Generative AI tools like ChatGPT are now part of how many students approach research, and there’s no going back. But it’s important to help students understand that AI cannot replace human thought and judgement. They will get much better results if they remember that they are the future experts in their fields and that they should consider AI tools as aids rather than replacements. Students are ultimately responsible for both the information they provide to AI tools and the final product they create. Instructors can support them by helping design a workflow that keeps students actively in control of the process.
Prep Before Prompting
Before students open an AI tool, they should spend time organizing their thoughts and deciding what kind of help they actually want. Consider something as simple as brainstorming topics. That seems on the surface a good use of GenAI; however, it’s important to help students understand the limitations. If a student just types “give me research paper topics,” they may run with the first suggestion without ever exploring their own curiosity or insights. That leaves out all the human imagination and choice, all that potential for actively learning more about the world is just gone. Instead, guide students to take time to decide how they want to interact with the AI.
Guiding students in making this decision is precisely where instructors play a vital role. As a current expert in your field, you are the one who can articulate for students why it is valuable to them and their future profession to learn the skills of research, analysis, logical and persuasive presentation, and critical thinking. Once they start to understand that, they will be far better situated to use GenAI tools to support their learning.
Using AI to Help Understand and Organize Research
Assisting in research is one example of how students can make productive use of these tools. Ultimately students need to be able to read and interpret research in their field, so they should spend time developing those critical thinking skills. But AI tools like ChatGPT can help students research in more depth and detail. For example, AI can help students process a broader range of sources by summarizing key points and highlighting whether an article addresses their research question.
Novice researchers can also use AI to get a snapshot of current thinking in a field, including common expert views and new or emerging theories. This can help them build a stronger foundation and develop their own perspective. AI can even help students consider multiple sides of an issue, if you guide your students to remember to request that, moving them beyond their initial assumptions or biases.
Below are three sample prompts to show how students might incorporate AI into different stages of the research process: breaking down complex ideas, exploring current academic thinking, and considering multiple perspectives.
Detail Complex Ideas
Students often struggle with dense academic texts, especially when they’re new to a field. AI can help by breaking down complex ideas or providing a basic outline to guide students as they read.
Prompt: You are a scientific researcher who excels at summarizing complex texts. Outline the attached article. Begin with a one sentence summary of the entire piece. Then break the article into its main 3-5 points. Write 2-3 sentences for each point. My specific research topic is around pollination and agriculture, specifically the decline in bee population and the effect on food scarcity.
Discuss Current Academic Thinking
AI can also help students identify prevailing academic theories and point toward recent research findings to investigate in more depth. This gives students a broader context for their work and helps them situate their own research within ongoing scholarly conversations.
Prompt: You are a scientific researcher on how declining pollinator populations contribute to global and regional food scarcity. Respond to my theory that pollinator decline is due primarily to pesticides in the environment. Base your response on recent research, relevant case studies, and any debates or uncertainties in the literature. Please cite or refer to peer-reviewed sources."
Provide Multiple Perspectives
Viewing the world through multiple perspectives is a critical thinking skill everyone can use. Students are often novice thinkers and tend to research things they already believe for confirmation. GenAI tools can help them learn to summarize their perspective or provide a list of perspectives. As the instructor, you can use this activity to help students ask, what am I missing?
Prompt: You are a scientific researcher studying the declining bee population in the U.S. and its impact on food scarcity. Create a bulleted list of the different perspectives on this issue, including those held by various affected groups. Identify the current debates and any conflicts of opinion. Ask follow-up questions to expand the list and uncover additional perspectives.
When used to enhance rather than replace critical thinking, AI can deepen students’ understanding of the research process. By guiding students to define the AI’s role, engage with it intentionally, and thoughtfully build on its output to deepen their understanding, instructors empower them to take ownership of their learning and ideas instead of outsourcing them.
References/Additional Resources:
Birss, D. (2023). Using AI to summarize complex information [Video]. LinkedIn Learning. https://www.linkedin.com/learning/
University of Michigan. (n.d.). Prompt literacy in academics.
https://genai.umich.edu/resources/prompt-literacy
University of Michigan. (n.d.). Teaching with GenAI & technology.
