How to Use AI Without Breaking the Rules
Tips for using AI—and not failing your course
By: Catarina Pham
Your VPs Ritz and Cat having a great time at De-Stress Fest with Will and the SSU President Kyle!
AI is becoming a big part of our lives, and as students, you may think AI is only used for plagiarism or cheating in class, but that’s not completely correct. In fact, if you know how to use AI properly, it can be your own “instructor” that can help you thrive on your academic journey.
There are tons of AI apps that students might use to study, take notes, or collaborate with others without breaking the rules. Here are 3 of my most used AI study apps and HOW I use them:
1. Quizlet - Cue Card
Quizlet has a variety of functions but for me, the Cue Card is the most useful technique. It can help you review definitions, terms, and formulas either after class or before exams. Sometimes it’s hard when learning new definitions, so seeing the word on one side of the cue card can remind you of its definition. Then you can click to flip to the other side of the card to check the correct knowledge. The material on Quizlet is usually categorized by courses and chapters, so you may find it to be straightforward to look for the items that you want to review.
2. Grammarly.com
Grammatical errors are always one of the factors that can hurt your assignment’s final score, therefore, if we can find and correct them before submitting your assignment, it can help boost your grade. This program helps you correct grammatical mistakes, boost your sentences to a higher level, and help you find the words that match the tone of the essay you are writing.
3. Chat GPT
As students, you know that forming an idea can be the hardest part in writing an essay. It may take a couple of hours just to think of what you are going to write. Referring to the keywords from Chat GPT can be a very helpful tool for us to use. From those keywords, we can start to develop the outline of the essay, put them in the bullet points, and then rearrange them in a logical way.
However, you need to be careful when choosing how you use AI.
Here’s what NOT TO DO when using AI apps as a student:
1. Don’t turn them into “cheating materials”
AI programs can help you review for exams, but don’t use them as “cheating materials” during the exam season. It’s absolutely not worth the consequences you will face when caught. Instead, schedule your time wisely to review the materials little by little, so you will not feel overwhelmed and pressured when the exam is approaching.
2. Don’t copy and paste
Cat, your VP of Academics, hosted a De-Stress Fest earlier this summer!
You can seek the information from AI, and you can use those insights as a reference, but you cannot claim that work as your own by simply copying and pasting it. Use your own words and cite your sources, always! Sheridan College is very serious about Academic Integrity, especially when it comes to taking credit for ideas that are not your own. So again, it’s not worth the risk!
3. Don’t rely too much on AI
It will never be a good idea to rely too much on AI apps for students because no matter how many answers AI may have for you, they cannot be customized for every question or math problem. There’s a huge risk if you rely on it too much. For example, if you see the same question on the exam but it has different details—you will get confused and not know how to solve it.
As you can see, AI is clearly a double-edged sword. It is very beneficial for work and study, but if you don’t use it properly it will undermine your critical thinking, take control over your life, and lead to adverse consequences. Make a habit of being independent of it, and only use it when necessary.
Keep going and your hard work will pay off!