Learning with AI

This page brings together key information to help you decide when to use – and not use – AI responsibly and effectively in your studies. Here you’ll find university policies and guidelines, practical tools to support learning, transparency, and tips for navigating the opportunities and limits of AI.

Policies & Guidelines

Considerations, principles, and guidelines for responsible AI use at UMA.

Gemini

Google’s large language model, designed to process text, images, code, and other data, to power functions like chat, search, and productivity apps.

Notebook LM

Powered with Google’s Gemini, this research and writing tool lets users upload sources, ask questions, and generate summaries or drafts directly from materials that they upload.

Copilot

Microsoft’s AI-powered tool for helps users write, code, or work more efficiently by suggesting context-aware text, explanations, or actions directly within the tools such as Word that they’re already using.

Resource Toolbox

This tool, developed and maintained by Jon Ipolito, a professor of new media at the University of Maine, compares environmental costs of generative AI tools based on the best available estimates and research. Open the tool via the button below.

What Uses More

Use this prompt to evaluate the validity of sources and ask questions about bias, opinion and fact checking.

Credibility Check

Along with the benefits of generative AI come a varied array of harms, enough that it can be hard to remember all of them. The IMPACT RISK acronym offers a mnemonic so you or your students can take them into account. Explore this page by Jon Ipolito, a professor of new media at the University of Maine.

Impact Risk

Watch Tutorial Videos and Topic Discussions

Take a look at these starter videos to get familiar with some of the generative AI tools at UMA. Watch this space as we expand and offer intermediate tutorials and reports down the road. Click the full screen icon in the lower right corner to make the videos larger from this page. A transcript is available to download via an icon in the upper right of the screen.

Getting Started:
A Quick Gemini Tutorial

Getting Started:
Notebook LM Tutorial

UMA Libraries:
AI Research Assistant

Recipes – Sample Use Cases to Mix and Reuse

Turn your course materials into a 3-week study plan with daily goals and concept checkpoints..

Use this case when generative AI is not allowed for text in assignments, but allowed for planning and study guides. .

Turn a reading (PDF, Google Doc, website, YouTube lecture, etc.) interactive flashcards to support study.

Ready-made Prompts – Short Examples for Teaching and Workflows

• “Create a study guide for [topic] with key concepts, definitions, and examples.”

• “Give me a step-by-step breakdown of how [concept/process] works.”

• “What are common mistakes students make when learning [topic], and how can I avoid them?”

• “Summarize this academic article in plain language for an undergraduate student.”

• “Help me outline an argumentative essay on [topic] with main points and supporting evidence.”

• “Suggest credible sources or research topics related to [subject]. Provide links to primary sources and do not fabricate information.”

• How can I challenge my own biases when writing about [issue]?”

• “What are real-world applications of [theory/concept]?”

• “Explain the pros and cons of [idea, policy, or theory] in a balanced way. Identify the ways that a chatbot trained on generalized information might amplify biases.”

• “Create a practice quiz with multiple-choice and short-answer questions about [topic].”

• “Give me mnemonic devices to help memorize [list of facts or concepts].”

• “Identify the most difficult concepts for most students to grasp in [subject area] and how I can focus on avoiding common gaps in understanding.”

• “Help me divide roles and tasks for a group project on [subject].”

• “Provide constructive feedback on this paragraph/slide to improve clarity and impact.”

• “Create a LinkedIn summary highlighting my skills in [field] as a student.”

• “Write a request to a faculty member asking for a letter of recommendation.”

• “Create a weekly study schedule for preparing for my final exams.”

• “Suggest productivity techniques to help me focus better while studying.”

• “How can I manage my time effectively while balancing school, work, and personal life?”