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AI for Your Studies

A student guide to using AI well. Use it to learn faster, not to skip the learning.

The Main Rule

Do not use AI to do your thinking for you. Use it to learn faster, understand more, and get unstuck.

The Five-Part Scaffold

Aim it at how you learn. Draft your study prompt here.

Role / Goal Act as a tutor. OR I want to understand [topic].

Context [Your level, the class, how you learn.]

Source [Your notes, the reading, the problem.]

Task [What you want it to help you do.]

Format [How the help should look.]

Three prompts that keep you doing the thinking

L1. Tutor, do not answer

Do not give me the answer. I am trying to learn this topic. Ask me questions one at a time to help me get there myself, and tell me when my reasoning is off.

L2. Feedback, not a rewrite

Here is my own draft. Do not rewrite it. Point out where my argument is unclear or weak and ask me questions, so I can revise it in my own words.

L3. Quiz me

Quiz me on this topic with 5 questions, one at a time. Wait for my answer, tell me if I am right, and explain what I missed. Do not give me all the answers up front.

12 add-ons. Star the ones you will use.

#01 Do not give me the answer. Ask me questions until I get there.
#02 Explain it like I am new to this, with one example.
#03 Quiz me on this, one question at a time.
#04 Point out what is wrong with my reasoning. Do not fix it.
#05 Give me feedback on my draft. Do not rewrite it.
#06 What am I misunderstanding here?
#07 Make me a practice problem like this one.
#08 Have me explain it back to you in my own words.
#09 Use only the material I give you. No outside facts.
#10 Show me two ways to approach this problem.
#11 Give me a hint, not the solution.
#12 List what I should be able to do after studying this.

Quick reference: the data rules

GREEN (Safe): Fine to use in any AI tool your class allows.
YELLOW (Careful): Get permission, strip personal details, and check your course policy first.
RED (Off-limits): Do not put it in any AI tool. This is where students get in trouble.

Quick reference: hard no

Submitting AI-written work as your own. That is plagiarism in most classes. If you did not write it and did not disclose it, do not turn it in.
Using AI on an assignment or exam that forbids it. Check the syllabus. If the class says no AI, using it is an academic integrity violation.
Having AI do the assignment you were meant to learn from. You skip the learning and it usually shows. The point was the practice, not just the finished product.
Citing sources you never opened. AI invents real-looking citations and quotes. Never cite anything you have not found and read yourself.
Pasting secure exam content or someone's private data. Do not enter exam questions you were told to keep secure, or anyone's personal information.

Your reflections

What is one thing you will use AI to learn this week, not do for you?

Where are you tempted to let AI do the thinking? How will you avoid it?

Three words for how you want to use AI as a student.

This is not official Montgomery College policy.

The MC Generative AI Guidelines are published by MC's Office of Information Technology. This site puts the ideas in plain language for students.

For any class, your professor's AI policy and your syllabus are the rule that counts. When you are not sure whether AI is allowed, ask before you use it.

Official guidelines: info.montgomerycollege.edu/offices/information-technology/it-security/genai-guidelines-and-use-cases.html

Always check your course syllabus and Montgomery College's academic integrity policy. When a class does not allow AI, using it is a violation.

Rockville Campus, Montgomery College.