Studying with GenAI

Exploring

Using study strategies can help you develop the skills required to understand challenging and complex information. Trying out different study strategies can help you choose which ones best suit your needs.

Here are some ways that GenAI can help you explore these strategies, plus example prompts:

• Exploring different strategies
  • Prompt: “Help me explore different study strategies to succeed in [degree or subject].”
• Selecting and expanding on promising strategies
  • Prompt: “I would like to learn more about and get specific tips for [study strategy].”

Explaining

Evaluating and synthesising different definitions of concepts or explanations of a topic will improve your understanding.

While GenAI can provide explanations, it’s important that you don’t rely on it for understanding concepts. Instead, synthesise explanations from your course materials, library resources and your tutor to deepen your understanding.

Technical terms and concepts

Here are some ways GenAI can help you learn new terms and concepts, plus example prompts:

• Giving simplified explanations
  • Prompt: “Explain [concept or term] as if to a high school student.”
• Providing definitions
  • Prompt: “Provide a simple definition of [term or concept].”
• Generating examples
  • Prompt: “Give three real world examples of [term or concept].”

Instructions or feedback

Note: Do not upload assessment instructions or other University of Melbourne material as they are part of the University’s intellectual property and may be used by these tools without permission. Sharing University intellectual property is academic misconduct and can be subject to severe penalties. See the AI and copyright resource.

GenAI can help you to understand the instructions for a task or feedback you receive on your work. First, identify the specific terms or phrases that cause the most confusion. Have GenAI clarify those terms and elaborate on what they might mean in context.

Always check your understanding with your tutor or course coordinator. Here are some ways GenAI can help, plus example prompts:

• Clarifying instructions
  • Prompt: “Clarify what is meant by [phrase or term] in the instructions for my assessment.”
• Explaining feedback
  • Prompt: “Explain what might be meant by [phrase or term] in the feedback I received on an assessment.”

Practising

When you practise answering questions on a topic, you develop your ability to recall and apply information.

GenAI can create materials to help test your understanding of a topic. However, it isn’t always accurate, so check the answers against your course materials or with your tutors.

Here are some ways GenAI can help you practice, plus example prompts:

• Generating sample test questions
  • Prompt: “For [topic] provide 10 test questions in [question format]. Do not provide the answers until requested.”
• Providing feedback on responses to questions
  • Prompt: “Act as a university examiner and ask me questions, one at a time, about [topic]. Provide feedback on the accuracy of my answers before proceeding to the next question.”
• Creating flashcards from notes
  • Prompt: “Using these notes, create a series of flashcards.”

Personal tutoring

When you formulate your own questions and answers with a tutor, you actively improve your understanding and ability to apply information.

A personal tutor gives you individualised support based on your learning needs. You can start at any level and explore a topic by asking and answering questions to improve your understanding.

When using GenAI, be sure to use your subject materials, real tutors and University resources to verify the information. Here are some ways GenAI can act as a tutor, plus example prompts:

• Acting as a Socratic tutor (a tutor who asks you questions)
  • Prompt: “Act as a Socratic tutor, asking me questions and evaluating my responses to help me learn about [concept or topic].”
• Acting as a tutor using the Feynman techniques (a tutor who gets you to explain)
  • Prompt: “Act as a university tutor and ask me questions using the Feynman technique to help me learn more about [concept or topic].”

Note taking

By taking notes, you practise evaluating, selecting, synthesising and organising new information.

If you use GenAI tools to write your notes or transcribe speech, you miss out on an opportunity to engage with the material. Use of these tools also raises concerns about privacy and consent (see the University's statement on transcription tools).  Instead, have GenAI use your notes to make further learning material.

Here are some ways GenAI can help you, plus example prompts:

• Making a podcast
  • Prompt: “Make a podcast on [topic] using these notes for the material.”
• Making questions
  • Prompt: “Turn these notes into a series of questions about the content.”
• Suggesting ways to organise
  • Prompt: “Suggest three ways that these notes could be organised.”

Simulating

Responding to simulations reinforces understanding and develops communication, analysis, evaluation and creative skills.

While GenAI can mimic various roles, it can’t replace the nuance and diversity of human interactions. Use it as a tool to prepare for unfamiliar scenarios, but complement this with real-world experience and feedback.

Role-playing

GenAI can act as a debate partner to explore different perspectives or positions on a topic. Here are some ways to use the tool for role-playing, plus example prompts:

• Acting as a positive debater
  • Prompt: “Act as a skilled university debater and argue for the perspective or position of [topic].”
• Acting as a rival debater
  • Prompt: “Argue for a different approach to [issue] while arguing against [your approach or argument].”

In some subjects, you’ll need to communicate information and recommendations to patients, clients or other stakeholders. Here are some ways GenAI can play these roles, helping you practise your communication skills, plus sample prompts:

• Acting as a patient
  • Prompt: “I need to practise clinical communication in [topic]. Act as a patient with [symptoms/condition] and engage me in dialogue.”
• Acting as a busy executive
  • Prompt: “Act as a busy executive needing a clear and concise proposal presentation on [topic]. You are concerned about [specific concerns].”

Problem-solving

GenAI can provide practice problems tailored to your discipline, enabling you to develop critical problem-solving skills. This offers an interactive environment to reason and create original solutions to real-world problems. Here are some ways GenAI can provide practice problems, plus sample prompts:

• Simulating a situation
  • Prompt: “Simulate a situation where a student in my class struggles with [concept]. Ask me how I would help them understand this concept.”
• Posing a real-world problem
  • Prompt: “Pose a real-world problem in [discipline]. First, ask me for a solution, then follow up with questions to refine its feasibility.”