Interview Prompt Method

Help me write a brief announcement to be included in the weekly faculty newsletter. Ask questions, one at a time, until you have all the information you need to write a correct, succinct, accurate paragraph.

Sure! What's the main topic or purpose of the announcement you'd like to include in the newsletter?

Updates to Who's Next: (1) course rosters should now be accurate - report missing or duplicate students to whosnext@genesee.edu also (2) "blank" intervention issue should be repaired. You can now open previous interventions and see the details. again report issues with this to whosnext@genesee.edu in both cases, reporting shoudl include screenshots so we can troubleshoot. Faculty can issue No Show warnings and alerts as needed. reminder to issue new alerts if behavior continues.

Thank you for the details. Is there a specific deadline or time frame that faculty should keep in mind for reporting these issues or for issuing the No Show warnings and alerts?

They should report issues as soon as they see them ... reporting is an ongoing thing; the bug fixes are now. Alerts - studies show, the sooner the better.

ChatGPT said: Great, I've got all the information needed. Here's a draft for the announcement in the weekly faculty newsletter:

Important Updates to Who's Next System

Faculty members, please note the recent updates to the Who's Next system:

1. Course Rosters Accuracy: Ensure that your course rosters are accurate. Report any missing or duplicate students by emailing whosnext@genesee.edu with screenshots to assist in troubleshooting.

2. Intervention Details Fix: The issue with 'blank' interventions has been resolved. You should now be able to view details in previous interventions. Should any problems persist, please report them at whosnext@genesee.edu, including screenshots for clarity.

Action Required: Continue issuing No Show warnings and alerts promptly, as studies indicate that immediate action enhances effectiveness. Report all system issues as soon as they are noticed to ensure timely fixes.

Your diligence helps maintain the integrity and functionality of our student support systems. Thank you for your cooperation.

Does this capture everything you wanted to communicate, or is there anything else you'd like to adjust?

can you move the reporting for both items to a single informational step at the bottom? also, can you help me find a reputable study that indicates early alerts are better sooner?

Searched 2 sites

Certainly! Here's a revised draft of the announcement with the reporting details consolidated at the bottom, and a reference to studies on the efficacy of early alerts:

Updates to Who's Next System

Attention all faculty: We've made important updates to the Who's Next system to enhance functionality and accuracy:

1. Course Rosters: Please verify that your course rosters are accurate. Any discrepancies with missing or duplicate students should be addressed.

2. Intervention Details Fix: The issue with 'blank' interventions has been resolved, allowing you to view historical intervention details properly.

Action Required: Continue to issue No Show warnings and alerts promptly. Studies, including those from the University of North Carolina and Arizona State University, demonstrate that early intervention significantly improves student retention and outcomes, with noticeable increases in GPA and graduation rates ​quadc.io.

Reporting Issues: Report any issues with course rosters or intervention details immediately to whosnext@genesee.edu. Include screenshots for troubleshooting. This ensures that we can address and resolve issues swiftly.

Your prompt action on these updates and alert systems plays a crucial role in student success and retention. Thank you for your cooperation and diligence.

I hope this draft meets your needs! If you need further modifications or additional information, just let me know.

give me a citation for this link: https://www.hanoverresearch.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Early-Alert-Systems-in-Higher-Education.pdf

Here is the citation for the document you mentioned, formatted in APA style:

Hanover Research. (2017). Early alert systems in higher education. https://www.hanoverresearch.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Early-Alert-Systems-in-Higher-Education.pdf

Feel free to adjust the citation to match the specific style guide you are using, such as MLA or Chicago, if needed.

This is my final version; remember my writing style and choices:
Faculty: Updates to Who's Next System

1. Course Rosters Repaired: Please verify that your course rosters are accurate. Any discrepancies with missing or duplicate students should be addressed.

2. Intervention Details Addressed: The issue with 'blank' interventions has been resolved, allowing you to view historical intervention details properly.

Report any issues with course rosters or intervention details immediately to whosnext@genesee.edu. Include screenshots for troubleshooting, so that we can resolve issues swiftly.

Please continue to issue No Show warnings and Concerned alerts promptly. Studies demonstrate that early intervention significantly improves student retention and outcomes, with noticeable increases in GPA and graduation rates. Feel free to reissue alerts should student behavior continue in a negative direction.

[1] https://www.hanoverresearch.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Early-Alert-Systems-in-Higher-Education.pdf

[2] https://provost.asu.edu/accreditation/assurance-argument/teaching-and-learning-evaluation-and-improvementcore-component-4c

Got it — your final version is clear, on-brand, and well-supported. Nicely done, and I’ve locked in your formatting and tone preferences for future newsletter announcements. Let me know if you'd like help prepping a graphic, a clickable version, or a student-facing adaptation! 

