The University believes it is important to prepare students for a future in which artificial intelligence (AI), including generative AI, is embedded in nearly every profession. As such, the University encourages the thoughtful use of AI tools to support learning, foster curiosity, and develop the skills needed to thrive today and in the future. Equally important is helping students develop the human judgment to know when and why to use AI, along with the ethical awareness, critical thinking, and communication skills necessary to apply these tools responsibly and effectively. Therefore, across all courses at Fisher, students are permitted to use AI tools independently to study, explore course topics, brainstorm ideas, and seek assistance from campus services that may use generative AI as part of their support.
The AI Toolkit is a resource to understand appropriate and inappropriate uses of generative AI tools, what tools are best to use, and how to use these tools effectively and safely.
Any student who uses generative AI takes final responsibility for any AI generated output in their assignments. Therefore, you must:
Disclose its use with enough detail for the professor to understand how it was used in the assignment.
Cite its use per APA, MLA, or whatever citation system you are using. It is not appropriate to use AI generated content as your own and this would be a violation of the Academic Integrity Policy.
Evaluate the credibility of the AI output using reliable sources, such as academic databases, journals, and government websites.
Evaluate AI output for potential bias, discrimination, and other ethical concerns. You may only include AI output in your assignments if it is appropriate to do so.
Support for citing and evaluating AI output can be found on the Lavery Library LibGuide: AI Tools & Resources.
Using AI tools is not automatically considered cheating, but their ethical use varies. It is important to review Fisher's Academic Integrity Policy to understand these boundaries for yourself.
Each instructor may have a different perspective on the use of AI tools in your course. Students may generally use AI tools for independent studying, brainstorming, and exploring course topics unless an instructor says otherwise. However, students must check the syllabus, instructions, or ask their instructor before using AI to complete, revise, generate, analyze, or submit work for a graded assignment.
AI tools can reduce cognitive offloading, the mental effort required to initiate or complete a task. Used thoughtfully, this can be helpful when you are stuck, overwhelmed, or trying to understand a complex concept. However, learning also requires mental effort. If AI does too much of the thinking for you, you may miss opportunities to build your own understanding, memory, problem-solving skills, and confidence. The goal is to use AI as a support for learning, not as a replacement for the thinking and practice that help you grow as a student.
If your instructor allows the use of generative AI, below are some common scenarios where AI might be used as a tool. Each one provides suggestions on how to use AI tools for this task, a word of caution when using AI in this way, and a few example prompts to help you get started. Don't forget to explore the How to Write Good AI Prompts page to make sure you are getting the most out of your work with AI.
Generative AI tools can serve as powerful collaborators for overcoming writer's block or refining a project's direction. By providing context, such as your course subject and initial thoughts, AI can assist in generating potential topics, research questions, and unique angles to explore. Review these suggestions to identify paths that align with your interests, then explore those concepts through your own critical thinking and scholarly research. Ultimately, while AI facilitates the ideation process, the final direction and arguments must remain your own.
Word of Caution: AI is technology that has its own perception of the world. It collects and processes data which then provides an output that can impact how we make decisions and recommendations (Klein A. 2023). It is important to develop ideas beyond the output which is generated by AI. Building on your own thoughts and research of the subject matter and proving your thesis or hypothesis using accurate and relevant scholarly sources and possible experiments. Recognizing any bias or discriminatory content or suggestions by AI.
Example Prompts for Brainstorming & Idea Development:
Serve as my Academic Thesis Advisor. Take my broad, unrefined topic and deconstruct it into 10 narrow, highly focused, and manageable research topics suitable for a university-level research paper (approx. 5–10 pages). The tone and style should be scholarly, practical, precise, and highly organized.
Act as an expert Essay Stylist. Brainstorm 10 distinct, highly creative, and intellectually sophisticated ways to begin or frame an academic paper. For each, provide a 1-sentence explanation of *why* this opening works and how it sets up the thesis.
