Building a Custom GPT for College Courses Using Open Educational Resources (OER)

Purpose

This guide is designed to help college instructors create a custom GPT using OpenAI's ChatGPT platform to enhance the use of Open Educational Resources (OER). A Custom GPT can serve as a tutor, guide, or course assistant trained specifically on your course’s OER content.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have:

• An OpenAI account

• A ChatGPT Plus subscription (required for GPT-4 and Custom GPTs)

• Open Educational Resource (OER) content ready to upload (e.g., syllabus, textbook PDF, assignment guides, instructional text)

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Access the ChatGPT Platform

1. Visit https://chat.openai.com

2. Sign in using your OpenAI credentials

3. Click Explore GPTs from the left sidebar

4. Click the Create button (top right)

Step 2: Launch the GPT Builder

You’ll be guided through a conversational setup where you’ll:

• Define the GPT’s name and purpose (e.g., “OER Biology Tutor”)

• Select a tone or teaching style (e.g., supportive, concise, inquiry-driven)

• Outline its primary function (e.g., “Guide students through OER textbook and assist with assignments”)

Step 3: Customize Instructions and Upload OER

When prompted, provide:

• Behavioral Instructions – e.g., “Act like a patient and clear college tutor who references only the provided OER materials.”

• Boundaries – e.g., “Avoid using outside sources or speculating beyond the provided OER.”

• File Uploads – Add your course’s OER materials (PDFs, text, assignments, project instructions)

Helpful Instruction Examples:

• “Use plain language to explain scientific ideas.”

• “Link student questions back to relevant OER chapters.”

• “When in doubt, refer students to their instructor.”

Step 4: Enable Tools (Optional)

Enhance your GPT with the following tools:

• ✅ File Uploads – Let students upload drafts or questions

• ✅ Code Interpreter – For math, graphing, or analyzing CSV data

• ✅ DALL·E – To illustrate concepts with visuals

• ✅ Web Browsing – Optional, but typically disabled for OER-based GPTs to keep it source-specific

Step 5: Test and Refine Your GPT

• Ask the GPT sample student questions (e.g., “Can you help me understand diffusion?”)

• See if it references your uploaded materials correctly

• Refine behavior by editing instructions or rephrasing the GPT’s purpose

Step 6: Save and Share

• Choose to keep your GPT private, share with students via a direct link, or publish for public use

• Share the link via your LMS (Canvas, Blackboard, etc.) or syllabus

Tips for OER Instructors

• 🌱 Emphasize your GPT’s use of free and accessible resources

• 📚 Include links or citations to your OER inside your uploads or instructions

• 🎓 Let students know your GPT is trained specifically on your course material

• 🔄 Continuously improve your GPT as new OER content is added

OpenAI. (2024). ChatGPT-4o (May 13 version) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com/