Below is a detailed **Lesson Plan** for **Week 3, Session 1** of the Prompt Engineering Specialization

course, titled *"Optimizing Prompt Design: Clarity and Specificity."* This session builds on the
foundational techniques from Weeks 1 and 2 (zero-shot, one-shot, few-shot prompting, and role
assignment) by focusing on how to refine prompts for better clarity and specificity. It’s designed for a 90-
minute class (1.5 hours), combining lecture, demonstration, and interactive activities to enhance
students’ ability to craft effective prompts.

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### Lesson Plan: Week 3, Session 1

**Title**: Optimizing Prompt Design: Clarity and Specificity

**Date**: [Insert specific date, e.g., September 16, 2025, assuming a Tuesday/Thursday schedule]

**Duration**: 90 minutes

**Location**: Classroom or virtual platform (e.g., Zoom)

**Instructor**: [Your Name]

**Target Audience**: College students (beginner to intermediate level, mixed technical backgrounds)

**Prerequisites**: Attendance at prior sessions; experience crafting basic prompts with a generative AI
tool

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### Learning Objectives

By the end of this session, students will:

1. Understand the principles of clarity and specificity in prompt design.

2. Identify common pitfalls that lead to vague or misinterpreted AI outputs.

3. Apply techniques to optimize prompts for precise, reliable results.

4. Critique and refine prompts to improve their effectiveness.

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### Materials Needed

- Access to a generative AI tool (e.g., ChatGPT, Grok, or a free platform) for demos and student use

- Whiteboard or digital equivalent (e.g., Jamboard) for notes and student contributions

- Handout: "Prompt Optimization Checklist" (optional, with tips like "Use active verbs," "Define scope")

- Internet-enabled devices: Instructor’s computer for demo; students’ laptops/tablets (or lab computers)

- Homework submissions: Students’ notes from Week 2, Session 2 (few-shot prompt with a role + tweak
idea)

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### Session Schedule

#### 0:00–0:10 | Welcome and Homework Debrief (10 minutes)

- **Activity**: Few-Shot and Role Reflections

- Instructor welcomes students, recaps Week 2 (few-shot prompting and role assignment as ways to
guide AI).

- Ask 2-3 volunteers to share their homework:

- “What was your few-shot prompt with a role?” (e.g., “As a poet, write a haiku like ‘Moon glows…’”)

- “What tweak did you suggest?” (e.g., “Add ‘in 5-7-5 syllables’ for structure.”)

- Note insights on whiteboard (e.g., “Examples help,” “Roles need clarity”).

- **Purpose**: Connect prior learning to today’s focus on optimization, highlight tweak ideas as a lead-
in.

- **Transition**: “Your tweaks show how small changes matter. Today, we’ll dive into making prompts
crystal clear and specific.”

#### 0:10–0:30 | Lecture: Principles of Clarity and Specificity (20 minutes)

- **Content**:

- **Clarity**: Use simple, direct language; avoid jargon or ambiguity.

- Bad: “Make it good.” → Good: “Write a concise, positive review.”

- Bad: “Tell me about dogs.” → Good: “List three traits of golden retrievers in 50 words.”

- **Why It Matters**: Vague prompts lead to irrelevant or rambling outputs; specific prompts align AI
to intent.

- **Techniques**: Active verbs (“List” vs. “Talk”), constraints (“in 3 sentences”), explicit goals (“for
beginners”).

- **Delivery**:

- Slides with before/after examples:

- “Describe a city.” → “Describe New York’s culture in 100 words for tourists.”

- “Write something funny.” → “Write a 2-line joke about cats as a comedian.”

- Live Demo (5 minutes):

- Vague: “Explain space.” → Shows rambling output.

- Specific: “Explain how satellites orbit Earth in 3 simple sentences.” → Shows focused output.

- Ask, “What made the second one better?”

- **Engagement**: Pause at 0:25 to ask, “What’s a vague prompt you’ve used?” (Quick responses, e.g.,
“Be creative”).

- **Purpose**: Establish optimization as a practical skill, grounded in examples.

#### 0:30–0:40 | Break (10 minutes)

- **Activity**: Students stretch or chat; instructor preps for activity.

- **Purpose**: Refresh focus for hands-on work.

#### 0:40–1:15 | Activity: Rewrite and Test Vague Prompts (35 minutes)

- **Content**: Students optimize vague prompts, test them, and compare results.

- **Activity**: Prompt Refinement Challenge

1. **Setup (5 min)**:

- Instructor explains: “You’ll take a vague prompt, rewrite it with clarity and specificity, then test both
versions.”

- Provide starter prompts (or let students use their own):

- “Write about nature.”

- “Tell a story.”

- Ensure tool access (e.g., Grok/ChatGPT link or lab setup).

2. **Individual Work (15 min)**:

- Students:

- Test the vague prompt (e.g., “Write about nature” → rambling output).

- Rewrite it (e.g., “Describe a forest’s ecosystem in 3 sentences for kids.”) and test again.

- Note differences in output quality.

- Stretch goal: Add a role (e.g., “As a ranger…”).

3. **Pair Critique (15 min)**:

- Pair up with a classmate.

- Share original prompt, rewritten version, and outputs.

- Discuss: “Did specificity help? What else could improve it?”

- Instructor circulates, asking, “Why did this change work?” or “What’s still unclear?”

- **Facilitation**: Encourage specificity (e.g., “Add a word count!”) and reflection.

- **Purpose**: Practice optimization hands-on, learn from peer insights.

#### 1:15–1:30 | Wrap-Up and Preview (15 minutes)

- **Content**:

- Recap: “Clarity cuts confusion; specificity sets boundaries. Together, they make AI work for you.”

- Debrief Activity: Invite 1-2 pairs to share (e.g., “My vague story was chaos; specifics made it a
thriller!”). Note tips on whiteboard (e.g., “Scope matters”).

- Next Session Preview: “We’ll tackle ambiguity and AI’s limits—how to handle when it still goes off
track.”

- Homework: “Take a vague prompt (yours or ours), rewrite it with clarity/specificity, test both, and
bring results.”

- **Activity**: Quick Q&A (e.g., “Any outputs surprise you?” “Need tool help?”).

- **Purpose**: Reinforce learning, celebrate refinement skills, and set up Session 2.

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### Assessment

- **Formative**:

- Participation in debrief and activity (observed engagement).

- Quality of rewritten prompts during activity (informal feedback).

- **No graded deliverables**: Focus on skill development.

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### Contingency Plans

- **If time runs short**: Shorten pair critique to 10 minutes, summarizing key takeaways as a group.

- **If tech fails**: Use pre-prepared outputs (e.g., “Here’s what ‘Write about nature’ gave me…”).

- **If students struggle**: Offer a guided rewrite (e.g., “Try ‘List 3 nature facts in 30 words’”).

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### Post-Session Notes for Instructor

- Reflect: Did students grasp clarity vs. specificity? Any common pitfalls?

- Prep for Session 2: Prepare examples of ambiguity/limits, review homework trends.

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This plan advances students’ ability to control AI outputs through deliberate prompt design, keeping it
practical and interactive. It’s beginner-friendly yet challenges students to think critically about precision.
Let me know if you’d like adjustments—like more examples or a different activity!