Are you afraid your batchmate consistently getting an A+ might be leveraging something more than their brains? Your fear might be relevant. The popular quote, “AI will not replace you, but the person using AI will,” is becoming more and more relevant.
Many professors globally have expressed concerns related to the use of ChatGPT for students. The way calculators were demonized initially. Evidently, no one has been able to win the war against the technological revolution.
Whether you are pro-ChatGPT or not, you have to admit its revolutionary impact. 100 million weekly users by November 2023? It is being widely used in the academic arena, and I want you to understand why it is such a buzzword and how it might make your student life a bit less tiresome.
Let’s review everything related to ChatGPT for Students. I will also talk about how to use it smartly and responsibly by understanding how to put prompts correctly.
Benefits Of Using ChatGPT For Students
A chatbot software launched by a company named OpenAI in November 2022 opened everyone’s AI fantasies.
Some started predicting Doom’s Day and The Matrix out of this smart technology, while others used it to improve what they were already doing. I want you to fall under the second category.
Here are some of the benefits of ChatGPT that students can take advantage of.
- Instant Answers to Academic Queries
ChatGPT can provide instant answers to academic queries on almost all your subjects. Mathematics, Science, literature, and history; none is spared!
- 24/7 Availability
ChatGPT is available 24/7, whether late at night before an exam or early in the morning before class. It doesn’t have boundaries of any sort.
- Personalized Learning Experience
ChatGPT can adapt to individual student needs and learning styles. That’s what AI is about. It’s yours! And you can learn from it the way you like learning with the correct prompts, of course.
- Assistance with Research
ChatGPT can assist you with research by providing relevant information, summarizing complex concepts, and suggesting resources to explore further. Your thesis doesn’t require you to read too much. (It doesn’t eliminate research, though. YET!)
- Essay Writing Support
ChatGPT can offer valuable assistance with essay writing. It can brainstorm ideas, outline the structure, provide examples, and offer feedback on drafts like a good boy.
Best Ways To Use ChatGPT For Students
When the New York City Department of Education banned the use of ChatGPT, it reminded me of how change has always been difficult for any generation. Whenever something new arrives, our reluctance to embrace it comes first.
I don’t discredit the potential harm of AI, but it is the future. No one can stop this wave. As a student, I want you to ride it. Here is how!
1. Collaborating With Classmates On Group Projects
Let’s say your teacher gave you a group project, and you need to do that in a week. Instead of panicking, go and hit a prompt on ChatGPT and ask it to help you organize your project.
You can further ask it to detail what exactly every group member needs to do and tell it the details of your project. Be as elaborate as possible, and it will help you divide and plan things fairly easily.
For example I gave ChatGPT a prompt: “Pretend you are a student of History, and your teacher asked you to prepare a virtual model representing the American Civil War in a group of 5. How should we divide our task fairly?”
As a result, ChatGPT gave me an elaborate list where it talked about how we could divide our roles. It wasn’t a perfect division. But, I got an idea about what all the potential roles can be there. If not everything, it gives you the direction from where you can start.
Check out the result for yourself.
2. Improving Writing Skills By Utilizing ChatGPT For Proofreading And Editing
Go ahead and ask it to analyze your essays or other write-ups critically. At least your mistakes won’t affect your grades here! Rather, knowing them in advance will help you score better!
You can put a ChatGPT quote like, “Proofread the below para for me and tell me specifically what grammatical, structural, and factual mistakes I have made in it.” (The para here was a fiction piece I was working on.)
The results were interesting. I should have written “quickly” here. And when it corrected the last sentence, that’s where I think it becomes subjective. I liked the last line as it was. AI doesn’t always understand the beauty of playing with structures.
3. Exploring Different Perspectives And Ideas Through Conversations With ChatGPT
You can discuss any topic with ChatGPT and keep updating your knowledge in your field. It’s like having a conversation with an encyclopedia.
I asked ChatGPT, “How can Neuralink affect the world?”
It gave me a highly elaborated answer. And the best thing about ChatGPT is you can play with its language. You can ask it to explain it in simple language or cross-question it for as long as you want. It isn’t like those professors who get irked because of the endless syllabus to cover…
4. Brainstorming
No, asking for ideas does not mean you can’t do that. It just means you have a second brain that actually knows everything. From here, you can think about personalizing and making your ideas your own.
I asked ChatGPT, “I am confused! I need to prepare a draft related to Shakespeare’s literature effects on contemporary writings. How can I make it different?”
I am attaching its response below. In my opinion, ChatGPT is a terrific tool for getting ideas. Sometimes, it doesn’t give you exactly what you wanted but triggers a line of thought that helps you reach that idea.
