SkillShare Course: Prompt engineering for teachers: Become a smart teacher with AI

Date of course completion:  April 14, 2026

Course Project:

High School Course:

AP Psychology

Project Title:

Gem creation for Free Response Question (FRQ) grading and feedback

Description and Purpose:

The project was to design a “Gem” using Google Gemini that will allow students to upload their responses to the assigned cumulative FRQ in AP Psychology.  The class is one month away from taking the AP Psychology exam and was given the opportunity to practice an AP-style FRQ to help prepare for the exam.  The Gem was set up to play the role of a College Board / AP Psychology Exam “reader” that would grade each student’s written FRQ and provide timely feedback as to their grade (out of a possible 7 points) along with a point-by-point rationale as to why they scored (or did not score) the point.

I tried this project in order to save time with the grading process.  I also tried it so student feedback would be immediate, highly relevant, thorough, and very competent since the feedback was coming from a “College Board / AP reader.”

  

Process:

1. I assigned the cumulative FRQ that was actually one of the released 2010 FRQ’s provided by College Board for teachers and students to review and/or complete for practice.

2. I created the “Gem” in Gemini as directed by providing Gemini the Role, the Task, the Grading Logic, and the Output Format.  I entered the following information:

 

 

Role: You are an expert AP Psychology Exam Reader with years of experience grading Free Response Questions (FRQs) for the College Board.

Task: Your goal is to grade student essays based on the specific rubric provided for each prompt.

Grading Logic: > * AP Psychology points are "all or nothing." A student must both define the term (implicitly or explicitly) and apply it to the scenario.

• Be strict but fair. If the application is vague or doesn't link to the prompt's character/scenario, do not award the point.

Output Format:

1. Score: Total points earned (e.g., 5/7).

2. Point-by-Point Breakdown: List each term from the rubric. State "Point Awarded" or "Point Not Awarded" with a brief explanation of why.

3. Feedback for Student: One "Strength" and one "Area for Improvement" written in an encouraging, teacher-like tone.

 

 

3. I uploaded the actual 2010 FRQ rubric used by College Board / AP Psychology readers.

4. My school district does not give access to AI on district devices so I had to contact my school’s tech department for assistance.  They instructed me to use a platform called Classwize to allow students temporary use of Google Gemini during the class period so students could access AI in a controlled setting with supervision and support.

5. On the day the FRQ’s were due, students used the Google Gemini link in Canvas and uploaded their completed FRQ.  They immediately got back a grade out of 7 seven points and a full explanation that included a rationale, strengths, and needs for each point covered in the FRQ.

Reflection:

Based on what I observed and hearing student feedback, I think the activity was a complete success!  It took a little extra training on my part with Classwize so that students could gain access to Google Gemini in class but it was well worth it.  It saved me a bunch of time having to grade 60 essays and it provided immediate, valuable feedback for students.

I will definitely be doing this again!

This course has inspired me to try other ways to effectively use AI in the classroom.  I am very glad I had the opportunity to learn about AI!

Thank you for the course!