Skills for Success / Academic Skills / How to Use Artificial Intelligence
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Understanding the feedback you get from your teachers is crucial for improving your work and learning effectively. AI can help you understand the feedback. It can:
Clarify feedback: If you receive feedback that is unclear or confusing, you can share it with Copilot (or other AI), and it can help explain what it means and how you can address it.
Give you steps: It can help you break down the feedback into steps. For example, if your teacher says your argument needs more support, AI can suggest ways to find and incorporate additional evidence.
Give you examples and resources: AI can provide examples and resources to help you understand specific feedback. For instance, if you need to improve your thesis statement, it can show you examples of strong thesis statements and guide you on how to write one.
Practice and Improvement: AI can help you practise and improve specific skills. For example, if your teacher mentions that your writing lacks coherence, Copilot can provide exercises and tips to help you improve the flow of your writing.
Interpreting Feedback: Sometimes feedback can be subjective. AI can help you interpret the feedback in a constructive way, focusing on how it can help you make progress rather than feeling discouraged.
Mo has received some feedback about his assignment that he doesn't understand. He wants to fix the problem, but because he can't understand what the teacher means, he is a bit stuck, so he logs in to his LSBU student account and asks Copilot:
My teacher at LSBU gave me feedback that I don't understand: "You need to unpack this".
Copilot knows all about this particular feedback phrase, which is very common among teachers:
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Ah, I see how that feedback might feel a bit vague. When your teacher says, "You need to unpack this," they likely mean that your writing or argument needs more detail, explanation, or clarity. Think of it like opening a suitcase—inside, there are layers of clothes, and your task is to take each piece out, show it, and explain why it’s there. For example, if you've made a point or stated a fact, your teacher might want you to: Does that help you understand what your teacher might be asking for? If you'd like, you can share the specific part of your work you're unsure about, and we can brainstorm how to "unpack" it together! |
Mo replies:
I wrote that there are too many cars on London's roads.
Copilot replies:
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Good starting point! To "unpack" that idea, you'll want to add detail and depth. Here's how you could expand on it:
1. **Define the problem clearly**: What do you mean by "too many cars"? Are you referring to traffic congestion, pollution, or something else? For example, you might say, "London's roads are overcrowded, leading to severe traffic jams during peak hours."
2. **Provide evidence**: Support your statement with data or examples. You could mention statistics, like the average time drivers spend stuck in traffic, or specific areas in London where congestion is worst.
3. **Analyze the impact**: Explain why this is an issue. How does it affect people's lives, the environment, or the city's economy? For instance, you might write, "High levels of car usage contribute to poor air quality, which impacts public health and increases carbon emissions."
4. **Discuss solutions or alternatives**: Suggest ways to address the problem. For example, "Encouraging the use of public transport, cycling, or car-sharing schemes could reduce the number of vehicles on the road."
By unpacking your argument in this way, you'll create a more comprehensive and convincing piece of writing. How does that sound? Would you like help drafting this? |
Mo now understands what the teacher's feedback meant and he can see that he should have been more specific in his writing. He does not need help with re-drafting - and he knows it is better to do it himself anyway.
