Brophy College Preparatory CTN AI Prompt Writing — Flint AI Policy Library

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BROPHY COLLEGE PREPARATORY

CTN AI PROMPT WRITING FRAMEWORK

Introduction

Writing effective AI prompts is the foundation of generating meaningful, accurate, and impactful responses. A well-crafted prompt guides the AI tool to your desired outcome. The better the prompt, the better the AI’s response—both in quality and relevance.

Prompt writing isn’t just about asking a question; it’s about communicating your intentions clearly, providing necessary context, and refining your request to align with your goals. A good first prompt may be 3-6 sentences long. Good follow-up responses will sound more like a conversation than an interrogation. When you approach prompt writing with a thoughtful and consistent strategy, you unlock the full potential of AI tools.

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‘CTN’ Prompt Writing Framework: Context, Task, Narrow

The CTN framework guides users to craft effective and consistent prompts by emphasizing three key components: Context, Task, and Narrowing. It helps deliver clarity, relevance, and revisions in AI-generated responses.

Context: Set the Stage
Provide the background or situational details necessary for the AI to understand the prompt. Establishing context helps the AI generate outputs that are aligned with your needs. Assign the AI a relevant role to frame its response appropriately.

Instructions:
● Explain the “why” or background behind your request.
● Include relevant details to set the scenario.
● Assign the AI a role by asking it to "act as" a specific type of expert or persona relevant to the task.

Examples:
● For a research summary: “Act as an environmental policy analyst. The attached article discusses the economic impact of climate change. I want to focus on the economic and environmental challenges faced by developing countries compared to the US.”
● For creative writing: “You are a successful sci-fi author. Write about a futuristic city powered entirely by renewable energy, describing daily life in the city.”

Task: Define the Goal
Clearly articulate what you want the AI to accomplish. A well-defined task ensures the AI focuses on delivering an output that meets your expectations.

Instructions:
● Specify the purpose of the prompt and the type of output you’re looking for.
● Use action words like “teach,” "summarize," "explain," "compare," or "create" to direct the AI’s response.
● Note that different verbs will create different results. For instance, “paraphrase” versus “summarize” will likely change the output.

Examples:
● For analysis: “Compare the economic and environmental benefits of solar and wind energy.”
● For summarization: “Summarize this article and create a list of key glossary terms with definitions.”
● For brainstorming: “Generate 10 different ideas for a class project where I can demonstrate what I understand about solar and wind energy.”
● For ideas: “Help me think of a way to name a futuristic city powered by renewable energy that is descriptive and creative.”

Narrowing: Guide and Refine
Fine-tune your prompt by specifying constraints or additional details. Use feedback to refine the AI’s response. If you don’t like the result, tell the AI what went wrong and why, and redirect it as needed.

Instructions:
● Include parameters like word limits, tone, audience, or specific formatting.
● Provide examples or clarify nuances to refine the response.
● Indicate how many you want. If asking for ideas or potentials, ask for more than 1. Ten or 15 or 20 will only give you more to choose from.
● If the output isn’t what you expected, provide feedback to refine the result, explaining what to change or improve.

Examples:
● For concise responses: “Write a 200-word summary in two paragraphs that are suitable for a 9th-grade reading level.”
● For refinement: “This answer is too vague. Focus more on specific economic factors for the Southwest United States, and provide concrete examples from recent current events.”
● For brainstorming: “Act as a zoologist who just discovered a new futuristic animal that is a mix of a cat, a kangaroo, and a sloth. Come up with 25 potential names for this new species based on scientific and Latin roots. Focus on its ability to leap and also its slow movements. 5 of the ideas should rhyme.”

CTN Example in Practice

Let’s apply the framework to example tasks:

Describing attractions in a futuristic city
Context: “Act as a travel guide. Imagine a traveler exploring a futuristic city with floating buildings and renewable energy.”
Task: “Describe the demographics and environment of the city. Also list the top three attractions in the city and their significance to tourists.”
Narrowing: “Keep the response under 250 words. The descriptions for each attraction should include cultural and environmental aspects.”

If one of the attractions isn’t good enough, try:
“Please create another idea for the third example that is more futuristic. Focus on its unique anti-gravitation system.”

Help understanding Biology
Context: “Act as a friendly biology teacher. I’m having trouble understanding how enzymes work in the human body and why they are important for digestion.”
Task: “Explain the role of enzymes in digestion, using lactase as an example, and how it helps people digest dairy foods.”
Narrowing: “Keep the explanation under 100 words and use simple, clear language. Explain it at a 9th-grade level.”

If the explanation feels too technical or doesn’t make sense, try:
“Please explain it at a 6th-grade level” or “Please rewrite it with an analogy to make it easier to understand.”

If that is too complex or not appealing, try:
“Please compare it to The Marvel Universe.” or “Explain the main points in a story about robots.”

Prompt Libraries

Check out existing prompts for ideas and inspiration. There are a growing number of Prompt Libraries available. Here are two:

Anthropic (Claude.ai)
AI for Education

Works Cited

Cover image:

OpenAI. Ethereal Abstract Horizontal Image Representing the CTN Framework for AI Prompt Writing, Incorporating Digital HD Blueprints. 11 Dec. 2024. DALL-E, https://openai.com/dall-e.

This CTN (Context, Task, Narrowing) framework was created to help teachers and students more effectively and consistently use AI. This guide contains instructions, examples, and relevant prompt libraries.