AI and learning
AI tools can either impair or enhance your learning, depending on how you use them. Therefore, it is important to carefully consider how you can use AI to enhance your learning.
What happens to your learning when you use AI?
Learning is the most important outcome of your studies. You need to both learn and receive recognition for what you have learned in the form of grades and your degree. Your grades and your degree, in turn, will allow you to apply for jobs or additional education. Both future employers and future educational programs will assume that you have earned your grades and your degree by acquiring the knowledge they represent.
Because learning is so central to your education, not only the end product is of interest to those who assess your learning, but also the process of getting there and how this process helps you develop your knowledge and abilities.
Taking shortcuts, such as prompting AI to do most of the work, may seem tempting when you are pressed for time, but doing so may also prevent you from learning. However, if you use AI wisely, it can be an effective way to learn.
Less effective ways of using AI for learning
You avoid reading the course literature by asking an AI tool to give you a very short summary of it.
You use AI to generate large parts of a text, check the text to make sure it looks good, and then submit it.
Why are these ways of using AI less effective?
- You do not learn very much and gain a limited understanding of the topic.
- Your teacher cannot assess your learning based on your text.
More effective ways of using AI for learning
You ask AI to produce a simplified, shortened version of a difficult text. You read the abbreviated, simplified version, think about it, and then read the text in its entirety. While reading, you actively build on the prior understanding you gained when reading the simplified text and consider what is different or new compared to the simplified text.
You use AI to get feedback on the structure of your text. You ask for explanations of all suggestions and carefully consider each one.
Why are these ways of using AI more effective?
- You use AI to improve your understanding and to help you in the reading process, but not to do the work of reading and understanding for you.
- Your teacher can assess your text because it is your own.
More examples of how you may use AI to learn
- Getting an overview of new and complex topics by asking for clarifications or different perspectives on a topic. Keep in mind that the tools have limitations and do not know what is true or false. Read more about how generative AI works here.
- Improving your language learning by asking for sample texts to practice a specific genre/text type and/or by asking for feedback in your own language in a conversational format. Read more about AI and writing here.
- Creating quizzes, flashcards, or other materials to practice for an exam.
- Taking notes from a lecture.
- Coding data.
Prompting tips
When using generic AI tools such as Copilot or ChatGPT, you need to consider how to prompt, that is, how formulate the questions you ask the AI tool. A well-formulated prompt will usually give you much better results than a rough or unfocused one. Below are examples of less effective and more effective prompts.
Keep in mind!
You are always responsible for your own learning and what you produce in your studies.
Make sure you do so with academic integrity, that is, be transparent about how you use AI tools and do not use them more than is permitted for your course.
Do not share personal information, sensitive data or copyrighted material with the tools.
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