You are an Academic Coach. I am brainstorming ideas for an upcoming assignment about [Insert Assignment], and my initial idea is: [Insert Your Current Thesis]. My goal is to strengthen my argument by considering diverse perspectives. Review my initial idea and provide 3 to 4 distinct alternative viewpoints or counterarguments that I may have overlooked.
Generative AI tools can be used to help analyze reading material so that you can fully understand a body of text faster and at a deeper level. This can be helpful in a number of ways, including allowing you to engage with an AI tool to help explain aspects of a reading assignment that you don't understand or using a generative AI tool to help explore the connections or themes among a number of readings that are related. Using AI as a reading assistant can be a great use of the technology.
Word of Caution: AI should not replace reading the assigned material yourself. It is best to read the text first, identify what is confusing, and then use AI to help clarify specific passages, concepts, or themes. AI-generated summaries or explanations may be incomplete, misleading, or inaccurate, and they may miss important details your instructor expects you to understand. You are responsible for completing assigned readings, verifying AI-generated information, and making sure your understanding is based on the actual text, course materials, and instructor guidance.
Example Prompts for Reading Comprehension:
Be my Academic Mentor who excels at translating dense, complex academic prose into clear, accessible language. Explain the provided academic text so that a student new to the discipline can fully comprehend its significance. The output should explain the core concept of the text using a relatable, real-world example.
Act as a Comparative Literature Analyst. Conduct a rigorous comparative synthesis of the provided readings. The output should identify exactly three overarching themes that connect these texts and analyze how the authors align or diverge in their findings, methodologies, or theoretical frameworks.
Your role is a Subject Matter Expert in [Insert Topic/Course Name]. Help me integrate a specific source into my research paper as persuasive evidence that supports my argument, rather than just summarizing it.
Whether you are studying for an upcoming exam or just struggling with a topic you don’t understand from a prior class, AI can be a good tool to use to help explain the concept in a different way. It could be a great way to prepare for a tutoring appointment in the Tutoring Center to help you identify what you need help with from your tutor.
You can open a general chat, but LLMs also provide specialized features tailored for academic mastery. Guided Learning in Gemini is engineered to deconstruct complex concepts and facilitate deep comprehension rather than providing immediate solutions. While NotebookLM utilizes your specific course materials to generate custom study aids, including practice quizzes and flashcards, to enhance your scholarly preparation.
Word of Caution: Remember, sometimes AI tools have hallucinations when they don’t have a clear answer to a question. Make sure to fact check the answers given to verify the information is accurate. Try a quick Google search on the same topic to confirm the answer. The AI tool will also reiterate anything you tell as if it is 100% accurate, so if you tell it an answer that is wrong, it will not recognize the error. Don’t use AI as your only avenue for studying or tutoring. The Tutoring Center could help you review AI generated materials for accuracy.
Example Prompts for Studying & Personal Tutor Assistance
Act as a Socratic Math Tutor specializing in college-level Calculus and Statistics. I am going to provide you with a problem I am stuck on. Your task is to guide me to the correct solution without ever giving me the final answer or solving the steps for me. Instead, ask me one guiding question at a time to help me identify the next logical step or formulas needed.
You are an AI Quizmaster preparing a college student for a rigorous upcoming midterm. I will paste my lecture notes below. Your task is to quiz me on the material by generating one question at a time based strictly on the notes provided. After I answer, provide immediate feedback: tell me if I was correct, partially correct, or incorrect, and briefly explain why in 2 sentences or less. Then, provide the next question. Here are my notes: [Paste Notes Here]
Your persona is a curious freshman student who has no prior background in this subject. I am an upperclassman trying to master a topic by teaching it to you. I will explain [Insert Topic] to you in my own words. Read my explanation and analyze it for gaps, vague language, or leaps in logic. Respond to me and ask 2 or 3 questions about the parts of my explanation that were confusing or lacked depth. This will help me realize what I don't fully understand yet.
AI tools can serve as personal research assistants by helping you create a research plan, brainstorm subtopics, generate search terms for finding scholarly articles, and better understand complex academic sources.
