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Practical skills for using AI in your studies

AI tools can support many parts of your study, but only when used with skill and critical analysis. This page covers two essentials: how to write prompts that get useful results, and practical examples for common study tasks.

Write effective prompts

A prompt is the instruction you give to an AI tool. Think of it like a study assistant: the more clearly you explain what you need, your context, and the format you want, the more useful the response will be. A vague prompt produces a generic answer, and a well-constructed prompt produces something relevant that you can use. Prompt writing is a skill, and like any skill, it improves with practise.

Three-element framework

Context

Tell the AI the role and context information. For example, your year, course, and the goal you are working towards. You can also assign a persona to the AI.

Task

State clearly what you want the AI to do. Start with an action verb (Summarise, explain, generate, compare, give feedback on, create a plan for...) and be as specific as possible.

Output

Specify how you would like the response to be presented: format (table, bullet list, paragraph), tone (plain, formal), length, and any limitations.

Example prompt

Context I am a second-year biology student preparing for a final exam on cell biology. I'm comfortable with basic cell structure but need to practise applying concepts to unfamiliar scenarios. Task Generate three practice extended-response questions that test application and critical thinking, not just recall. Output The questions should be suitable for undergraduate level and require both a definition of a key concept and its application to a scenario. Present them one at a time, only show the next question when requested.

Prompting process

Working with AI is an iterative process, not a one-off query. The dialogic nature of AI prompting moves beyond simple “search and find” behaviour. Think of your first prompt as a starting point, you can critically assess the response, refine your prompt, and follow up to progressively improve the output.

Prompting process

Expand each task below to see a sample prompt and tips you can adapt for your own study.

Sample prompts for common study tasks

Use GenAI to build a realistic and personalised assessment plan to meet the deadlines.

Sample prompt: "I am a law student with three exams in four weeks. My exams are: Contract Law (Week 2), Evidence (Week 3), and Constitutional Law (Week 4). I have about two hours each weekday and four hours on weekends to study. Create a weekly study plan that spreads workload evenly, includes time for practice questions, and builds in two rest days per week. Present it as a table."

Tips:

  • Include your actual deadlines and available hours if you want a detailed plan
  • Ask it to build in rest days explicitly.
  • Use follow-up prompt to personalise the plan: "Now adjust this plan …”

Use GenAI tools to understand concepts or theories by providing explanations, examples, or simplified summaries.

Sample prompt: "I am a second-year economics student, and I'm struggling to understand the concept of price elasticity of demand. Explain it to me as if I understand basic economics but haven't studied this topic yet. Use a concrete everyday example, like petrol or bread."

Tips:

  • Specify your existing knowledge level, such as "as if I've never studied this" or "I know the basics."
  • Ask for a real-world example to understand abstract ideas.
  • Ask follow-up questions to deepen your understanding.

Use GenAI tools to generate practice questions and quizzes to test your understanding. You can explicitly state what topics and materials you want to focus on.

Sample prompt: “I am a first-year science student preparing for cell biology exam. Please create 10 multiple choice questions to help me prepare for the exam. Focus on membrane transport and the cell cycle. Do not show me the answer. Build the quiz based on my notes below [Insert note or other materials].”

Tips:

  • Specify difficulty level and format of questions to match what you need to practice.
  • Use follow-up prompts to create further questions and focus on the area you got wrong.

Use GenAI tools to support editing and proofreading by helping you identify gaps and providing feedback. However, you should use GenAI to guide and support your revision process, rather than relying on it to rewrite your work entirely.

Sample prompt: “Please review the paragraph below and identify gaps in the logic or places where my argument needs stronger connections. Provide the answer in columns. [Text]”

Tips:

  • Be specific about what kind of feedback you want. For example, instead of asking “improve this”, ask AI tools to provide feedback on clarity, structure or grammar.
  • Critically review the AI-generated suggestions.