Are you using AI to study? Here’s how to do it well

Artificial intelligence (AI) has enabled high school and university students access to a resource that could potentially "do all the work for them." While this can temporarily alleviate students' stress during assessments, it may have detrimental effects on their long-term learning. As the end-of-year exam period approaches, students may seek ways to integrate AI into their study routines.

Research suggests that using AI, such as chatbots like ChatGPT, during study can enhance learning, motivation, critical and creative thinking, and reduce mental effort. AI can also tailor learning to individual needs, provide timely feedback, and boost student engagement. However, some researchers question the credibility of these claims due to the low quality of methods and lack of transparency in previous studies.

While students should not entirely rely on AI for studying, they must be aware of the associated risks. One such risk is "cognitive offloading," where students become overly dependent on AI to complete their work, leading to a lack of independent content mastery. It is crucial to avoid using AI in every aspect of revision, especially when practicing exams. This risk can result in a false sense of confidence, as AI may temporarily boost performance, but a real exam could reveal the true extent of learning.

To use AI effectively for study, students should first attempt to recall, explain, solve, summarize, or write concepts independently before seeking AI assistance. Once confident in their knowledge, AI can be used to organize notes, identify missing information, generate practice exam questions of varying difficulty levels, and offer feedback.

For instance, a prompt could be: "Here is my answer to an exam question. Don't rewrite it for me. Identify what I did well, what is inaccurate or missing, and the three changes that would most improve my answer. Check your feedback against the provided marking criteria."

While AI may be helpful at times, students should remember to strike a healthy balance. Taking breaks from devices and engaging in in-person study sessions with friends can provide valuable human interaction and prevent distractions. Ultimately, a good principle to remember is: think first, use AI second (or, in some cases, not at all).