Open Educational Resources
Document Type
Assignment
Publication Date
2025
Abstract
This assignment teaches students how to distill complex financial data into a clear, professional business email by analyzing real 10-K reports. A key strength of the assignment is that it models effective AI prompting strategies—students are guided in how to interact with AI tools like ChatGPT to clarify data, summarize trends, and craft a concise email.
The focus is not just on using AI, but on developing critical thinking and communication skills. Students learn to assess what information is important, how to frame it for a workplace audience, and how to co-create with AI while ensuring the final product is accurate and reflects their own voice. They are responsible for editing, refining, and shaping the final message based on their understanding of the data and the audience’s needs. This assignment builds confidence in working with data, writing concisely, and prompting AI with purpose.
I decided to enhance this assignment with AI because summarizing complex data in concise emails mirrors real workplace tasks where professionals naturally use AI. Note that I have designed this assignment for my face-to-face sections. This course is also taught in an online-asynchronous format, and I am now brainstorming how I might be able to convert the in-class discussions I have prepared for the asynchronous format.
Also, in creating this AI-infused version of the assignment, I wanted to explore how, as a teacher, I can utilize AI as a tool to refine and organize assignment directions. So, this version of the assignment was created with input from various sources (including AI): the original non-AI assignment directions from our COM 2020 course directors, feedback from students in my spring 2025 COM 2020 courses, ChatGPT, and (of course) my own brain power.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 License.
CUNY OER Funding
CUNY OER Initiative
Comments
This OER was funded in part by the CUNY OER Initiative.