Course ## Using AI: A Guide for Foothill Students

Artificial Intelligence (AI) can be a great learning partner when used responsibly. It offers tools to support your studying, research, and creative work. AI can save you time with research and organization, provide instant feedback and explanations, and adapt to your individual learning pace. You might use it to brainstorm ideas for essays or projects, practice math, language, or writing skills, or summarize complex readings and lectures.

Using AI wisely means understanding when and how it’s appropriate. This page will help you explore AI’s role in your education, decide when its use makes sense, and follow your instructor’s specific course guidelines so you can use AI ethically and effectively.

AI Policy & Expectations

Foothill College's Student Handbook and Academic Integrity website states,

Foothill College acknowledges that Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools have diverse uses and can support student success and meeting course objectives but may be misused to bypass learning. If your instructor has outlined a course-specific policy on AI use, please follow those guidelines carefully. In the absence of a specific policy, students are expected to use AI tools in ways that align with the Standards of Student Conduct. This means avoiding any use of AI that could misrepresent your own knowledge, skills, or original work. If you are unsure about what is allowed, please ask your instructor for clarification.

When Is It Okay to Use AI?

Appropriate Use

Brainstorming or outlining ideas
Practicing skills or reviewing material
Clarifying concepts or exploring examples

Inappropriate Use

Submitting AI-generated work as your own
Using AI on exams or restricted assignments
Replacing your own thinking, analysis, or reflection

→ Think of AI as a “study partner,” not a “stand-in.” It can guide you, but you must do the learning.

Always Check Course Policies: AI Expectations Vary by Course & Instructor

Check your syllabus for an AI or technology policy.
Ask your instructor if AI use isn’t mentioned.

Citing AI In Assignments

If your instructor allows AI assistance, you must cite it just like any other source.

APA Example: OpenAI. (2026). Response generated using ChatGPT (GPT-5). [URL if applicable].
MLA Example: OpenAI. “Response Generated Using ChatGPT (GPT-5).” 2026, [URL if applicable].
In-text example: (OpenAI, 2026)

Using AI Tools Responsibly to Study

There are many AI tools that can support your learning, research, and creativity. Use them to enhance your understanding, not replace your own thinking. Consider, before using any AI tool:

Consider Before Using Any AI Tool

Does this help me understand the material more deeply?
Am I following my instructor’s guidelines?
Can I clearly explain what part of the work is mine?
What might responsible use look like in your field of study?

Turn ChatGPT Into Your Personal Tutor

Go to ChatGPT → select GPT-5 → click “+” → “More” → toggle Study & Learn
Choose a mode:

Auto -balanced, adaptive responses
Instant -for quick Q&A
Thinking -for multi-step reasoning and explanations

Sample prompt: “Act like a calculus tutor. Give me one problem at a time, ask for each step, and only show the next step after I try to solve it.”

You can download or save sessions for review later.

Try NotebookLM to Create Study Tools

NotebookLM can:

Generate summaries, quizzes, and flashcards from your readings
Simplify complex ideas with real-world examples
Provide personalized learning guides
Create audio overviews/podcasts

Use it to study more deeply, not just faster.

Upgrade to Google AI Pro (free for students)

Here are a few more tools (please select the▼to expand)

Writing & Revision

Grammarly - Helps with grammar, clarity, and tone. Use to polish your writing, not to replace it.
QuillBot - Can rephrase short passages to aid comprehension. Avoid over-reliance or plagiarism.

📌 Keep your own voice and ideas central.

Research & Reading Support

Perplexity.ai - Offers brief, cited summaries—great for starting research, but always verify sources.
Elicit.org - Finds and summarizes scholarly papers; useful for public health, psychology, or social science topics.
Explainpaper.com - Simplifies complex research papers and explains technical sections in plain language.

📌 Use AI to guide inquiry, but evaluate credibility yourself.

Study & Notetaking

Otter.ai - Records lectures or study groups and creates searchable notes.

📌 Review and annotate AI-generated notes to deepen your understanding.

Presentations & Visual Projects

Canva Magic Studio/Gamma.app - Generates layout ideas or design templates for slides.
Tome.app - Quickly creates slide decks or storyboards—always check content accuracy and originality.

📌 Let AI help with structure and design, but ensure the ideas are yours.

Data & Analysis (Advanced Use)

ChatGPT Data Analyst mode - Interprets datasets and graphs (use only anonymized data).
Claude.ai -Summarizes lengthy reports or interprets data-heavy materials.

📌 Keep privacy and data ethics in mind when using AI for analysis.

Accessibility & Language Learning

DeepL - Provides accurate translations for academic texts.
Speechify/NaturalReader - Converts text to audio for auditory learning or accessibility.

📌 Choose AI tools that make learning more inclusive and accessible.

Course AI Policy (Insert Your Course Policy Here)

Please use the AI Policy Syllabus Generator to create your own AI course policy.

Sample AI Policy

You are welcome to use AI tools to help revise and edit your work (e.g., to help identify flaws in reasoning, spot confusing or underdeveloped paragraphs, etc.). When you do academic work, however, you must acknowledge the ideas and contributions of others. Work that is presented as original must, in fact, be original. Using generative AI to complete coursework without proper attribution is a form of academic dishonesty. Thus, when you submit your work, please clearly identify any writing, text, or media generated by AI.

Please do not use generative AI for discussion posts. The purpose of the discussion posts is to prompt you to synthesize ideas based on information presented in the course and any research you perform. Writing the discussion posts yourself—unassisted by AI in this course is a critical part of your learning.