I completed my bachelor’s degree in 2021 before the widespread adoption of GenAI. After a couple years of working, I’m now back as a master’s student—and the difference in my academic experience is remarkable, largely thanks to GenAI.
When I was pursuing my bachelor’s degree, I had a very traditional approach to studying. I found myself going through hours of textbook and article readings in preparation for lectures, creating the most detailed notes, in the hopes that I did not miss anything essential. Before exams I found myself spending hours organizing these notes manually in a way that I could easily understand and study them. I found myself constantly stressing about missing something essential due to the human error I possess. I not only spent a lot of time creating and organizing notes for exam study, but I also found myself spending countless hours revising and restructuring multiple essay and project drafts before finally handing it in.
Now, as a master’s student, my study process has transformed with the help of GenAI tools such as Google’s NotebookLM and StudyFetch. These tools have helped me save a substantial amount of time, that I can now spend understanding and applying class material. Instead of reading and manually going through sources, I can ask these GenAI tools to summarize key points. This way I know I am not missing out on information. If I find something unclear, I can ask the tool to rephrase the information in a way that makes more sense to me. GenAI even assists with tasks like creating summaries from educational videos or generating flashcards to test my knowledge.
GenAI has also changed the way I approach group projects. By using tools like ChatGPT to brainstorm, my group and I can generate a wide range of ideas that we can develop further with our own creativity. Overall, GenAI has made studying far more efficient, and I’m far less stressed about managing my time.
I know there is a debate about whether using GenAI in our studies makes us lazier and less likely to learn and engage with course content at a deeper level. However, I have not found this to be true in my experience. I believe that when used correctly and ethically, GenAI can help save time by reducing repetitive and mundane tasks in studying, which in turn gives us more time to learn, understand and apply new course material. I find it to be a great study companion!
References:
Google. (n.d.). NotebookLM. Google Research. https://blog.google/technology/ai/notebooklm-ai-powered-notetaking/
StudyFetch. (n.d.). AI-powered study tools. https://www.studyfetch.com/
Hey! I really enjoyed reading your reflection on how GenAI has transformed your academic experience. It reminded me of my own journey with NotionAI, which has allowed me to have a similar transformation in how I approach studying. Like with Google’s NotebookLM and StudyFetch, I’ve found that NotionAI saves me a great deal of time on tasks like summarizing and organizing information, giving me more freedom to focus on understanding and applying concepts.
I agree with your take on the debate around GenAI making us lazier. From my experience, using these tools enhances productivity and deepens my engagement with the material rather than diminishing it. It’s all about how we choose to leverage the technology.