For Public Services Librarians ·
What you'll accomplish
You'll use ChatGPT to prepare complete one-shot instruction sessions — lesson plans with learning outcomes, timed activity outlines, hands-on exercises, and assessment questions — in 30 minutes instead of 3 hours.
What you'll need
Go to chat.openai.com. Click New chat. You'll see a blank text input at the bottom of the screen.
Tell ChatGPT everything it needs to produce a relevant lesson plan:
I'm a librarian preparing a one-shot information literacy instruction session. Here are the details:
- Course: [course name]
- Student level: [first-year undergrads / nursing students / high school seniors / adult learners]
- Session length: [45 / 60 / 75 minutes]
- Learning goals the instructor mentioned: [any specific requests]
- Databases my library has: [list 2-3 relevant ones]
- Room setup: [computer lab / auditorium / regular classroom / virtual via Zoom]
Help me create a complete lesson plan for this session.
What you should see: ChatGPT may ask one or two clarifying questions, or go straight to a proposed outline.
Write 3 measurable learning outcomes for this session using Bloom's Taxonomy action verbs. Format: "By the end of this session, students will be able to..."
What you should see: Three outcomes with action verbs like "evaluate," "construct," "distinguish," "identify," "compare."
Now create a complete timed lesson plan for [X] minutes. Include: (1) opening hook or scenario (5 min), (2) brief instruction segments, (3) 2 hands-on activities where students practice in [databases/tools], (4) wrap-up and Q&A. Include discussion questions to use with each activity.
What you should see: A detailed minute-by-minute outline with activity descriptions, discussion questions, and transitions.
Create a 1-page student activity worksheet for this session. It should guide students through [specific database task — e.g., "searching ProQuest for peer-reviewed articles on climate change"]. Include step-by-step instructions, a place to record their search results, and 3 reflection questions.
What you should see: A clean worksheet you can print or post on your course management system.
Write one quick assessment question (not a full test — just a "minute paper" style question) that students answer in the last 3 minutes of class to show whether they met learning outcome #2.
Context Setup:
I'm preparing a [X]-minute instruction session for [audience] on [subject/skill]. Databases available: [list]. Room: [type]. Help me create a complete lesson plan.
Learning Outcomes:
Write 3 measurable learning outcomes using Bloom's Taxonomy action verbs. Format: "By the end of this session, students will be able to..."
Lesson Plan:
Create a complete timed outline for [X] minutes with: opening hook, 2 active learning activities, instruction segments, wrap-up. Include discussion questions.
Student Worksheet:
Create a 1-page activity worksheet guiding students through [specific database task]. Include: step-by-step instructions, results recording space, 3 reflection questions.
Assessment Question:
Write a 1-question "minute paper" assessment checking whether students can [specific skill from learning outcomes].