This 5-week online course is designed to empower United Nations staff with the skills and knowledge necessary to effectively utilize ChatGPT in their daily work. With a focus on improving the clarity and accessibility of reports, analyses, and various other written products, participants will learn how to create better prompts, build prompt libraries, and leverage ChatGPT’s capabilities to produce relevant, jargon-free content. Through a combination of interactive sessions, practical exercises, and collaborative discussions, this course aims to enhance UN staff’s ability to communicate complex ideas in a more understandable and engaging manner.

Introduction

Being an effective writer is a required critical skill throughout the UN. This course will introduce you to the power of ChatGPT as a valuable tool for achieving clear, concise, and accessible communication. Initial outputs from ChatGPT are often exceedingly conventional and lack relevant details. However, by using a process of prompt refinement, users can generate text that comes closer to serving the purposes and audiences intended with its output. ChatGPT offers six basic strategies for improving results from initial queries.

By harnessing the potential of ChatGPT, you can transform your reports, analyses, and other written products into documents that resonate with diverse audiences, break down complex concepts, and foster a greater understanding of the UN’s mission and work.

Objectives

By the end of this course, participants should be able to:

Explain the Fundamentals of ChatGPT and its Applications in Improving Written Communication:

Participants will be able to explain the core concepts and principles behind ChatGPT and demonstrate an understanding of its applications in enhancing written communication.

Develop Effective Prompts and Prompt Libraries Tailored to Various Communication Needs:

Participants will acquire the skills to create well-crafted prompts and build prompt libraries customized to address diverse communication requirements.

Utilize ChatGPT for Producing Jargon-Free Content Across Various Formats:

Participants will be proficient in using ChatGPT to generate clear and jargon-free written materials, including reports, articles, web content, social media posts, speeches, meeting notes, summaries, cost-benefit analyses, terms of reference, and other written products.

Collaborate Efficiently with ChatGPT to Enhance Clarity and Accessibility:

Participants will demonstrate the ability to collaborate seamlessly with ChatGPT to improve the clarity, accessibility, and overall quality of their written work, optimizing content for various audiences.

Apply Ethical Considerations and Implement Quality Control Measures with AI-Powered Writing Assistance:

Participants will apply ethical guidelines and implement quality control measures when utilizing AI-powered writing assistance tools, ensuring that their use aligns with professional and ethical standards in written communication.

Course methodology

This course will blend interactive online sessions, hands-on exercises, group discussions, and practical assignments to ensure participants gain a comprehensive understanding of how to leverage ChatGPT effectively. Each session will provide a mix of theoretical knowledge and practical skills, encouraging active participation and collaboration among participants. Assignments and projects will be designed to allow participants to apply what they have learned to real-world UN scenarios.

Course contents

Week 1: Introduction to ChatGPT and Prompt Creation

Session 1: Understanding AI and ChatGPT

• Introduction to ChatGPT and its capabilities
• AI ethics and responsible use
• Creating Effective Prompts, the intuition behind prompts.
• Principles of effective prompt creation, prompting patterns
• Introducing new information to large language models
• Building prompt libraries for different contexts

Homework: Create a set of prompts for specific UN communication needs.

Week 2: Leveraging ChatGPT for Jargon-Free Writing

Session 1: Writing Clearly and Concisely

• Techniques for clear and concise writing
• Develop a road map for a programme to gain advantages through the use of AI
• Collaborative writing with ChatGPT
• Strategies for collaborative work with AI
• Using ChatGPT to simplify complex content

Homework: Collaborate with ChatGPT to transform a jargon-filled document into plain language.

Week 3: Ethical Use and Quality Control

Session 1: Ethical Use of AI in Communication

• Ethical considerations when using AI in the UN
• Ensuring transparency and accountability

Session 2: Quality Control and Review

• Techniques for reviewing AI-generated content
• Incorporating human expertise in the editing process

Homework: Create a presentation

Week 4: Practical Application and Integration

Session 1: Using ChatGPT in Real-world Scenarios

• Practical use cases and examples within the UN
• Integrating ChatGPT into existing workflows

Session 2: Final Project Presentations and Feedback

• Participants present their AI-enhanced documents
• Peer feedback and discussion

Homework: Apply ChatGPT to create a UN document, such as a report, article, or summary, and prepare a presentation for Week 5.

Week 5: Final Projects and Course Conclusion

Develop a road map for a programme to gain strategic advantage through the use of artificial intelligence.

Session 1: Final Project Presentations (continued)

• Participants present their UN documents with AI enhancements
• Peer and instructor feedback
• Session 2: Course Recap and Future Applications
• Reflect on course learnings and applications beyond the course
• Resources and support for ongoing ChatGPT usage

Target audience

All UN staff members