Using Generative AI to Boost Student Studying

Generative AI tools like ChatGPT, Midjourney, and Audiocraft have taken the world by storm. Their proliferation has fundamentally shifted how information is searched, discovered, and created, while also elicited serious concerns about ownership, privacy, and accuracy. 

In education, which is historically slow if not resistant to change, generative AI has created challenges and opportunities for both students and educators. While serious questions linger around generative AI’s impact on academic integrity, educational access, and content bias, these platforms can be useful tools as students seek to engage with content and apply concepts in meaningful ways.  

 

 

As many institutions approach the end of the semester, here are a few ways generative AI like ChatGPT can help students study for finals without sacrificing academic integrity. 

• Creating a study plan: Having a plan can make studying more manageable and memorable, and reviewing content throughout the semester is a better approach than waiting until closer to your exam to begin studying. To generate a comprehensive study plan, provide ChatGPT with the dates of your semester and exams, which subjects you’re studying, which may require the most time, and how much time you’re able to commit each week. ChatGPT can give you a detailed study plan to help you get and stay on track. 

• Sample prompt: “I’m a computer science student with exams in Database Management on December 9, Programming with Python on December 13, and Intro to Data Mining on December 14. I will need to spend the most time reviewing Python. I can commit one hour each weekday to studying, with three hours on Saturday, and two hours on Sunday. I don’t want to study past 9 p.m. With September 1 being the start date, can you create a study plan for me?” 

• Summarizing and explaining content: ChatGPT can dig through months of content to create more concise and memorable notes. It can pull out the key points, organize concepts, and simplify content. It can also be prompted to add formatting, such as bullet points and bolded text, that call out the most important text. While it can pull in external information not included in the original notes, users should use caution to ensure it is not hallucinated by the platform. 

• Sample prompt: “Please provide a concise summary of the text pasted below. Bold section headings with double asterisks and italicize key concepts and terms with a single asterisk. This summary should serve as a comprehensive study guide to help me prepare for a final exam. Highlight the most critical points and ensure clarity in understanding the main ideas presented in the text.” 

• Preparing and Testing Your Knowledge: Once you’ve created a plan and summarized your notes, ChatGPT can help you review and test what you know. You can prompt ChatGPT to create a series of practice questions that test you on the content. If you need to spend more time on a specific area in the subject, you can prompt ChatGPT to focus specifically on those areas or to explain the content in different ways. If you’re really struggling with a concept or if you just want to study in a different way, you can ask ChatGPT to provide unique responses, such as creating pneumonic devices, writing songs, or telling jokes that will help you remember the content. 

• Sample prompt: “Generate a set of challenging and diverse practice questions on the topic pasted below. Ensure that the questions cover a range of difficulty levels and assess various aspects of understanding, including factual knowledge, problem-solving skills, and critical thinking. The goal is to create a well-rounded set of questions that will thoroughly test and enhance my proficiency in the subject.” 

 

 

• Providing feedback: ChatGPT can be prompted to review and edit your notes, homework, practice tests, and even code. It can provide feedback to help you recognize and correct inaccurate or incomplete information. It’s an especially powerful tool for written assignments, as it can be prompted to review the quality and reading level of the text, provide content outlines, and generate ideas to help you overcome writer’s block. 

• Sample prompt: “Please provide detailed feedback on the project report pasted below. Consider the overall structure, coherence of information, use of evidence and rationale, clarity of expression, and adherence to the assignment's guidelines. Identify strengths and weaknesses, offering specific suggestions for improvement. This feedback should guide revisions and enhance the overall quality of the essay. 

ChatGPT and other generative AI tools are powerful copilots that can help students create more efficient and comprehensive study strategies. They can help students refine their goals, get specific guidance, and practice important concepts. Despite these tools remarkable capabilities, however, students should remember to fact check responses and ask the platform to cite sources that can be reviewed. 

 

Harnessing the Power of AI at Capitol Tech:

You can begin your artificial intelligence career and begin developing high-powered study tools like ChatGPT with a degree in Artificial Intelligence from Capitol Tech. For more information on Capitol Technology University’s degree programs, contact our Admissions team at admissions@captechu.edu.