An answer is only as useful as its evidence.
A sample learning activity: compare an answer with its source, identify unsupported claims, and design a better way to ask the question.
An illustrative activity created for this portfolio. Suggested format: one class session, with an optional coding extension. No programming or AI account is needed for the core exercise.
The source
A very small handbook.
This fictional makerspace handbook is the only source for the exercise.
Makerspace handbook
- The makerspace opens on Tuesdays from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m.
- Book with the instructor by noon on Monday.
- Every participant must complete an induction before using tools.
- A booking can include at most four students.
The handbook gives no information about weekend access.
The question
“Can five of us come on Saturday?”
Read these two constructed example answers. Which claims can you support from the handbook?
Answer A
“Yes. Groups of up to six can come on Saturday between 10 a.m. and noon. Just book with the instructor on Friday.”
Answer B
“The handbook limits a booking to four students, so it does not support a booking for five. It lists Tuesday opening hours but says nothing about Saturday. Ask the instructor about weekend access.”
Student task
Check, revise,
then test.
Check every claim
List each claim in Answer A and mark it as supported, contradicted, or not stated. Point to a handbook sentence when there is one.
Design a better instruction
Write a prompt that asks an AI to use only the handbook, identify the supporting sentence, and say when the source does not answer the question. Explain why each instruction is there.
Create a small test set
Write one question the handbook answers, one it contradicts, and one it cannot answer. Describe what a good response should do in each case.
Submit a claim table, your revised prompt, and the three test questions with expected responses. If an AI tool is available in class, compare its responses with your expectations.
For the educator
Assess the reasoning.
The goal is to distinguish an answer that sounds plausible from one that is supported, and to recognize the limits of the source.
View assessment rubric & teaching notes
A simple six-point rubric
- Evidence — 0–2: Separates contradicted claims from information the handbook does not provide, with specific source references.
- Prompt design — 0–2: Sets a source boundary, requests evidence, and provides a way to express uncertainty.
- Testing — 0–2: Includes supported, contradictory, and unanswerable questions with appropriate expected responses.
Discussion
The group size in Answer A contradicts sentence 4. Saturday hours and Friday booking are not stated; sentence 2 specifies Monday booking. Answer B stays within the source and identifies missing information. It does not establish that Saturday access is impossible.
Optional engineering extension
Build a small interface that sends the handbook and question to a model, shows the source alongside its answer, and saves test results. Compare several runs: a well-written prompt helps, but does not guarantee a supported answer.
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