Tips for using artificial intelligence for students

Guides for the use of artificial intelligence in teaching and learning have been released at Aalto University. The use of artificial intelligence is seen as a possibility for learning, and it is allowed to use AI to support learning. However, it should be noted that the course teacher has always the right to restrict the use of artificial intelligence in a course or a  learning task if it is necessary to achieve the learning objectives.

    How do I use AI responsibly in my courses?

• Pay attention to course practicalities: The course-specific restrictions of the use of artificial intelligence can be found in the course syllabus (kurssiesite) or in the learning task description. Please note that in some learning tasks of the course, the use of artificial intelligence may be allowed, while in others it may not be. If you are unsure whether you can use a specific system or application in completing the task, always contact the course teacher. For example, language checking or translation programs often rely on artificial intelligence, and therefore, text generated by such programs is easily identified as being produced by artificial intelligence in automated checking systems like Turnitin plagiarism detecting tool has.
• Use AI-generated content ethically: Mark the content generated by artificial intelligence in your text and include references to the name of the AI model or service, the date, and when the content was generated. If the teacher has not requested other type of citation, you can refer to the page "How to cite ChatGPT" on apa.org for more detailed instructions. Do not present content generated by artificial intelligence as your own. Also keep in mind that large language models as a software are not accountable for the text they generate. Although referencing indicates that a certain text is not an original idea, the student as the author of the assignment should carefully examine the content of the text before using it.
• Respect copyrights: You should not upload answers produced by other students into external systems without permission. For example, when conducting peer evaluations, it is important to be cautious and avoid processing other students' texts using systems like ChatGPT.

• Observe academic integrity: If you intentionally use artificial intelligence in violation of the restrictions set by the course instructor for a specific course or learning task, it may be considered as academic misconduct and will be handled according to the defined processes.

  How can I take advantage of AI in learning?

• Writing, reading and ideating with AI: If the use of artificial intelligence is not restricted in the course or assignment, you can explore whether AI can be helpful, for example, in text summarization, translations or language proofreading. When starting to compose your answer, you can even brainstorm with the AI. You can ask questions and request additions to the text or feedback to the text to improve your work. However, please note that large language models like ChatGPT are designed to generate text but cannot critically assess the resources on their database, which means they may produce content that is factually incorrect or reference nonexistent sources. Always double-check the content and sources generated by AI tools.

• AI as an additional study-buddy: Large language models, such as ChatGPT, can be used in an interactive manner to test your knowledge, to deepen your understanding or to provide alternative perspectives. You can ask AI to for example create you assignments, problems or quizzes on topics that you are currently studying. You may also ask how AI defines some of your courses key concepts and compare those with your course literature. Additionally, you can discover how certain concepts are connected. Again, you must remember to evaluate critically the content AI generates,  keeping an eye out for biases and inconsistencies.