Course 1 - Module 5 - Lesson 2
Mini-project: make a reusable assistant card you can keep improving
Build Your First Little AI Routine
An assistant card is a portable brief
An assistant card is a short document you can reuse, even if you change tools. Give it a name, purpose, required input, instructions, output format, and review checklist. It stores your working method rather than depending on an application's memory of a conversation.
For a 'Study Session Coach,' the purpose might be to help you practice one topic for fifteen minutes. Required input includes the topic, your current level, and one example of a confusing point. Leave space for these fields instead of guessing them.
Write behavior you can observe
The instructions could say: explain one idea in plain English, ask one practice question, wait for my answer, and give feedback before moving on. The output format is a short explanation followed by a single question. Do not reveal the solution immediately.
Add a boundary: if the question needs information not supplied, ask for it. Your review checklist might ask whether the explanation is understandable, the example is correct, and you had a chance to attempt the problem before seeing feedback.
Improve the card using evidence
Run the card with two topics you already understand so you can judge the teaching. If the assistant asks five questions at once, strengthen the instruction about waiting after one question. Save a version number and a note explaining the change.
Keep one successful example and one failure beside the card. After several sessions, assess whether you can explain or solve something unaided. The goal is a routine that improves your learning, not simply a longer or more entertaining conversation.
Tiny experiment
Create a Study Session Coach card with six labeled fields. Test it on a topic you know and record one specific improvement for version two.
Confidence check
What could you do without the assistant afterward that would demonstrate real learning from the routine?