Without it, I would have to go through a lot of stuff related to contemporary writing to even begin understanding what I could have done for this project. But with further questions, I could ask it to put references, and a lot of my job is already done.
Overcoming Limitations Of ChatGPT
Is ChatGPT perfect? Far from it! But that should not discourage you from using it extensively. Let me show you what I mean by this.
1. Acknowledge its limitations
ChatGPT’s responses may not always be entirely accurate or contextually relevant. Nor is it up-to-date. It follows statistical patterns, and that’s why it cannot comprehend texts the way we do. So, can we completely rely on it? Not at least now.
2. Importance Of Critical Thinking And Human Verification
ChatGPT shouldn’t hamper our critical thinking abilities. That’s one of the major concerns for educators. Instead of taking ideas or researching, some students use it to do their homework completely. That’s where things become difficult.
You need to verify the information yourself and learn how to think.
3. Ways To Overcome These Limitations
The best way to overcome these limitations of ChatGPT is by using it as an accomplice instead of reliance. What do I mean by this? Ask it to give you ideas related to that Shakespeare project. You can even take outlines from it.
But only you can bring the correct insights and knowledge to your project.
Security Concerns Of ChatGPT
Data privacy and protection are serious matters, as the information we provide to ChatGPT is theirs for “feedback purposes.”
As Elizabeth Renieris, a senior research associate at Oxford’s Institute for Ethics, put it, “There is this rot at the very foundations of the building blocks of this technology—and I think that’s going to be very hard to cure.”
According to OpenAI, ChatGPT implements several measures to ensure user data privacy and protection. They include encryption of user data during transmission and storage, adherence to strict data protection regulations like GDPR, and limiting access to user data to authorized personnel only.
What does it mean for us? Any sensitive information about us should remain with us.
Responsible Use Of ChatGPT For Students
Your professor from LA or your friend from China is still far more reliable and humane than Open AI. You need to be responsible while using ChatGPT since it can seem dependable. But to its core, IT’S NOT!
Always Keep The Following Points In Your Mind.
- You need to verify every information you get from ChatGPT.
- You must treat it as a tool and something that can speed up some parts of student life. (Not all)
- Human interaction requires humans.
- Do not feed personal or sensitive information.
Tips For Maximizing ChatGPT’s Potential
You want to make the most of ChatGPT? Here are a couple of things you can keep in your mind.
- Use Specific Keywords and Clear Questions:
Rather than asking, “Tell me about World War II,” try “What triggered World War II?” ChatGPT will better understand your intent this way and provide more targeted answers.
- Explore Various Topics and Contexts:
ChatGPT is capable of generating responses on endless topics. Take advantage of this versatility by exploring different subjects and contexts. And by different subjects, I mean all your subjects.
- Engage in Dialogue and Clarify Ambiguities:
Ask follow-up questions whenever you need more clarification. If you feel your understanding is not clear or it is using too complex language, you can ask it to talk to you in easy language.
- Provide Feedback to Improve the System:
If you encounter inaccuracies, inconsistencies, or areas for improvement, provide constructive feedback through the appropriate channels. You have the power to make OpenAI better.
Future Developments And Possibilities
The future looks exciting with ChatGPT. After version 4.0, where it can read images and so much more, I believe it is just a small teaser of what’s about to come. It is meant to become better, and we need to be prepared.
- Enhanced Learning Support:
How about incorporating adaptive learning algorithms that analyze student performance and adapt the assistance provided accordingly? A way where it understands the student better than the student themselves. Sounds scary and exciting at the same time.
- Expanded Subject Coverage and Specialized Knowledge:
ChatGPT could develop specialized knowledge in specific disciplines and provide expert-level assistance in STEM subjects, humanities, or professional fields like medicine, law, and engineering.
These courses might be integrated with actual courses and form an exciting arena of knowledge that’s easy and more personalized to follow.
- Integration into Study Habits:
ChatGPT could integrate into your study habits and provide continuous support and guidance. The way Instagram understands your preference towards memes, ChatGPT might understand how and when you need your study materials.
Related Read:
Conclusion: ChatGPT For Students Can Be An Excellent Asset If Used Wisely
ChatGPT has already brought the future forward, and it’s time for you to embrace it while studying. The next time you get a group project or feel short of ideas, go ahead and try some prompts out for yourself.
As you keep engaging, you can put more focused prompts, meaning more helpful results. You can easily improve and work on many of your skills due to its uncharted repertoire, but be prudent of the safety protocols we discussed. We need to be mindful while using this platform.
Keep yourself updated on what’s up with OpenAI, and keep learning. Remember, it’s just a tool, and it should be used that way.
Article By