To use AI responsibly in your studies, it's important to first think critically about your own approach. Before turning to any tool, you should reflect on how you would tackle the assignment: how you would get started, what steps you would take, and where you might encounter challenges. This helps you understand your own thinking process and identify the areas where support could be useful.
Once you've explored your own approach, you can consider what kind of AI use is allowed within the course and how AI might help with the difficulties you identified. In this module, you will be introduced to different types of prompt usage — such as prompting for structure, early-stage literature exploration, identifying a research gap or content development — that can help you use AI in a thoughtful and constructive way.
Tips on prompting: How to use generative AI so that it works for you
To help students use AI responsibly in higher education, it's important that they begin by thinking critically about their own approach before turning to any tools. In this activity, students first reflect on how they would tackle the assignment independently: how they would start, what steps they would take, and where they might struggle. This initial reflection makes their learning process visible and helps them recognise the areas in which support—whether human or AI—might be beneficial.
After students explore their own approach, they consider what forms of AI use are permitted within your course and how AI could support the challenges they identified. Once this foundation is in place, they are introduced to a set of example prompts aimed at different types of academic support—such as structuring work, exploring literature, identifying a research gap, or developing content. This gives students a structured and responsible way to integrate AI into their learning while maintaining academic integrity and critical thinking.
Tips on prompting: How to use generative AI so that it works for you
The prompt examples below are based on Table 1 in: Qian, Y. (2025). Prompt Engineering in Education: A Systematic Review of Approaches and Educational Applications. Journal of Educational Computing Research, 63(7-8), 1782–1818. https://doi.org/10.1177/07356331251365189
The prompt examples in this explorer are based on Table 1 from: Qian, Y. (2025). Prompt Engineering in Education: A Systematic Review of Approaches and Educational Applications. Journal of Educational Computing Research, 63(7-8), 1782–1818. https://doi.org/10.1177/07356331251365189
Before moving on, test how well you’ve understood the prompt engineering techniques. Choose the path that best matches your experience level: