How to use gen AI as a student

Guidance for students on the use of generative AI

On this page, we cover:

What is Generative AI?

Generative AI (GenAI) uses artificial intelligence to complete tasks that normally require human cognition. For example, AI writing tools such as ChatGPT and Claude produce text in response to user prompts or questions. Also, images can be generated using DALL E and Adobe’s Firefly, and Canva and Firefly can both be used to help create posters for visual assignments.

Everyday tools and such as Grammarly have also now incorporated GenAI options, and Bath Spa now had access to Read and Write to help with accessibility. Recently, these tools have become much more popular, and universities have responded in a range of ways. Some have banned the use of GenAI outright, while others are taking a more case-by-case approach.

At Bath Spa, your lecturers are free to specify the extent to which you may use AI in your work and will make this clear in your assessment guidelines.

Pros and cons of using AI at university

Video: Pros and cons of GenAI

Using GenAI can have many benefits and can be particularly helpful in the brainstorming and planning stages of working on an assignment. You can ask tools such as ChatGPT and Claude for topic suggestions, feedback on ideas, or help writing emails.

It's also important to remember that this technology has several drawbacks:

It can reflect cultural biases in its training data
There are concerns around data privacy
It is more energy intensive than other forms of internet use
The results generated may plagiarise the data that it was trained on
It can lead to superficial engagement with the material.

Most importantly, GenAI can invent facts that seem plausible (‘hallucinations’). You must check everything it says with a reputable source, such as resources from the Library, for example academic journals, and textbooks.

Get help with using GenAI

Video: Help available

We know that you'll probably use GenAI in your future career, and we want to make sure you know how to use this technology, so that you're ready for life after university. Artificial intelligence is an area which is evolving rapidly. Different courses and modules may have different approaches to the use of GenAI.

The Academic Skills team (ASk) offers a workshop on using generative AI with integrity. During the workshop, you can discuss these guidelines in more detail, and learn how to get the best out of ChatGPT.

Tips for using GenAI as a student

Video: Using GenAI

Think about your privacy

Always be mindful of the information you share online, including with AI platforms. Make sure you don’t share personal, sensitive, or confidential details. You can also opt out of data sharing when using ChatGPT, by going to settings/data control and turn off ‘improve for everyone’.

Be specific

ChatGPT allows you to add custom instructions. It can be helpful to add something like "I would like ChatGPT to not write or rewrite documents for me. I would like it to make suggestions and give feedback without rewriting my words". This instruction will make it much easier to use without plagiarising texts.

Check your sources

GenAI currently often invents facts, so it's important to cross-check everything it says. Think of GenAI as a bit like Wikipedia – it's a helpful starting point, but your evidence should come from the reputable sources you've used to check those facts.

Consider how much text to use

An AI writing generator might produce phrases that you think would translate well to your writing – but how much of these should you use? We think it's reasonable to base the extent to which you can copy and paste from a tool such as ChatGPT on how much is acceptable to copy and paste from a source such as the Academic Phrasebank, which is widely used in academic circles. This means that you can copy word-for-word, without referencing, sentence fragments that don't contain facts. These should be no more than 5-8 words long, and you should limit the amount of these: it is suggested that you use a maximum of 3 of these per 150-word paragraph.

Get help with planning

GenAI can be most helpful in the planning stages of your work. If your lecturer hasn't stated that you mustn't use AI, you can ask it to help write a plan.

The more information you add to your prompts, the better and more specific the responses you receive will be. Rather than asking it for a list of topic ideas, you could provide a list of topics that you plan to cover and ask it for feedback or further suggestions.

AI tools can also generate images and audio which might serve as starting points for projects. As in many subjects, art, design, film and media tutors value creativity and originality, so you should check your lecturers' specific recommendations for individual assignments.

Ask for feedback

You can also ask GenAI for feedback on what you've written, and the more specific you can be the better. For example, you could give it a section of your writing and ask questions such as:

‘I often get feedback on XXX, what feedback on XXX would you give me for this piece of writing?’
‘How strong is my argument?’
‘Do I have enough evidence?’
‘Do my ideas come across clearly?’
‘How good are my topic sentences?’
‘How good are my linking sentences?’

Remember that GenAI hasn’t studied your subject, at your university, with your lecturers. Use your own judgement and critical thinking skills to assess any recommendations it makes.

Get help with your academic reading

You can cut and paste a section of text into a Generative AI platform and ask for a summary to help you understand the original. It's important to look at the original at the same time, to make sure that you agree with the summary.

Generation of images and sounds

Academic integrity and GenAI

Video: Academic integrity

Can the University detect AI-generated writing?

At Bath Spa we have no current plans to use AI detection tools as they are currently extremely inaccurate; however, the writing produced by GenAI can often be identified by its bland and repetitive nature. Lecturers will also be looking for work that's beyond your current capability, or expressed in a way that's clearly different to your normal style.

If your lecturer suspects that your assignment contains larger sections that have been pasted from AI, they'll first have an informal chat with you to find out more about how you produced your work. This means you'll need to be able to discuss and show understanding of the concepts and evidence that you've presented in your essay.

You must not directly copy larger chunks of text or images that have been produced for you by AI without attributing the source, as this will count as ‘passing off the work of another as your own’ and is against our academic integrity policy. This includes using the AI function in Grammarly to rewrite whole sentences.

Include references and an appendix

If you choose to copy and paste a large amount of text from GenAI, it is important to cite this correctly as outlined in Cite them Right.

If you use any generative AI tools at any stage of your assessment, include information on how you have used it as an appendix at the end of your piece of work. Include the following information as an appendix at the end of your assessed piece of work. The appendix should:

Name the generative AI tool(s) you have used and summarise how you have used them. For example (select all that apply):

I acknowledge the use of <insert name(s) and url> to generate information for background research.

I acknowledge the use of <insert name(s) and url> at the drafting stage of the writing process with the creation of an outline structure for this essay.

I acknowledge the use of <insert name(s) and url> to identify improvements in the writing style.

I acknowledge the use of <insert name(s) and url> as an information source to generate materials that were included within my final assessment in my own words.

I acknowledge the use of <insert name(s) and url> to create the images included in this presentation.

No content generated by AI technologies has been presented as my own work

Student Digital Learning Assistants

Did you know that you can get help using digital tools for learning from other students?

During term time, our Student Digital Learning Assistants are available in-person and online every weekday between 10am-2pm. You can drop in at Commons or book an appointment. They can help with:

Accessing and using your BSU email account
Using Ultra (the Virtual Learning Environment)
Submitting assignments
Using Adobe tools such as Express
Accessing Microsoft apps such as Word and Excel
Using Generative AI.

To book an appointment or find out more, please email sdlas@bathspa.ac.uk.