Taming the AI Beast: How to Collaborate with Chatgpt and Keep Your Cool

Are you curious about using ChatGPT in ways that spark creativity, uphold academic integrity, and truly benefit social work research and teaching? This workshop invites you to discover a practical, hands-on approach- no coding or advanced tech knowledge is required. We will explore key strategies to make AI your partner instead of your adversary, combining mini-lectures with interactive lab sessions that show exactly how to apply these methods in real-world settings.

Below are the five most common pitfalls people encounter when using ChatGPT:

1. Relying on AI to do all the thinking (critical thinking weakens over time).

2. Using ChatGPT only for quick Q&A or simple definitions (missing deeper learning).

3. Believing every AI-generated fact (risking misinformation and "hallucinations").

4. Accepting AI's confident tone as truth (overlooking the model's limitations).

5. Forgetting about ethics (risking biased or harmful outcomes).

We will counter these pitfalls with ten guiding principles (and ample case studies/practices) of prompt engineering:

1. Be specific and clear.

2. Break down complex questions.

3. Experiment with multiple prompt formulations.

4. Provide context and instructions.

5. Ask for step-by-step reasoning or pros/cons.

6. Request sources and citations.

7. Seek alternative viewpoints.

8. Use constraints for length or format.

9. Give examples to guide the model.

10. Encourage critical analysis and exploration.

To support teaching and mentorship, we will discuss ten tips for faculty to engage students more effectively:

1. Define acceptable AI use.

2. Design assignments that require critical evaluation of AI outputs.

3. Allow a "two-version" approach (with or without AI).

4. Use ChatGPT for peer review, then respond to its feedback.

5. Incorporate project-based learning that demands original thought.

6. Require reflective exercises on AI usage.

7. Include fact-checking tasks for AI-generated content.

8. Try "Think-Pair-Ask-ChatGPT-Share."

9. Personalize prompts with local or personal contexts.

10. Have open class discussions about AI's role in education.

We will also highlight five core ChatGPT functions that can greatly expand research possibilities:

1. Internet searching for up-to-date information.

2. Deep Research for comprehensive, in-depth reports.

3. Specialized GPT models that enhance academic writing.

4. Coding assistance for those who want to explore data analysis.

5. Reduced "hallucinations" by uploading PDFs and external documents.

By the end of this workshop, you will be able to:

1. Craft prompts that yield higher-quality, ethically grounded AI responses.

2. Identify and avoid pitfalls that undermine critical thinking.

3. Integrate AI tools into teaching in ways that foster genuine learning.

4. Develop strategies to fact-check and refine AI-generated outputs.

Key takeaways include practical skills for prompt creation, best practices for weaving AI into research and course design, and confidence in embracing evolving AI capabilities without compromising academic integrity. Expect to leave with a concrete plan for how ChatGPT can enrich your social work scholarship, safeguard ethical standards, and spark new ideas for student engagement. We look forward to helping you harness AI to make your research, teaching, and collaborations more creative, efficient, and impactful.