How to excel as a professor – according to ChatGPT

Of course, we are all wasting our time these days playing around with ChatGPT, so a number of my posts are now my commentary on things ChatGPT writes.

I asked ChatGPT how to excel as a professor, and you can find in italic what AI thinks and in regular my commentary.

To excel as a professor, consider the following tips:

1. Develop a strong understanding of your subject matter and keep up-to-date with the latest research and developments in your field. In other words: read enough so that you are aware of the latest research. Going to conferences and attending virtual lectures is also important.
2. Plan and prepare engaging and effective lectures and course materials. For sure, but this tip is a bit vague. What makes lectures and course materials engaging and effective? My experience is that there is not a single definition for this – instead, it is as well a function of the culture in which you are teaching.
3. Foster a positive and inclusive learning environment for your students. Again, a bit vague – how do we do this in the classroom?
4. Encourage student engagement through active learning techniques and opportunities for discussion. How is this one different from tip number 2?
5. Build strong relationships with your students and provide meaningful feedback on their work. Not just the students you have in class, but also your master’s and PhD students, as well as postdocs and junior faculty on your team.
6. Stay organized and manage your time effectively. Hear hear.
7. Seek out professional development opportunities to improve your teaching skills. Not just your teaching skills – your research skills, leadership skills, and other relevant skills are important as well.
8. Conduct research and publish your findings to establish yourself as a thought leader in your field. We finally get to research and publications in point 8. That is an interesting take from the AI. I think research output and the ability to attract research funding are very important in achieving “excellence”.
9. Collaborate with colleagues, both within and outside your institution, to share ideas and advance your field. Yes indeed, although a bit more information on how to collaborate (and how to find partners for collaboration) would be welcome.
10. Stay accessible to your students and be approachable for questions and concerns. Maybe we need a bit of better boundaries here – perhaps be accessible during office hours, but not at all times. If your door is open at any time and any day, you won’t ever be able to fully focus on your research.

All in all, I think the AI focused too much on the teaching part of the job of a professor, only a bit on the research part, and I am missing the service and admin tasks (which are important within institutions) and how we can excel at these.

What do you think about the reply of ChatGPT?