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Discussion Prompt Redesign Checklist

Test how AI-vulnerable a discussion prompt is, then redesign it with four levers while keeping its learning goal.

By Linda Kowalcky, CSSH Director of AI Curricular Transformation. See it applied in three weeks of redesigned public policy prompts.

Step 1 · Diagnose: is this prompt AI-vulnerable?

Could a generic AI tool answer it well without having done the reading?
Could a student answer from general or news knowledge instead of the specific text?
Does the prompt only ask “what do you think?” or “what resonates with you?” about a general concept?

If yes to any of these, use one or more of the levers below.

Step 2 · Apply the Four Levers

1 · Anchor to something specific: a policy at the student's workplace, a real event, a specific document, a real dataset. The student has to supply real content.

Generic: “Which principle resonates with you?”Anchored: “Name a specific policy you interact with (at work, school, home). Which principle explains why it succeeds or fails?”

2 · Trace the “why,” not just the “what”: ask for the mechanism, such as why a specific element changed or which part of the framework explains it, not a summary of the change.

Generic: “How did the policy change over time?”Traced: “Pick one specific design element that changed. Using [framework], explain why that element was the one that had to change.”

3 · Build in dependency on classmates: the follow-up step needs real, specific content from peers, such as comparing examples or synthesizing across the group.

Addition: “Compare your examples with your group. Pick the two that best illustrate the same principle in different domains, and report those out.”

4 · Require a textual reference: a page number, concept name, or quoted term in the individual pre-discussion post. A light check that the student opened the text.

Addition: “Include one direct reference to [author/concept], page number or term, in your initial post before your group discusses.”

If an anchor asks about students' own lives, offer a non-personal option too.

Step 3 · Redesign worksheet

Fill this in for each prompt you revise.

Question	Your answer
What is the core learning goal of this prompt?
Is it currently vulnerable? (yes/no, and why)
What specific or local referent can I anchor it to?
What “why” or mechanism question can I add?
What group-dependency step can I build in?
What textual reference should I require?

Step 4 · Sanity check

Does the redesigned prompt still target the same learning objective as the original?
Is it still answerable in the time students have?
Have I added specificity, not just length or complexity?

Use the checklist each time you revise a prompt. Over time the four levers become second nature, and you'll start writing AI-resilient prompts from scratch.