While AI can support the research process, you are still responsible for locating, reading, evaluating, and citing credible sources yourself. For additional support, you may view Lavery Library’s Research Guide regarding AI technologies or consult with the Fisher librarians for further guidance.
Word of Caution: AI tools may rely on training data that is not fully up to date, which may not reflect the most current research, events, publications, or scholarly debates. AI tools may also be unable to access sources that are not publicly available, including many scholarly articles, books or materials behind paywalls.
To find the academic materials you need, it is recommended to use the AI Features in the Lavery Library Database. Each database offers unique and valuable tools to assist in your search for scholarly sources.
Example Chatbot Prompts for Research:
Act as my personal Research Librarian. Come up with a plan for me to research [topic] and find scholarly sources. Develop a chronological, 5-stage research plan that outlines exactly how I should navigate the scholarly landscape.
Your role is an Academic Librarian. Develop a highly optimized list of 10 advanced search terms and Boolean search strings that I can use in major academic databases (such as JSTOR or EBSCO) to find peer-reviewed, scholarly articles on [Insert Topic].
You are a Writing Center Consultant. I am writing a research paper on [topic]. Make a list of ten thesis statements on this topic with a brief "Research Roadmap" (2-3 sentences explaining what evidence would be needed to support that specific claim).
AI tools can support the writing process by helping you review, revise, and strengthen work you have already created. For example, you might use AI to receive feedback on clarity, organization, tone, grammar, sentence structure, or audience awareness. AI can also help you identify areas where your argument may need more evidence, where transitions could be stronger, or where your writing may be unclear. Used thoughtfully, AI can function like a writing feedback partner that helps you improve your own work while keeping your ideas, voice, and final decisions at the center of the process.
Word of Caution: Always check with your instructor before using AI for writing or editing assignments. Some instructors may allow AI for brainstorming, proofreading, or feedback, while others may limit or prohibit its use. If AI is allowed, you may be asked to explain how you used it, cite or disclose its use, or provide a transcript of your interaction with the tool. You should never submit AI-generated writing as your own without proper permission, citation, and attribution. Even when AI provides suggestions, you are responsible for reviewing, revising, verifying, and understanding everything you submit.
Example Prompts for Editing:
Act as an Academic Copyeditor. Proofread, edit, and optimize the provided text for grammatical precision, mechanics, clarity, and a polished tone. Provide the fully edited, clean version of the text while preserving my original core message and intellectual voice. Create a table summarizing the fixes made to help me understand the edits.
Your role is an Expert Rhetorician. Help me refine a raw, unpolished paper topic into a clear, focused, and academically rigorous thesis statement. The output should be a 1-2 sentence breakdown explaining exactly what this thesis is asserting and what evidence I would need to find to prove it.
You are my Academic Writing Instructor. I will provide you with my assignment instructions, the grading rubric, and my current draft. Identify areas where I am meeting the expectations and areas where I am falling short. Provide 3 to 4 recommendations for revision to improve my paper.
Instead of only asking AI to summarize notes or answer questions, use generative AI tools to help you engage with course material in creative and memorable ways.
For example, you might ask a tool like Microsoft Copilot or Google Gemini to turn a biology concept into a children’s story, explain a historical event as a debate between two perspectives, or write a poem that captures the themes of a novel you are reading. This kind of creative transformation can help you notice patterns, make connections, and remember ideas more deeply.
Word of Caution: Before using AI in a creative project, make sure your instructor allows it. If you use AI-generated text, images, music, video, or other content, you are responsible for citing or acknowledging that use. The Lavery Library: Citation Resources can help you understand how to cite AI-generated content. When in doubt, ask your instructor first.
Example Prompts for Creative Endeavors:
Serve as my Academic Poet-in-Residence. Translate my complex lecture notes, definitions, or core concepts into a highly memorable, rhythmically precise, and catchy rhyming poem designed to act as an auditory study guide. Bold every essential academic term, formula, or historical figure directly inside the verses.
Your job is an Instructional Designer. Create an image for a complex academic theory to help me build a strong mental model of its mechanisms. Deconstruct the theory into its core structural components, then design an original image that mirrors those exact mechanics.
