Top Ways to Use ChatGPT as a Learning Tool for Students

Here are some ideas on how students can effectively use ChatGPT.

University Students

For Academic Research and Writing

• For brainstorming thesis topics and research questions

• For creating outlines for academic work (essays, research papers, dissertations)

• Identifying themes for literature review (You should consider adding more themes based on what you find while reading the various research papers)

• Assistance with citation (for different formats)

Study and Learning Enhancement

• Ask AI to explain complex concepts in simpler terms, with examples.

• Have trouble understanding a passage in the research paper? Ask AI to summarize the main points and simplify complex concepts.

• Ask AI to provide step-by-step explanations when solving difficult problems (STEM subjects, Economics, Accounting)

• Ask AI to generate practice questions, mock exams for self-assessment

• Take help to understand grammar, create practice material for conversation practice.

Professional Development

• Take help of AI to create compelling resumes, cover letters, and LinkedIn profiles

• You can even ask AI to provide mock questions (and answers) to prepare for job interviews

• Take help to create presentations, pitch decks, business plans for university and entrepreneurship projects

• Take help of AI to build portfolios and personal branding strategies

Should We Let Students Use ChatGPT?

More students are embracing AI and they have a point.

Critics and educators are concerned about the increasing using of artificial intelligence (AI) by students in higher education.

Lot of articles suggest that students are using ChatGPT and other AI tools out of laziness or because they are trying to cheat. It says more students are using AI for their assessment and online exams, and are completing their degrees without developing critical thinking.

However, more students see AI tools such as ChatGPT an acceptable tool in their learning process.

More students are using AI to structure their academic work and to assist with research.

Some students even say that they use AI tools due to lack of academic clarity, and its more for their survival in the AI era.

It’s also observed that more students are now working part-time as expenses have soared and many of them have loans. So, time is really precious for them and tools like AI becomes essential for them.

Students are saying that they are using AI to cope with the evolving demands of university life and not really to cheat or to replace effort.

Now that we have the view of the students, it’s up to the universities to decide what is “fair use” of AI.

We are living in the AI era and its up to the universities to ponder if Using AI to structure thoughts (or research material that a student collates) is cheating, or can it be seen more like collaborative effort.

There is need to co-define “fair use” that takes into account realities of the modern student and the fact that we are living in an AI era.