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Welcome to the student guide to Artificial Intelligence. These pages will give you guidance on how to use AI tools responsibly and ethically in your assessments and college work.
NPTC Group of Colleges encourages teaching staff and students to make the most of generative AI tools, and we are committed to preparing you for an increasingly AI-enabled future, equipped with the digital skills you will need for your future academic and work careers.
It is important that as you develop your digital skills, you know how to use these AI tools effectively and ethically, and without negatively impacting on your own knowledge, skills and understanding of the subjects you are studying.
Mae'r dudalen hon hefyd ar gael yn Gymraeg
There are different types of AI tools:
Examples of these AI tools include:
The number of AI tools is constantly growing and you can keep up-to-date with the AI Tools Directory.
AI tools can support your research, and you can use them to:
Remember: assessments must always be your own work, and you must always acknowledge when you have used AI.
AI are powerful tools to aid your work but they have limitations; you need to be aware that:
It is important you critically evaluate any content produced by an AI tool, and always check the original source for accuracy before using them.
You must be conscious of the fact that AI systems, such as chatbots and image generators, can store and process the data provided to them, ranging from basic inquiries to more personal details. To maintain privacy and security, it is advised that you:
AI Safety and Data Privacy (Jisc, 2024).
In college, AI should be used as an aid, not as a replacement for a learner’s own work. Misusing AI in college can lead to academic consequences. Examples of how not to use AI include:
| Example prompt | Example response | Issue with this prompt |
| “I need to write an essay about the communication skills. Can you write it for me?” | “Sure, here’s a complete essay on the communication skills: [full essay].” |
This is a direct request to have AI do the entire assignment, which amounts to plagiarism.
|
| “I have a math assignment due. Can you solve these problems for me?” | “Yes, here are the solutions to your math problems: [complete solutions].” | Outsourcing the problem-solving to AI bypasses your learning process. |
| “Can you write an assignment on global warming for my science class?” | “Certainly, here’s a assignment on global warming: [complete paper].” |
Similar to the first example, this is requesting AI to do the entire task, which is unethical and academically dishonest.
|
| “I’m not sure if I can use AI for my history presentation. Can you create the presentation for me?” | “Yes, I can create the presentation slides for you: [complete presentation slides].” |
This replaces your own work and understanding with AI-generated content, leading to a lack of personal learning and contribution.
|
| “I need a business studies topic and essay for my assignment. Can AI write it for me?” | “Absolutely, here’s a topic and an essay on your chosen topic: [complete essay].” |
This is a severe case of academic dishonesty as a thesis is a major, original work expected to be your own effort.
|
| “Can you add references to this piece of work?” | “Sure, here are some references: [provided references].” |
This encourages a reliance on AI for academic integrity tasks, potentially leading to fabricated or inappropriate references.
|