Since 2022, there has been a revolution in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) called Generative Artificial Intelligence, or Gen AI. Gen AI is based on algorithms that are created to help it learn patterns from large sets of data to produce new content. While other technology, such as the personal computer or the Internet, has been introduced into HEIs, Gen AI has led to heated academic debates and opposed positions regarding its place in HEIs and its use by students and faculty members. For example, some argue that Gen AI has become more trustworthy and reliable, while others critique Gen AI’s inability to do critical thinking or complex analytical tasks. ChatGPT and other technologies have been labeled ‘disruptive innovations’ that could revolutionize academia. Of the many examples of Gen AI, one of the most prevalent is ChatGPT. This study will investigate one of the lesser-researched areas in the research thus far, i.e., prompt engineering. Previous research has defined prompt engineering as the strategic means of producing the ideal prompt that will help the user to achieve a specific goal. Gen AI functions by giving a detailed response according to instructions in a prompt. No prompt means no output. Nonetheless, there are best practices to consider when drafting the prompts. According to the literature, effective prompts are based on clarity, specificity, and context. Thus, we drafted ten versions of the same prompt, and ChatGPT drafted ten to gauge if both sets of prompts were equally effective. A content analysis was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the prompts. The prompts were also assessed using a rubric based on three criteria – clarity, specificity, and context. All twenty prompts were compared to create a ranking of prompt efficacy. We found that several of our prompts ranked higher than those created by ChatGPT. From the results, our prompt ranked first with a perfect score of 30, although the scores for all prompts were quite close. To conclude, we will share best practices for using prompt engineering in HEIs and tips for writing better prompts.
