Lesson 1: The Right Tool for the Job

Explore different capabilities of various AI tools

The Right Tool for the Job is an inquiry-based, reflective lesson designed to teach students (youth or adult learners) how to evaluate and select AI tools—especially large language models (LLMs)—based on the specific needs of a task or research question. Through a case study involving a researcher named Alan, the lesson introduces users to differences in output quality between models and prompt styles. It emphasizes developing precision in prompting, understanding model strengths and limitations, and making informed choices when tool access is limited.

The lesson culminates in a scaffolded practice activity where learners write and refine prompts, test multiple models, compare outputs, and reflect on how to adapt prompts to fit both their task and the tool’s capabilities.

Following the standalone lesson using the case study scenario, this teaching guide also includes a Collaborative Learning Scenario to consider using with the case study to foster collaborative deliberation and decision-making so that students learn the content in a context for its use.

Download the FREE scenarios and the individual teaching guides below. Use them with your colleagues or your students.