How to study efficiently with AI tools

Learn practical tips for making the most of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools for your study planning, brainstorming and excelling academically while understanding ethical concerns about credibility and integrity.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools have become increasingly prevalent in the academic landscape, offering students new avenues to enhance their learning experience. There are numerous AI platforms available, including RMIT’s Val.

Used responsibly and ethically, generative AI tools can boost your study skills and help you explore new ways to learn. These may include getting started on background reading for assignments, summarising academic sources, brainstorming ideas on a topic, writing outlines to organise your work, and using AI as a 24-hour study tutor, amongst others.

What follows are some useful tips and examples from Student Academic Success (SAS) Learning Advisors on how to get started using AI.

Tip 1: Give good prompts to AI

One effective way to utilise AI tools is by providing clear and concise prompts. The Role, Task, Requirement, and Instruction (RTRI) method is a helpful framework for crafting prompts that elicit the desired responses.

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Role: You are a journalist.

Task: Write a 100-word summary

Requirement: on key findings of a research study on climate change.

Instruction: Include at least three supporting quotes from the study and provide recommendations for mitigating climate change.

Output:

“A recent study by leading climate scientists has uncovered concerning trends in global temperature rise and extreme weather events. "The Earth's temperature has increased by 1.1°C since the late 19th century, with the past decade being the hottest on record," stated the report. Researchers also found that "the frequency and intensity of heat waves, droughts, and flooding have significantly escalated in the past 50 years." To mitigate these effects, the study recommends urgent action, including transitioning to renewable energy, implementing carbon pricing, and protecting natural carbon sinks. As one researcher emphasized, "Time is running out - we must act now to avoid the most catastrophic consequences of climate change."

Photo 1: A good prompt need to be clear of the role, task, requirement, and instruction for the AI tool (Photo courtesy: Canva).

The output has considered the four stages of your prompt and responded accordingly. However, it is important to understand that AI tools may generate inaccurate information. Make sure to exercise your own judgment and understanding of the class content to ensure you evaluate the accuracy and relevance of the AI-generated content.

Tip 2: Use AI to plan your study and goals

To be successful in your studies, it is essential to plan and maximise the time you’ve allocated to studying. Generative AI tools can assist you with common approaches to this by helping you set goals and create study plans. These tools can also help you to learn about time management techniques, study tips and strategies. The following prompt contains two roles but continues using the same method (RTRI).

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You are an academic skills advisor [Role]. I am an RMIT student studying for a Business Administration Major over 3 years [Role]. What should be my short-term and mid-term goals? [Task]

Output:

As an academic skills advisor, my role is to provide guidance and recommendations to help you achieve success in your studies. Given that you're pursuing a business administration major, here are some suggestions for short-term and mid-term goals:

Short-term goals (within the next 1-2 semesters):

Develop a strong foundation in core business concepts: Focus on mastering the fundamental theories, principles, and practices in areas such as accounting, finance, marketing, operations management, and organizational behaviour. Ensure you have a solid grasp of these core business disciplines.
Enhance your academic writing and research skills: Business administration often requires extensive written assignments, reports, and case studies. Work on improving your academic writing style, citation formatting, and research methods to produce high-quality work.
Actively participate in class discussions and group projects: Business education heavily emphasizes teamwork and collaboration. Engage actively in class discussions, contribute to group projects, and develop your interpersonal and communication skills.
Explore career options and networking opportunities: Start researching potential career paths within the business field. Attend career fairs, informational sessions, and networking events to connect with industry professionals and learn about different job roles and industries.

Mid-term goals (within the next 1-2 years):

Gain practical experience through internships or work-integrated learning: Look for opportunities to apply your theoretical knowledge in a real-world business setting, such as internships, co-op programs, or work-integrated learning courses. This will help you develop essential job-ready skills.
Develop specialized skills or knowledge: Depending on your interests and career aspirations, consider pursuing electives, certifications, or even a minor that can help you develop specialized skills or knowledge in areas like entrepreneurship, digital marketing, supply chain management, or business analytics.
Build a professional network and get involved in extracurricular activities: Join student clubs or organisations and attend industry events to expand your professional network and demonstrate your leadership and teamwork abilities.
Prepare for post-graduation plans: Start researching potential employers, refining your résumé, and practising for job interviews. Explore further education options, such as a master's degree or professional certifications, if they align with your long-term career goals.