Act as an expert Audio-Pedagogy Consultant. Transform my provided list of vocabulary terms and definitions into a highly memorable, rhythmically precise, and incredibly catchy study song lyric sheet. Include simple rhymes and a consistent rhythm similar to Yankee Doodle.
Generative AI can support students as they cultivate programming proficiency by facilitating foundational comprehension and providing a structured framework for breaking down complex code. The process of coding can be daunting when students encounter structural ambiguity or struggle to interpret unknown error notifications. When implemented as a scholarly resource, AI functions as a guided learning assistant that illuminates underlying logical principles and enhances the mastery of computational problem-solving.
Word of Caution: Refrain from submitting AI-generated code unless your instructor has explicitly sanctioned such use. Be aware that AI-generated code may contain errors, remain incomplete, or employ advanced methods beyond your current understanding. Ultimately, the responsibility for verifying and explaining all submitted code rests with the student.
Example Prompts for Coding:
Your role is a Computer Science Professor. Analyze the provided code snippet and error message to diagnose the root cause of the bug. Constraints: Do not output a fully corrected version of the user's code block. Do not write out the exact lines of code needed to fix the issue. Your goal is to coach, not complete the assignment.
You are a Senior Software Architect. Help me architect the foundational logic, data flow, and step-by-step pseudo-code for a script before I begin writing actual code. The output should be in a visual diagram.
Act as a Computer Science Instructional Assistant to deconstruct the attached code snippet for a student programmer. Break down the execution flow step-by-step, explaining the exact logic and purpose behind each variable, function, and loop.
Generative AI can support students as they work with data by helping them make sense of unfamiliar information, better understand the steps involved in analysis, and build confidence in interpreting results. Data analysis can feel overwhelming when students are unsure where to begin, how to organize information, which statistical concept applies, or how to explain findings clearly. Used thoughtfully, AI can serve as a guide that helps students ask better questions, recognize patterns, and think more critically about what data may or may not show.
Word of Caution: Refrain from submitting AI-generated statistical analyses, calculations, or visualizations unless your instructor has explicitly sanctioned such use. Be aware that AI may generate erroneous mathematical outputs, misleading interpretations, or logical leaps that omit crucial reasoning steps. Never use AI to fabricate data, results, or research outcomes. Ultimately, the responsibility for verifying and understanding all submitted work rests with the student.
Example Prompts for Data Analysis:
Your role is a Research Methods Professor. Review the description of the dataset provided below and generate a series of meaningful research questions that could guide a scholarly project. For each question, provide a 1-sentence rationale explaining why this question holds value.
Be my University Research Methodologist. Build a comprehensive, methodologically sound, step-by-step Data Analysis Plan (DAP) based on the research question and context provided below. Please outline the plan chronologically in a visual timeline.
You are a Senior Academic Peer Reviewer. Your objective is to critically analyze whether a proposed conclusion is logically and statistically supported by the provided data. Maintain an objective, neutral, and analytically rigorous tone.
Generative AI can act as a professional development partner, facilitating the exploration of vocational landscapes and the identification of essential skills for various industries. By providing context, such as your academic major and professional aspirations, AI can assist in deconstructing potential career trajectories, aligning application materials with specific job descriptions, and refining your delivery for competitive opportunities. Used thoughtfully, AI can help you better understand your options and prepare you for professional possibilities. Don’t forget that our Career Services can help you explore resources, practice for interviews and pursue your professional goals.
Word of Caution: AI can support career preparation, but it should not replace your own judgment, experiences, or voice. Be careful not to rely on AI-generated résumés, cover letters, interview responses, or career advice without reviewing and personalizing the output. AI may produce generic language, inaccurate career information, or suggestions that do not reflect your actual skills, experiences, or goals. You should also avoid entering private or sensitive information, such as Social Security numbers, student ID numbers, personal addresses, financial information, or confidential employer information, into public AI tools. When using AI for career-related work, make sure the final result is accurate, honest, professional, and genuinely represents you.
