This course is for university students from all background areas who are looking to enhance their understanding of using AI tools within their research, their studies, and their academic writing. The course provides students with an introduction to how various AI tools work as aids for study, research and writing, before going into the practical applications of the tools within study and research. The course covers key issues of ethics, academic integrity, authorship, and plagiarism in the use of AI tools, and provides up-to-date information on how to use the tools available with rigour, efficiency and accuracy. The course will be an essential companion to university students studying, researching and writing in an AI-augmented world.
Overview
Syllabus
- AI for Students: Using AI Tools in Study and Research
- Our first module introduces you to what we mean by AI and GenAI, as well as the concept of digital literacies. We'll cover here the ways in which the tools work and the different categories of tools available. You'll be able to use the information here to boost your confidence in using the various types of AI tools available, as well as being able to discern what the tools do and how they might benefit you in your work, research and study.
- AI Capabilities and Human Responsibilites
- Our second module expands on the use of AI and GenAI tools. We'll cover here the role of the human and the computer in our tasks when studying and researching for university. We'll also look at the types of tools available in more depth and detail. We'll discuss how and why these work in particular ways, the benefits of using particular types of tools for particular types of work, and the role of AI in your studies. We'll also cover the crucial and important elements of some of the challenges and problems in using AI, including the human and environmental costs, the data biases, and the social issues involved.
- Academic Integrity
- We've covered now the ways in which you can use AI tools in your studies and research, the types of tools available to you, and some of the wider issues or problems with using AI tools. Below, you'll cover the key elements of academic integrity and good academic practice (including avoiding plagiarism!) when using AI tools. We'll look at the key principles of academic integrity in an AI-powered world, as well as thinking about the rules of research and using data with confidence and confidentiality.
Taught by
Andrew Struan, Caitlin Diver, Jennifer Boyle, and Scott Ramsay
