ABOUT THIS EPISODE
Dr. Yusen Zhai joins host, Dr. Marty Jencius to talk about AI, faculty adoption, and looking at student properties as predicted by AI models.
Yusen's tips
1. Treat the chatbot like a person/RA and converse naturally. He "talk[s] with chat bots as [he'd] talk with a real person," using it like a research or graduate assistant.
2. Don't expect a full answer from a one-sentence prompt-ask it to work step by step. He explicitly says: "I will go step by step. Let's work on this step by step."
3. Ask for clarification when you don't understand something. Example: "I don't understand this concept. Can you clarify for me?"
4. Provide more instructions and iterate; don't treat it like a one-shot search. He contrasts vague asks with giving further instructions and then proceeding step by step.
5. Fact-check what it returns-especially on niche questions. He always verifies answers and consults other sources when something "doesn't add up."
6. Work collaboratively and refine with follow-ups. He uses it to get an initial list (e.g.,"10 articles..") and then asks further questions to drill down and clarify.
7. Use it to plan teaching tasks with its own step-by-step walkthroughs (e.g., outlines and class activities) and request engagement ideas.
8. (Optional technique) Give it a persona/background for simulations (e.g., client role-plays) to practice unlimitedly before real sessions.
Website: ThePodTalk.Net
Youtube: Youtube.com/@AIProductivityWorkflow
Email: ThePodTalkNetwork@gmail.com
