AI has come to light in recent years because of the rise of ChatGPT, Grammarly, and other AI-powered programs. We engage with AI every day, much more than we are aware of. Contrary to popular belief that AI is uncontrollable and scary, it is actually powered by human data and algorithms. In fact, it is an excellent aid in education, especially college.
Most students are incredibly unaware of the AI that they use in their daily lives. When a college student is writing an email to their professor and the suggestion comes up to finish the sentence, that is AI. Smart speakers, TV's Customer Service chatbots, and suggestions from any device are all AI-powered programs. We as students engage in AI every day of our lives.
So, How can students engage with AI more, or how can they use it to aid in their assignments and projects? AI programs can help students create ideas, organize their notes, paraphrase dense text, and create infographics for their classes and assignments.
In high school, success is determined by how well students can follow directions. Teachers tend to assign difficult assignments or projects in manageable portions with detailed instructions and reminders of due dates, usually with ample time for guidance and extra help if needed. Students are given guidance for their creativity and thinking with checklists, rubrics, etc. They are given sources that are specific to their project or a database where the information can be found. These sources are generally easy to digest and easy to apply to the course content/assignment/project.
In college, students are in charge of their own success. Due dates are mentioned once, and assignments have little guidance. Classes are also only for a couple of hours a week with lots of time outside of class where college students need to use their critical thinking and creativity to apply to assignments and projects. Students are not given sources and are overwhelmed with dense sources that they have had to find and process on their own with little to no instruction, relying on the skills they built in high school. This transition can be really difficult for a lot of students in their first year.
Quillbot is an AI platform where you can summarize and paraphrase sources to make them more digestible. It's perfect for dense reading or research.
Canva is a program that aids in creating infographics. It has an AI powered feature that can help you create an image based off the text you input. It's perfect for infographic assignments.
Grammarly is an AI powered platform where you can input your text and it will proof read and spell check for you as well as suggest better wording. It's perfect for emails and essays.
Personally, as a college student I have greatly increased my productivity and the caliber of my work by using AI products like Canva, QuillBot, and Grammarly. For example, Canva makes it simple for me to design eye-catching infographics, presentations, and posters—all of which are frequently needed for group projects or assignments. With Canva's AI tool, Dream Lab which converts text into images, I can create professional-looking content fast rather than spending hours mastering complicated design software. Students in subjects like marketing, communications, or even history that call for both textual and visual materials will find this tool especially useful because it allows them to visually summarize difficult data and support their claims. When it comes to writing, QuillBot is a useful tool for when I need to paraphrase research articles or reword complex writing. QuillBot can swiftly produce alternative phrasings instead of manually rewriting lengthy passages of text, which can help with research papers to avoid plagiarism or make difficult concepts easier to understand. Before using a source in my own work, I use QuillBot to rephrase a passage from an academic paper or to make a complex idea easier to understand. Additionally, QuillBot helps me summarize lengthy texts, which saves them time when writing summaries or studying for tests.
Grammarly is an essential tool for students who want to write better. It serves as a real-time editor, proofreading for spelling, grammar, punctuation, and style. For instance, when I'm working on a research paper I can use Grammarly to make sure my writing is clear and succinct and to identify any errors I may have missed. Grammarly also assists with polishing the writing's tone, making sure it stays formal and appropriate for scholarly settings. Additionally, the plagiarism checker helps make sure my work is unique and appropriately referenced, which is particularly important in academic settings to uphold integrity.
When combined, these AI resources help me to work more productively and generate better work. Canva makes it easier to create visual content, QuillBot makes it easier to summarize and rephrase complicated information, and Grammarly guarantees that writing is free of errors and of academic quality. These resources help me to concentrate on the content of my work, cut down on the amount of time spent on assignments, and lessen the stress associated with proofreading. In the end, they help me maintain academic integrity while improving my capacity to express ideas clearly both in writing and graphically.
Meet The Authors!
Jayden
I am a senior and majoring in Psychology/minoring in Kinesiology. I enjoy playing sports and going to the beach. By working on this project, I have deepened my knowledge and understanding of AI.
Maeve
I am a junior in college and currently majoring in Psychology. As I have worked through this research project I have become more educated on AI and Human intelligence and I am excited to share this website with you guys!
Noah
I am a sophomore majoring in Kinesiology with a minor in Psychology along the Pre-Med track. I enjoy playing sports and the outdoors, and playing with my dog.
Serafina
I am a sophomore majoring in Kinesiology and minoring in Psychology. I enjoy going on walks, watching movies, and spending quality time with loved ones.