Overview
Technology plays a massive part in being a student and researcher. It connects many aspects of being an active learner and explorer of knowledge.
Generative AI tools [GAIT] can be used in many ways in your study or research — to summarise, create, refine, test, inspire, or revise.
For example, ChatGPT can be very useful to help you:
- Understand complex concepts by explaining them in simpler terms
- Apply critical, creative and reflective thinking skills by generating and evaluating your prompts and the accuracy and relevance of the output
- Improve your written communication skills by refining your language and style
- Prepare for assessments by generating quizzes and flash cards to practice with.
Understanding the distinction between acceptable and unacceptable use of generative AI tools is crucial. To gain clarity on this matter, please refer to the provided examples on this page.
HOW STUDENTS CAN USE AI
Students and teachers have long used programmes like spellcheckers; thus, AI editing tools are nothing new.
Common ways you can use AI for Editing
- Use AI-enabled tools such as Grammarly, Quillbot, Microsoft Copilot in Word, etc. as part of the writing process.
- Use AI apps such as ChatGPT, Copilot or Google Gemini for self-assessment.
- An AI app may be used as an “editor” to provide micro- or macro-level feedback (spelling, punctuation, grammar, structure, organisation, argument, etc.)
- AI may be used to assist with more substantive edits after human proof reading and correction.
- AI may be used as a stepping-stone towards teacher assessment.
Activity: Macro and Micro edit
Prompt: “Macro edit” the following piece of writing, looking at structure, clarity, correct paragraphing, logical arguments, accuracy, and appropriateness to the audience of <audience>: <copy/paste text>
Prompt “Micro edit” the following text, looking for spelling, punctuation and grammar, correct use of abbreviation, capitalisation etc., correct and consistent tone and register, correct and consistent use of any technical language: <copy/paste text>
The potential issue with AI editors is when they become very directive. Studies over the years have shown how tools like spellcheckers can limit dialects, languages besides English, and non-standard English. The tendency of digital platforms to suppress language and expression may be made worse by generative AI.
Advantages:
- Quickly summarises content
- Might pick up themes you hadn’t noticed
- Can help you decide which webpage or document to read more thoroughly
Disadvantages:
- Not a substitute for actual reading
- Might miss points that are important
- Research shows that by reading and taking your own notes, you are more likely to understand and retain information
Modified from Edith Cowan University (2023). 'Generative Artificial Intelligence in Learning'
Advantages:
- Quickly generates ideas on a topic
- Suggests generic structures
- Might highlight something you haven’t thought of
Disadvantages:
- Generates basic/predictable ideas
- Unlikely to address the specific requirements of your project or assessment
- Might be missing key information
Generative AI can be used to not only generate ideas, but also to augment, explore or deepen your own ideas.
When might you use GenAi for brainstorming and structure?
- Brainstorming and idea generation need to happen quickly, and don’t form the bulk of the assessed skills.
- Students already have all of the pre-requisite knowledge & need a way to quickly organise and iterate on those ideas.
- GenAI is suggested as a way to explore and investigate ideas and missed opportunities, even if students generate their own ideas first.
Here an idea for brainstorming and using GenAI for organising and structuring notes.
Prompt: Organise the following transcript into a more readable document. Use markdown formatting for headings and subheadings. Assign key ideas to the speaker(s) that discussed them, create a timeline of follow up actions, and add any extra general notes at the end. <copy/paste transcript>
Advantages:
- Quick overview/summary of a topic
- May give good ideas for resources
Disadvantages:
- Can be factually incorrect or biased
- Fabricates or misrepresents references
Possible use of ChatGPT in the research process
Advantages:
- Quickly paraphrases content
- Helps with learning grammar and expression
Disadvantages:
- Often makes mistakes and uses strange synonyms
- May use particular style or syntax which is inappropriate for assignment
- Copying AI outputs without a reference is plagiarism
Advantages:
- May be able to help if the problem is written in plain text
- Can generate additional examples and solution approaches of the type of problem you are trying to learn to solve
Disadvantages:
- Can generate incorrect answers.
