Purpose
To evaluate your ability to identify and refine a contemporary problem relevant to your academic major using AI tools as a partner in critical thinking and problem discovery. (Business Administration and Management)
Final Deliverable
A document with headings for each of the following sections:
Initial Problem Statement
AI Tool Utilization & Refinement Process
Refined Problem Statement
More details about these sections can be found below.
Associated Skills
Formulate a clear and concise problem statement.
Utilize AI tools to brainstorm, research, and redefine complex topics.
Conduct stakeholder analysis and identify relevant individuals or groups affected by a problem.
Synthesize information from multiple sources to create a comprehensive problem definition.
Critically evaluate the role of AI as a tool for enhancing human creativity and analytical skills.
Instructions
Evidence Statements:
You will demonstrate the ability to identify a relevant disciplinary problem that merits debate.
You will show how you used AI tools to refine your thinking about a complex problem.
You will evaluate AI outputs for reliability in completing this communication task.
You will produce a well-structured paper that shows both the process and results of your problem definition work.
For this assignment, you will identify and refine a contemporary problem that is relevant to your academic major using a range of AI tools. This process is designed to help you move from a broad, initial idea to a well-defined and nuanced problem statement, demonstrating how AI can be a powerful partner in critical thinking and problem discovery.
Your final submission should not only present your findings but also critically reflect on the process itself, showing how the use of AI tools enhanced your ability to think through the problem’s complexity.
Step 1: Draft a Problem Statement
Begin by identifying a contemporary issue within your academic discipline that you believe merits serious consideration. Formulate this as a clear, concise problem statement—typically one or two focused sentences that capture the essence of the issue.
Your initial problem statement should identify a challenge, gap, or opportunity within your field, but it does not need to be perfectly refined at this stage. The goal is to establish a starting point for exploration.
For example:
A nursing student might write: “Health care facilities face challenges in maintaining adequate staffing levels, particularly in rural areas.”
A cybersecurity student might write: “Small businesses lack adequate resources to implement comprehensive cybersecurity measures.”
A business student might write: “Remote work arrangements create challenges for maintaining company culture and employee engagement.”
These initial statements identify problems but lack specificity regarding scope, stakeholders, and contextual factors—elements you will develop through the AI-assisted refinement process.
Step 2: Use AI Tools to Refine Your Problem Statement
In this step, you will leverage various AI tools to explore and refine your problem statement. The goal is to use AI as a thought partner to help you consider different dimensions, perspectives, and implications of your chosen problem.
Select 2-3 different AI tools from the following categories:
Large language models (e.g., ChatGPT, Claude, Bard) for brainstorming and exploring different perspectives
Concept mapping tools (e.g., Miro with AI features, Mind Meister)
Data visualization or analysis platforms (e.g., Tableau, Power BI)
Specialized research tools relevant to your field
You do not need to select tools from all categories; you only need to select a total of 2-3 tools.
For each tool, develop specific prompts or queries designed to help you explore:
Relevance:
Ask the AI to provide recent statistics or trends related to your problem.
Request information about how this problem has evolved over time.
Explore how this problem manifests differently across various contexts (geographic, demographic, etc.).
For example, a nursing student might prompt: “What are the current statistics on nursing shortages in rural versus urban health care facilities in the United States? How have these trends changed over the past decade?”
Personal Impact:
Ask the AI to describe how this problem might affect professionals in your future career path.
Request scenarios illustrating day-to-day challenges related to this problem.
Explore potential career opportunities related to solving this problem.
For example, a cybersecurity student might ask: “What specific challenges might I face as a cybersecurity professional working with small businesses that have limited security budgets? What skills would be most valuable in this context?”
Stakeholders:
Ask the AI to identify all potential stakeholders affected by this problem.
Request information about how different stakeholders might perceive the problem differently.
Explore potential conflicts of interest between stakeholder groups.
For example, a business student might prompt: “Who are all the stakeholders affected by remote work arrangements in a mid-sized technology company? How might the perspectives of entry-level employees, managers, executives, and clients differ regarding remote work challenges?”
As you interact with each AI tool, document:
The specific prompts you used (copy/paste or capture in screenshots)
The responses you received (copy/paste capture in screen shots)
Your critical evaluation of those responses (accuracy, bias, helpfulness)
How each interaction shaped your thinking about the problem
Step 3: Review Your Manuscript
Spend time reviewing your manuscript to ensure you have corrected mistakes in grammar and formatting.
Step 4: Submit Your Revised Problem Definition Paper
After reviewing your manuscript, finalize your paper and submit it according to the course guidelines. Ensure that your submission includes all required components and meets the formatting requirements specified below.
Itemized Deliverables:
Your final submission should include:
Initial Problem Statement (approximately 100-150 words)
Your original, unrefined problem statement
Brief explanation of why you chose this problem area
Any initial assumptions or limitations you identified
Connection to your academic major and professional interests
AI Tool Utilization & Refinement Process (approximately 500-600 words)
A detailed, first-person narrative description of each AI tool you used (2-3 tools)
Specific prompts you used with each tool (quoted directly)
Critical analysis of each tool’s strengths and limitations for this task
Specific insights gained from each interaction
Examples of how the AI outputs challenged your thinking or revealed new perspectives
Discussion of any biases, limitations, or inaccuracies you identified in the AI responses
Explanation of how you verified or cross-checked important information
Refined Problem Statement (approximately 250-300 words)
The final, well-defined problem statement
Comparison showing how it evolved from your initial statement
Comprehensive stakeholder analysis identifying primary and secondary affected groups
Discussion of contextual factors that influence the problem
Explanation of the problem’s relevance to your field and future career
Brief discussion of potential approaches to addressing the problem (optional)
Submission Guidelines/Criteria for Success
Format: Double-spaced, 12-point Times New Roman font, 1-inch margins
Organization: Provide headings for each section listed as a deliverable (click link for APA Guidelines)
Length: 3-4 pages (excluding screenshots or appendices)
Citations: Include proper citations for any sources referenced (APA format)
Screenshots: Include relevant screenshots of your AI interactions as appendices
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