Example Prompts for Career Resources:
You are my University Career Counselor specializing in translating academic pathways into industry roles. I am majoring in [major] and am deeply interested in [interest area]. Please identify 3 distinct career fields that are realistic, entry-level roles suitable for a recent college graduate. Your output should include a brief, 2-sentence description of what a professional does in that role, plus one recommended campus activity or elective course area that would help me build relevant experience.
Your role is a Professional Resume Critic and Editor. Review the following draft of my resume: [paste resume text]. Please optimize this text to make it clearer, more concise, and highly professional. Do not invent or add any new professional experiences, metrics, or credentials that are not present in the original text. Maintain strict professional integrity.
Act as an experienced Hiring Manager interviewing me for a [job title] position. We will conduct a realistic mock interview. Please ask me 5 common interview questions relevant to this role. Wait for my response before moving on to the next question. After I answer each question, provide constructive feedback. Evaluate my answer based on clarity and confidence. Keep your tone professional yet encouraging.
While generative AI can facilitate scholarly inquiry, it must never supersede your individual critical thinking, intellectual labor, or academic obligations. Utilizing AI to misrepresent your intellectual contributions or circumvent course expectations is strictly prohibited. When in doubt, consult your instructor before implementing AI for any graded component. Please open the section below to learn more about why you should not use AI for these specific tasks.
Instructors retain the authority to restrict or prohibit AI use for specific examinations, labs, or reflections. In instances where an instructor has barred these technologies, their use remains inappropriate regardless of disclosure or citation. It is your responsibility to adhere strictly to the syllabus and any supplemental faculty guidance provided throughout the semester.
Presenting text, visual media, audio, or analytical data produced by generative models as your own original work is unacceptable without explicit authorization.
Transparency is essential; if AI use is sanctioned, you must remain honest regarding your methodology and acknowledge appropriately. Instructors may require a comprehensive deconstruction of your process, including transcripts of your interactions with the tool, to verify your intellectual ownership.
AI may function as a collaborator for ideation and revision, but it cannot replace the cognitive effort required for scholarly mastery. Unauthorized submission of synthetic content may constitute a violation of Fisher's Academic Integrity Policy.
Delegating academic decision-making or task completion to automated agents and chatbots is academically dishonest. This includes employing AI to facilitate participation on discussion boards, correspond with faculty, or complete required learning modules. These tools are intended to support your educational journey, not to serve as a proxy for your active presence in the scholarly community.
Google – Introduction to Generative AI is a great overview video that covers many concepts and abilities of artificial intelligence.
Google – Google’s AI for Anyone introduces basic AI concepts in accessible language.
Microsoft – The CoPilot AI Learning Hub offers a collection of toolkits, resources, and self-paced instructional courses spanning numerous disciplines, including Education, Data Science, and beyond.
OpenAI – OpenAI Learn - OpenAI’s free learning platform offers interactive tutorials and real-world use case examples focused on generative AI, prompt engineering, and ethics.
Anthropic - Anthropic Academy - Anthropic’s Claude offers a structured curriculum focused on AI comprehension and responsible use. This is a strong resource for humanities and liberal arts students looking to understand the social and ethical impacts of AI.
IBM – IBM SkillsBuild for Students - IBM offers a large selection of beginner-friendly courses that include digital credentials and badges that students can share on LinkedIn.
AI for Education – GenAI Literacy 101 for Students Course is designed for students to learn key content, better prompting, safe practices, and practical skills.
Elements of AI – elementsofai.com - Developed by the University of Helsinki and Reaktor, this free, globally accessible course is great for non-technical learners and covers what AI is, how it works, and why it matters.
Student Guide to Artificial Intelligence published by Elon University and the American Association of Colleges and Universities.
Generative AI Basics for SJF Students - There is a self-enrollment Brightspace course tailored to St. John Fisher University students that will go over the fundamentals in a structured format with a quiz at the end to test your knowledge.
Chatbots - If you want to customize generative AI to perform a specific task over and over, check out our page on bots. Learn what chatbots are, what they can do, and which ones you should use.