How to use AI to learn (without cheating): students develop new guide
The team behind AI in Education
A new online resource, co-designed by students and staff at the University of Sydney, shows how generative AI can be used productively and responsibly in assessment and learning.
Over a series of “hackathons”, students created AI in Education, a publicly available website that shows how to use AI at university without cheating, to enhance the learning experience.
The site offers advice on writing prompts, acknowledging the technology’s use in assignments, and using AI across different disciplines, from Arts and Social Sciences to Engineering and IT. It also provides ideas about how generative AI can help students learn at university and succeed in life after graduation. For example, the technology can explain complex concepts, help brainstorm ideas, proofread, or provide practise questions for job interviews.
“The truth is that many students know more about AI than most of us,” said Professor Adam Bridgeman, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Educational Innovation). “They’re going to be using this technology for 50 or 60 years so it’s essential we equip them to use it productively and responsibly. It makes sense that we collaborate with our students as we embed AI into their educational experience.”
AI is like the best teammate you can have. You can use it as an extension of your own knowledge and ideas.
The group behind AI in Education includes domestic and international students from a range of undergraduate and postgraduate courses.
“It was fantastic to collaborate with staff and students and meet people from so many disciplines. Everyone brought a different perspective to the issue,” said Abigail Bobkowski, who is in her fourth year of a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Advanced Studies. “In taking part, I got a clearer sense on how I can use gen-AI in my studies and assignments.”
As well as creating clear guidelines about ethical use, the students wanted the website to demonstrate the potential of AI to boost learning, drawing on their own experiences. Bobkowski, for instance, uses the technology in her work as an academic English tutor. She uses AI to generate written passages with poor grammar, which her students then analyse and correct.
Another participant in the project, PhD student Yihong (Annie) Yuan, uses AI to help generate and critique ideas. Yuan's research in the School of Computer Science focuses on the role of AI in education.
“AI is like the best teammate you can have,” she said. “It’s always available and you can use it as an extension of your own knowledge and ideas. I might ask it to critique my thinking based on a particular framework. I don’t always agree with what it says, but it sometimes raises things I haven’t considered.”
Jack Quinlan, a third-year student in a Bachelor of Engineering Honours and Bachelor of Science came to the project with excitement about how students can harness and shape emerging technologies.
“AI tools have a breadth equal to your imagination,” he said. “They work like a mirror in that they reflect what you put in. If we put in optimism and creativity, we'll make it a powerful and positive tool for student engagement and learning.”
AI in teaching and learning: University of Sydney initiatives
AI in Education is part of a range of University initiatives helping students and staff use generative AI effectively. The institution was named AI University of the Year in the 2024 Future Campus Awards, in recognition of its leadership in the field. Professor Danny Liu from the University’s Educational Innovation Team won the award for Best Use of AI in Learning and Teaching for work including his leadership of the AI in Education project.
The University has partnered with Microsoft to make Copilot for Web, a generative AI tool, available to students and staff for free. Alongside the AI in Education resource, workshops and training sessions are available for staff and students, boosting understanding of the technology and its use in education and assessment.
Professor Liu developed Cogniti, an AI assistant for students in use across more than 300 units of study. The tool allows teachers to create customised AI agents that can be steered with instructions and subject-specific information. Overseen by teachers, these AI agents can answer students’ questions about content and syllabus, and provide instant personalised feedback, guidance and support, 24 hours a day.
AI tools have a breadth equal to your imagination ... If we put in optimism and creativity, we'll make it a powerful and positive tool for learning.
Educators at the University set assignments that teach and encourage students to collaborate responsibly with generative AI, focusing on assessing the process of learning as well as the product. This is balanced with supervised assessments that restrict or control the use of AI. Inappropriate use of AI to generate content is identified as a form of contract cheating under the University’s Academic Integrity Policy.
“What we don’t want is an environment where students use AI but don’t tell us about it,” said Professor Bridgeman. “It’s important to provide clarity around how and when it can be responsibly used.
“Using AI is a bit like using a calculator to solve a hard maths problem. It’s not cheating to pick up the calculator, but you need to know and be able to show your methodology. And you’re cheating yourself if you don’t learn how to use it properly.
“If AI makes it easier for students to get through their degrees, we need to rethink the nature of assessment and create new challenges that prepare them for a future where this technology is an intrinsic part of life and work.”
Tips for students: how to use generative AI at University
Check what is allowed: Generative AI tools should only be used in assessment when a unit coordinator has given explicit permission. Rules vary between units and assessments, so check the instructions and, if unsure, discuss with your unit coordinator or tutor.
Acknowledge the use of AI: When using AI as part of an assessment, this should be clearly acknowledged. Never submit AI-generated content as your own work.
Be cautious and critical: AI-generated content may include inaccurate information and reflect biases from the training data. Independently verify AI-generated content to ensure its integrity, accuracy and suitability.
Develop your writing and communication skills: Use AI to enhance your communication skills, not replace them. Don’t let AI prevent you from developing the skills you need to succeed at and beyond university.
Do not enter personal or sensitive information: Never enter information such as your full name, birthday, address, health information or passwords. Do not enter copyright materials, such as the Library's eResources or the University's proprietary teaching resources.
Be creative: AI can help brainstorm ideas, provoke reflection, suggest counterarguments, improve clarity, summarise literature, make multimedia content, provide feedback and more. It’s a powerful tool when used critically, ethically and with imagination.