Photo 2: AI tools can support you with setting goals and creating study plans.

Depending on the answer your AI tool gives to you, you can continue to define your prompt, ask for further details, and create the best-suited study plan for you.

Tip 3: Use AI as your study tutor

You can easily review work from your course by using AI as a study tutor. The role would be the tutor and student, the task would be to ask you questions, and the requirements would be the things you want to be tested on.

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You are a university tutor. I am a student [Role]. Ask me true or false questions that will test my understanding of post-modern art [Task]. When I respond, please give feedback on my answer [Instruction].

Output:

AI’s Question:

True or False: Post-modern art rejects the notion of a single, objective truth.

Your answer:

True, postmodern art rejects the idea of a single, universal truth or meaning. Can you explain how this is reflected in specific postmodern artworks?

AI’s Feedback:

That's correct. Postmodern art rejects the idea of a single, universal truth or meaning. This is reflected in works that intentionally create ambiguity, incorporate multiple perspectives, and challenge traditional notions of artistic meaning and interpretation.

You can follow this process and ask “your tutor” for multiple-choice questions, short answers or even engaging in a discussion on the topic. You just have to adjust your prompts accordingly.

Tip 4: Use AI tools to brainstorm ideas

Students often find it difficult to get started on assignments. By giving AI a relevant role and the task of brainstorming ideas on a specific topic, it can give you a starting point on how to start the assignment and ideas for further research.

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You are a university professor [Role]. Write a discursive essay on the benefits of using social media in academia [Task]. Brainstorm 2 ideas and include short explanations of these ideas [Instruction].

Output:

As a university professor writing a discursive essay on the benefits of using social media in academia, here are 4 ideas to consider with brief explanations:

Enhancing Collaboration and Networking [...]
Facilitating Knowledge Dissemination [...]
Promoting Student Engagement and Learning [...]
Fostering Multidisciplinary Perspective [...]

Photo 3: AI tools can be a great idea generator to help you get started with your assignment or research.

With detailed prompts and clear instructions, AI tools can generate ideas for you to explore. If you find some interesting leads, you can continue asking for more perspectives on the topic and delve deeper.

Using AI ethically and effectively

There is much to consider around the ethics of AI when you’re writing your assignments. It is easy to step into some ethical challenges when you start using AI for your assignments.

One area is around the credibility and quality of the sources that you’re using. AI will use every source it has access to answer a question. Sometimes these sources may be old, irrelevant and not what your lecturers have recommended for you to use. If you do successfully find the information you require from AI, then it is essential to reference the AI tool you’ve used. Not referencing AI-generated content is considered plagiarism. It shows the reader you’re trying to pass off AI writing as your own. Failure to reference AI tools can result in academic misconduct. You can find more information regarding how to cite and reference AI-generated content on the Easy Cite referencing guide
Another ethical consideration is that AI may present information incorrectly because of the sheer quantity of data it processes. Algorithms produce the average answer to a prompt. AI responses can ignore important views on a topic and create a bias in the content that it produces. This bias may exclude certain groups or views that are not mainstream or new.
It is important to evaluate the AI tools you use as they can compromise your privacy and security. AI tools use your content to train their machines, so it is not confidential or secure.

To learn more about how you can use Generative AI tools in your learning at RMIT, have a look at this module.

For further information on how to make the most of AI to support your academic studies, please come and see us at SAS. We are in Room 01.01.32, and you can drop in without an appointment. We are open Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm.

Contributors Pierce Larkin (Manager, Learning Success), Stephanie Rummel (Learning Success Coordinator), Jamila Ahmed (Learning Success Coordinator), and Chi Luong (Learning Advisor).

29 July 2024

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How to study efficiently with AI tools