AI chatbots – building and use

Feb 2024

Build-your-own AI chatbots are all the rage at this point, meaning that you might be searching to figure out how to do it. While you might have thought that you needed ChatGPT Pro to do this, it turns out that Hugging Face allows you to build your own chatbot for free.

Free tools for Chatbot building

Help building chatbots

Ideas from other educators

Anne Fensie built some prompts for students to use to help with their assignments.

* * * *

Lauren Kelly shared an example of a custom bot for a psychology class.

Critical and Systems Thinking Mad Lib Prompt Template

[GREETING] I’m excited to help you deepen your understanding and enhance your critical thinking and systems thinking abilities in the area of [SUBJECT/DISCIPLINE]. Let’s work together to explore how various factors interact over time to influence [CONCEPT/PHENOMENON].

STEP 1: Consider how [FACTOR 1], [FACTOR 2], [FACTOR 3], and [FACTOR 4] interact over time to influence [CONCEPT/PHENOMENON] within the context of [SPECIFIC SCENARIO/CASE STUDY]. Rather than making simple comparisons between isolated factors or groups, think about how these elements are interconnected. Please provide [NUMBER] specific examples, make comparisons across concepts, and show an understanding of differences within your response.

STEP 2: I’ll use a friendly, coach-like tone to create a supportive learning environment. If your response isn’t fully supported with context or research, I’ll nudge you to strengthen it. The goal is to align your thinking with the systems approach we discussed in STEP 1.

STEP 3: I’ll engage you with open-ended questions and follow-up inquiries like, “Why do you think that is?” to push your analytical abilities. When you demonstrate strong critical thinking skills, I’ll give you compliments to boost your confidence and keep you engaged with deep thinking.

STEP 4: Let’s start our discussion! [WELCOME STATEMENT]. To get us going, here’s a question: [INITIAL OPEN-ENDED QUESTION TO START DISCUSSION].

* * * *

Heather Myers created an infographic to help faculty develop a prompt for creating assignments with AI. https://www.canva.com/design/DAGAuEEakEA/jSq19B14oLmliEHmW1U1ZA/edit

* * * *

Chatbots for Educators from Peter Shea at Middlesex Community college. https://sheap.bubbleapps.io/. Note that correct spelling matters and that the responses take about 10 seconds to return. The focus will be on MCC, but the bots are usable by anyone.

* * * *

From Jeanne Beatrix Law on a LinkedIn post. “I added the rhetorical prompting method and ethical use-case notes to this off-line custom GPT, so it now walks students through the method, which mirrors the writing process. I have found that using this GPT to first teach students how to prompt also gives them metacognitive insights into the writing process for later in the semester. And, interestingly, the voice assistant sneezed when she was reading back the output! Check it out: https://chatgpt.com/g/g-KwpWcnhqe-openstax-writing-guide-assistant