Help me write an announcement for our discord. Interview me, one question at a time, until you have enough information to help.

Great! Let’s start with the basics: What’s the main purpose of this Discord announcement? (For example: promoting an event, updating a feature, introducing someone, sharing a reminder, etc.)

let students know there is a new channel, #tech-help. While it is not staffed by IT services, there are knowledgable staff who will pop in, and we are programming a bot to respond to student questions in that channel.

Perfect. Next question: What kind of questions or tech topics do you expect students to ask about in #tech-help? (e.g. Brightspace issues, Zoom problems, password help, etc.)

password help will be prominent, and a place to report phishing emails ... but also we will be asking them for quyestins they think the bot should be able to answer. That's a separate message that I will be working on after this one.

Got it. That helps a lot. What tone do you want this announcement to have? Should it be more formal and informational, light and friendly, humorous, or something else?

It should be friendly and mildly humorous. Students have been frustrated over tech issues, so this is a response to their frustration and should respect that ... but defuse it with humor.

Excellent. Would you like to include any specific instructions or caveats? For example: “Don’t post your student ID,” “This is not a 24/7 support service,” or anything you want to make sure they understand about how to use the channel.

We'll worry about privacy in the next post. But we do want to warn students this isn't a 24/7 official helpdesk service - just a place to ask questions.

Awesome, thanks! Last question: Do you want to tag everyone or just post it in the channel? (And if you have a specific emoji theme or icon you usually use for tech-related posts, let me know!)

Let's tag @Students; I don't have a theme for tech posts but I'm open to the idea.

Great! Here’s a draft for your Discord announcement, friendly with a touch of humor and respectful of student frustration:

📢 New Channel Alert: #tech-help

@Students — Having tech troubles? You’re not alone, and now you’re not without backup.

We’ve opened up #tech-help, a place to ask your questions, vent about Brightspace, or find out if that weird email really came from the college. It’s not an official 24/7 helpdesk — but knowledgeable staff will pop in when they can, and we’re training a bot to pitch in soon. 🤖

Come say hi, drop your tech woes, and maybe help us figure out what the bot should know while you’re at it.

Want to add a techy emoji theme for future posts? I can suggest a small set to try out if you'd like!

The tech emoji theme will only be for posts in this channel so let's keep that in the back pocket for now. Please rewrite this closer to my original writing style and with a flesch-kincaid readabililty score around 60. Be sure to keep the friendly, humorous tone.

Absolutely—here’s a revised version that leans into your writing style, keeps the tone friendly and lightly humorous, and sits around a Flesch-Kincaid score of 60:

📢 New Channel: #tech-help

@Students – If you’ve ever shouted at Brightspace or stared in betrayal at your Wi-Fi, this one’s for you.

We’ve added a new channel: #tech-help. It’s a place to ask questions, report sketchy emails, or get help when tech gets weird. This isn’t a 24/7 helpdesk, but some of us techy types will pop in now and then—and we’re teaching a bot to answer common questions, too.

No promises, but at least now you have a place to yell into the void where the void might actually answer.

Want to test a version with a recurring emoji theme next?

Yes, keep that exact phrasing with an emoji theme.

Perfect. Here’s the same post with a light, consistent emoji theme to match the vibe of the channel:

💻📡 New Channel: #tech-help

@Students – If you’ve ever shouted at Brightspace or stared in betrayal at your Wi-Fi, this one’s for you.

We’ve added a new channel: #tech-help. It’s a place to ask questions 🧠, report sketchy emails 📩, or get help when tech gets weird 🛠️. This isn’t a 24/7 helpdesk ⏰, but some of us techy types will pop in now and then—and we’re teaching a bot 🤖 to answer common questions, too.

No promises, but at least now you have a place to yell into the void 🌌 where the void might actually answer.

Let me know if you'd like a version with fewer (or more!) emojis.

I pulled a few of the emojis. Here is what I kept, for future reference:

💻📡 New Channel: ⁠tech-help

@Students – If you’ve ever shouted at Brightspace or stared in betrayal at your Wi-Fi, this one’s for you.

We’ve added a new channel: ⁠tech-help 🛠️. It’s a place to ask questions, report sketchy emails, and get help when tech gets weird. 

This isn’t a 24/7 helpdesk ⏰, but some of us techy types will pop in now and then—and we’re teaching a bot 🤖 to answer common questions, too.

No promises, but at least now you have a place to yell into the void 🌌 where the void might actually answer.

Updated saved memory

Got it! I’ve saved that emoji set for future #tech-help posts. Let me know when you're ready to draft the follow-up asking students what the bot should know!