- Does not always use mathematical symbols.
- Can make calculation errors
Advantages:
- AI may be able to identify errors in code
- May tell you how/why the error occurred and how to fix it, which is great for your learning
Disadvantages:
- May generate invalid, inefficient, and/or poorly structured fixes
- If you don’t take the time to understand the error, you will miss out on learning
Advantages:
- May give you an opportunity to check your understanding through reflection
Disadvantages:
- May offer incorrect advice
- May be overly agreeable, reducing opportunity for reflection
Advantages:
- May be able to help explain how to perform a particular task
- Can provide personalised feedback to students based on information provided by the student or teacher
Disadvantages:
- Can provide incorrect information
Before you start using Generative AI tools
Before you start using any generative AI tools for your learning and assessment tasks:
- Always check with your teacher to see if it's permitted
- Refer to the Assessment Task Checklist for what is acceptable use of AI
- Check the privacy policy on all applications that you sign up for. ChatGPT Privacy Policy
If you do use GAIT tools,
- You must provide accurate citations. Refer to the Academic Integrity/artificial intelligence guidelines
- It is important to think critically and evaluate the reliability, accuracy, and context of the content generated.
When is it safe to use ChatGPT?
FAQ - Artificial Intelligence
- Why should I learn to use AI tools?
- Do I need to be careful with what I upload? (Privacy & Intellectual Property)
- Can I trust the content generated by AI tools?
- Why is prompt engineering important?
How to use Generative AI
Generative AI needs to prompt to work, so copying and pasting an essay topic into ChatGPT seems easy, right? Sure. It will produce a chunk of text about that topic, but it's unlikely to be great. This is because generative AI tools work by giving the program a prompt, or instructions, to follow.
A good prompt generates basic text that needs tweaking; a great prompt is specific and useful to the user.
Although it may seem straightforward, mastering the art of effective prompting demands more than mere practice. Check out our prompt engineering tips here
Acceptable Uses and Unacceptable Use of AI Tools
Acceptable use:
Emily, a high school student, is struggling with her math homework and can't grasp a particular concept. She asks ChatGPT for help in understanding a specific math problem. ChatGPT provides an explanation, which she uses to complement her teacher's guidance and improve her understanding of the topic.
Unacceptable use:
Michael is assigned a history project in his high school class, and he decides to use AI tools to generate an entire essay without doing any research or writing himself. The essay provided by the AI may be well-written, but Michael had no way of knowing if the information or references were completely factually correct. AI tools do not verify where their information comes from, or if the references actually exist.
Acceptable use:
Jill is a high school teacher preparing her students for their upcoming chemistry exam. She uses AI tools to generate a set of practice questions and sample problems to help her students review and improve their understanding of the subject matter. These practice materials supplement the students' learning, and they can use them to test their knowledge before the exam.
Unacceptable use:
Tom is a high school student who has access to previous years' exams, including the upcoming history test. Instead of studying and learning the material, he inputs the test questions into AI tools to obtain answers and writes down the responses, copying them entirely. He submits this work as his own, even though it is not his original work and he did not study the subject matter. This is a clear case of academic dishonesty, violating the school's code of conduct.
Acceptable use:
Alex is taking a graphic design class in high school, and the teacher encourages students to explore AI for creative inspiration. The teacher specifies that AI can be used as a source of ideas and inspiration but requires students to document how AI was used in their design process. Alex uses AI to generate design concepts and elements and incorporates them into his project while providing a detailed explanation of how AI influenced his creative process.
Unacceptable use:
Samantha is working on her high school history project, which requires her to create a poster illustrating a significant historical event. Marks are given for content and appearance, using original ideas, which would best reflect the historical event. She uses an AI-generated image for the centerpiece of her poster without acknowledging the source or obtaining permission to use it. Samantha also fails to incorporate any original ideas into the poster, violating the project's requirements, which emphasise the use of students' creativity and independent thinking.