Generating Qs from a PDF

 

This challenge explores the power of Generative AI to assist in developing tailored questions from course materials, supporting efficient creation of educational resources.

By uploading course materials such as lecture slides or study notes into an AI tool, educators can quickly generate discussion prompts or assessment questions. This activity demonstrates how AI can accelerate resource development, while reinforcing the importance of reviewing AI-generated content for accuracy, alignment, and academic rigor.

Challenge

Use a Generative AI tool to generate a set of discussion or assessment questions from your own course materials in PDF format. This activity highlights how AI can streamline content creation while encouraging thoughtful evaluation to maintain quality and relevance.

Instructions

1. Choose a PDF version of a course resource you’re comfortable sharing with an AI—such as lecture slides, study notes, or summaries you’ve created.
2. Upload the PDF to Claude, ChatGPT, or another AI model that accepts file uploads.
3. Provide a clear prompt to the AI, specifying:
   • Its role (e.g., “You are a learning designer” or “Act as a subject matter expert in biology”).
   • The academic level (e.g., first-year undergraduate, final-year, postgraduate).
   • The type of questions you’d like (e.g., multiple-choice, short-answer, discussion-based).
4. Ask the AI to generate a set of questions and an accompanying answer key based on the uploaded content.
5. Carefully review the AI-generated output for accuracy, depth, and alignment with your learning goals.

Reflect and Share

What does this challenge reveal about the role of AI in teaching and learning? Try it out and share what you discovered in the comment box below, whether it’s your final product, a reflection, or a surprising insight.

Example

For this challenge, I uploaded an excerpt from the open textbook Principles of Sociological Inquiry: Qualitative and Quantitative Methods by Amy Blackstone.

I used the following prompt:

“Act as a learning designer. Using the following PDF, generate 10 questions that assess students’ understanding of the article. The questions should be appropriate for fourth-year university students and should focus on the ‘analyze’ level of Bloom’s Taxonomy. Please ensure the questions are a mix of multiple-choice and short-answer, and include an answer key.”

Now it’s your turn. Upload your own PDF, experiment with prompts, and see what questions the AI generates. Share your results and reflections in the comment box below