AI Chatbots for Academic Research and Learning

Yesterday, I developed an AI tool that crafts annotated bibliographies. As an educator, why would I do this? Here's why: 🤖 AI Literacy: Students are already using AI to assist with their writing tasks. By formally incorporating AI into the course, my goal is to educate them about the capabilities and limitations of LLMs – like AI 'hallucinations.' 🎯 Critical Engagement: My assessment criteria have evolved. I'm no longer assessing their ability to gather and correctly summarize information. Instead, I encourage students to critically evaluate the AI chatbot's output and interrogate their sources, analyzing how each article contributes to their research questions and goals. 🔀 Process over Product: The journey of learning is now in the spotlight. It’s about understanding steps students take in their research exploration, encouraging them to value the research and critical thinking process as much as the final product. 💻 Technology Proficiency: Proficiency with AI tools is becoming as fundamental as traditional research skills. By integrating AI into assignments, students gain hands-on experience with LLMs. To be clear, the annotated bibliography remains a staple in my course. However, I've shifted our focus from mere information gathering to in-depth critical analysis. Students now perform comparative analyses, contrasting their own evaluations with AI-generated content. In addition, each assignment now includes a self-reflection component. Students ponder over their process of selecting articles, how well each source fits into their research framework, and what they have learned from their interactions with AI. 🔗 Explore the annotated bibliography generator and share your thoughts: https://lnkd.in/gHUCKsCG (P.S. Be patient when using this tool - it needs time to "think") . . . #educationinnovation #ailiteracy #futureoflearning #chatgpt #aiforeducation #llms

“A researcher has just finished writing a scientific paper. She knows her work could benefit from another perspective. Did she overlook something? Or perhaps there's an application of her research she hadn't thought of. A second set of eyes would be great, but even the friendliest of collaborators might not be able to spare the time to read all the required background publications to catch up. Kevin Yager—leader of the electronic nanomaterials group at the Center for Functional Nanomaterials (CFN), a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science User Facility at DOE's Brookhaven National Laboratory—has imagined how recent advances in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) could aid scientific brainstorming and ideation. To accomplish this, he has developed a chatbot with knowledge in the kinds of science he's been engaged in. Rapid advances in AI and ML have given way to programs that can generate creative text and useful software code. These general-purpose chatbots have recently captured the public imagination. Existing chatbots—based on large, diverse language models—lack detailed knowledge of scientific sub-domains. By leveraging a document-retrieval method, Yager's bot is knowledgeable in areas of nanomaterial science that other bots are not. The details of this project and how other scientists can leverage this AI colleague for their own work have recently been published in Digital Discovery.” https://lnkd.in/gXg3yDAK

Transforming Graduate Students' Abstracts with AI Assistance One superpower every professor has to develop is the ability to trim down an over-length abstract to its perfect size. Now, with AI, students are developing similar skills, learning the art of precision in academic writing. In the world of academic writing, crafting the perfect abstract can be a daunting challenge for graduate students. That's where AI tools like ChatGPT come into play, offering a unique blend of assistance and learning opportunities. Let's dive into how these tools are changing the game: Structure and Clarity: Crafting an abstract requires a delicate balance of conciseness and comprehensiveness. ChatGPT helps students organize their thoughts, ensuring that key elements like purpose, methods, results, and conclusions are clearly and succinctly presented. Stylistic Enhancements: Achieving the right tone and style is crucial. AI assistance aids in refining the language, making it engaging yet professional, and ensuring the abstract is academically sound. Real-time Feedback: One of the greatest benefits is instant feedback. AI tools can suggest improvements, check grammar, and analyze the tone in real-time, streamlining the revision process. Time-Saving: For both students and professors, time is a precious commodity. By aiding in the initial drafting and revision stages, AI tools free up more time for research, discussion, and further learning. AI is not replacing the student's work; it's enhancing their ability to express their research compellingly and coherently. Incorporating AI into academic writing isn't just about keeping up with technology; it's about empowering the next generation of scholars with the tools they need to excel. #genAI #academia #graduatestudents #mentoringmatters

Great article by Dr. Cecilia Santiago-González on how we are using AI to promote help-seeking behavior in first-generation students. Our Billy Chat truly offers cutting-edge help to our students. I am amazed at how our students form an emotional bond with this technology and truly use it as an ally in their learning journey. We are on the cutting-edge with this effort! Excerpt below and link is posted. == Know when technology can help. Proactive outreach is clearly a key component of the success of these programs—but is a major undertaking for humans alone. This is where technology comes in. For us, that’s come in the form of Billy Chat, an AI-powered chatbot that every undergraduate student at Cal Poly Pomona can communicate with via text message. Because it is available 24/7, Billy is available to answer questions even when our advisers are not; we’ve heard from students that they find Billy easy to talk to, which makes them more likely to ask the bot questions proactively. Billy can nudge students in the right direction, providing them with guidance that leads them to on-campus resources; as one student put it: “I talked to my adviser for the first time because Billy told me who that person was.” And because of the unique approach to communication developed by the higher ed AI platform Mainstay, which created Billy, the responses students receive aren’t the sterile information you might expect from a chatbot. They’re infused with humor, empathy and even silly GIFs, and they’re carefully monitored by our team to ensure that any question requiring human intervention gets elevated right away.