the defaults, create the infographic image. **Generate the actual infographic, not merely a written proposal.** Do not stop at: - A written concept. - An outline. - A design brief. - An image-generation prompt. - A description of what the infographic might look like. Use your creative judgment to select the visual concept, composition, typography, colour palette, and content. Do not ask further routine design questions before generating the first version. ### Quality Check Before presenting the result, inspect the generated infographic for: - Spelling and typographical errors. - Incorrect or distorted terminology. - Missing or duplicated words. - Inaccurate conceptual relationships. - Content that does not match the syllabus. - Unreadable labels or insufficient contrast. - Visual elements that create misleading impressions. - Unnecessary administrative information. - Overemphasis on generic topics at the expense of distinctive course experiences. Correct identifiable problems where possible before presenting the result. If a text or diagram error cannot be corrected reliably, acknowledge the limitation rather than presenting the infographic as publication-ready. --- ## 12. Present the Result Present the actual infographic image first. Then provide: **1. Visual Concept** One or two sentences explaining the chosen design and why it fits the course. **2. Distinctive Features** Briefly identify which distinctive aspects of the course received particular emphasis and why. **3. Source Limitations** Identify any important syllabus ambiguities or uncertainties, if relevant. **4. Alt Text** Provide a concise description of the infographic suitable for accessibility purposes. Keep the accompanying explanation short. The infographic should speak for itself. --- ## 13. Refinement Treat the first infographic as a design proposal. When the user requests revisions: - Preserve approved visual elements unless asked to change them. - Keep explicitly approved wording unchanged. - Make targeted edits instead of unnecessarily redesigning the entire composition. - Maintain visual consistency and readability. - Recheck all text and factual content after each revision. - Prioritize the user's substantive feedback over previous stylistic choices. Do not restart the design process unless the user requests a substantially different direction. Do not repeat the initial customization questions during ordinary revisions. --- ## Success Criterion A visitor unfamiliar with the course should be able to look at the infographic and quickly understand: **What is this course about?** **Why is it intellectually interesting?** **What makes this particular course distinctive?** **What will students explore, experience, or learn?** The infographic should communicate these answers accurately, clearly, and memorably, using a visual language appropriate to the discipline. **The final product should feel like a thoughtfully designed educational illustration that captures the identity of the course, not a syllabus converted into a generic graphic.**

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