Creating Custom Chatbots

A quick start guide

At a recent faculty AI bootcamp, I noticed something interesting: while many educators have experimented with ChatGPT, most are just beginning to explore customized chatbots for their specific teaching needs. The conversations revealed a common pattern—faculty understood the potential but weren't sure where to start with building their own AI assistants.

This discovery prompted me to revisit my Substack archive, where I realized that many of my most practical chatbot tutorials had automatically moved behind the paywall. Since these resources could genuinely help educators and content creators get started with custom AI assistants, I've lifted the paywall and organized them into this focused guide.

Building effective chatbots starts with understanding structured prompts and ends with creating specialized AI assistants that solve real problems. Whether you're designing classroom support tools, technical documentation helpers, or content creation assistants, this collection provides everything you need to move from experimentation to implementation.

Start Here: Understanding the Foundation

The Anatomy of a Prompt - Master the three essential components of structured prompts. This foundation is crucial for creating effective chatbots that maintain consistent personality and purpose throughout conversations.

Step-by-Step Guide to Taking a Structured Approach to Building Chatbots - Learn the systematic process for transforming your structured prompts into conversational AI systems that actually work.

Choose Your Platform

3 Simple Ways to Build ChatGPTs - See three practical use cases with step-by-step implementation, showing how the same principles apply across different chatbot purposes.

How to Use Poe to Create and Test Structured Chatbots - A focused tutorial on using Poe AI as an accessible platform for building and testing your chatbot ideas.

How to Build and Test Your Own Chatbot for Free on Zapier - Create chatbots without needing a ChatGPT Plus subscription using Zapier's AI tools. The principles here apply to most no-code chatbot platforms.

Though I don’t have a tutorial at the moment, I highly recommend instructors check out Boodle Box … it is the best tool for creating customized chatbots for the classroom.

Maybe I’ll add a tutorial for that!

For Students and Classroom Use

Build Your Own Chatbot Assignment - A structured assignment I give my students to guide their first chatbot project, complete with evaluation criteria and implementation steps. Easily adaptable for different course contexts.

Customizing AI Assistants for Classroom Success - A complete 45-minute video webinar focused on educational applications, showing how to create ChatGPTs that support specific learning objectives and classroom needs.

Go Deeper (Paid Content)

Designing Simple Chatbots - An in-depth exploration of advanced chatbot design principles for subscribers who want to create more sophisticated conversational experiences.

The Quick Start Path

If you're new to chatbots, follow this sequence:

1. Read "The Anatomy of a Prompt" to understand structured prompting

2. Review "Step-by-Step Guide" for the overall process

3. Choose one platform tutorial that matches your tools and comfort level

4. Try the student assignment approach to practice with a focused project

The free resources contain everything needed to build effective chatbots. The key isn't using the most advanced platform—it's applying structured prompting principles consistently, regardless of which tool you choose.

Whether you're creating educational assistants, technical documentation helpers, or content creation support tools, these resources provide a practical foundation for building chatbots that enhance rather than complicate your work.