Adapting the Module: A Step-by-Step Guide for Teachers

Start with simple adaptations, test them, and then decide what is worth refining further. Your expert judgement is key to the process. Below are some suggestions and prompt examples for adapting the template modules to fit your needs. 

I. SIMPLE QUICK ADAPTATIONS

1. Start with a template (e.g., Cold War module)
   1. Go to the “Modules” page, open a module and click on the "ChatGPT prompt" tab. Then, click to copy and paste into ChatGPT, which will then ask you…
      
      ChatGPT: 
      Before I create the parallel module, could you please tell me:
      What subject and specific topic the new module should cover?
      What grade level the module should be designed for?
      (Optional) What learning outcome or skill you would like the module to support?
       

2. Prompt ChatGPT to adapt the module to a different topic

   User:
   Adapt the module to fit a [insert grade] [insert subject] class studying [topic]. (Optionally: It would be great if the module helped students with [insert learning goal])
    

   1. ….in the same subject (History). For example:
      
      User:
      Adapt the module to fit a [10th grade history] class studying the [“French Revolution”]. (Optionally: It would be great if the module helped students [understand changes in political systems such as absolutism and parliamentarism].)
       
   2. … in a different subject (Literature). For example: 
      
      User:
      Adapt the module to fit a [10th grade literature] class studying [“Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment”]. (Optionally: It would be great if the module helped students [interpret moral and philosophical themes, such as guilt, justice, and redemption].)
      
      Note: the Cold War (History) template module adapts well to other social science and humanities topics and less well to science topics. However, the Osmosis (Biology) template module adapts well to other science topics. 
       
3. Make easy improvements on the adapted module
   1. Tell ChatGPT to do a self-assessment on what is and is not working well in the adapted module. For example:
      
      User:
      Act as an instructional designer and review the adapted learning module. Using outline for, tell me (1) what works well, (2) anything confusing or clunky for students, and (3) one or two specific improvements that would make the activity clearer or more effective with real students. Be honest! 
       
   2. You can also simply remark on what you do and do not like about the current module, and instruct ChatGPT to provide concrete suggestions for improvement.
      
      User:
      Implement suggestion [2]
       
   3. Exercise your expert judgement to use or discard the suggestions. 

II. DEEPER CURRICULUM INTEGRATION & INSTRUCTIONAL ALIGNMENT

1. Combine the module with your teaching materials (e.g., lesson plans, other assignments). For example, after the initial module adaptation:
   
   User:
   I’m going to [attach my lesson plans that describe how I’ve taught my students]. I’d like you to:
   
   (1) evaluate how well this learning module supports learning objectives in the attached, and
   (2) offer specific suggestions for how the module could be adapted or improved to better align with my learning goals for students.
   
   (Attach the file)
   
   ChatGPT generates an answer
   
   User:
   Show me what it would look like to implement [suggestion 2-A, Require students to anchor their interpretation in specific moments from the novel]
    
2. Customize to focus on the particular academic challenge you noticed in class:
   
   User:
   I am noticing that my students struggled to understand [Raskolnikov’s idea that some “extraordinary individuals” can break moral rules for a greater purpose]. Can you update the module so that the interview questions help students examine that idea more closely and see how different characters respond to it?
   
   (Example is from Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment)
    
3. Change the module to become interdisciplinary:
   
   User: I want my students to think about how [the Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment grows out of its historical moment. Good historical questions help students realize that Raskolnikov’s ideas and struggles were part of real debates happening in 19th-century Russia.] Make suggestions on how to integrate this [historical thinking] into this module. 

III. CUSTOMIZATION AND REFINEMENT

1. Edit the length structure: shorten the module by 25%; remove the Step 1
2. Reframe the content: revise the introduction so it connects the themes of this module to modern situations students might recognize
3. Add an in-class component: Add a 10–15 minute class discussion activity that I can use after students complete the module

Note: After all the changes, you may need to ask ChatGPT to give you the whole module with all the adaptations, using the following prompt:

User: Please give me the whole module with all the changes we made.