Gen AI can be used in different ways; some may be specific to your discipline. The following table outlines a number of potential uses, although there are many other uses in addition to those outlined here: 

 

Correction 


Correct spelling, grammar and punctuation 

 

Translation 

Translate passages of text 

 

Citation 

Arrange references according to a particular citation style 

 

Improvement 

Improve the style and tone of writing 

 

Feedback 

Get feedback on some draft material 

 

Unpacking 

Unpack an assignment prompt to better understand it 

 

Brainstorming 

Brainstorm a topic to gather a range of approaches 

 

Planning 

Generate a research plan 

 

Structuring 

Devise a structure for a piece of writing based on an abstract, introduction, or general ideas 

 

Revision 

Revise a piece of writing 

 

Comparing 

Comparing content developed by Gen AI to that developed by a human 

 

Summarising or reframing content 

Gen AI may be used to create summaries of information or reframe how information has been communicated. 

 

 

From a security and data integrity standpoint, if Gen AI is to be used by staff or students, the preferred platform is currently Microsoft Copilot, accessed through UL staff or student accounts. UL maintains a contractual agreement with Microsoft, a distinction not shared with other providers. Additionally, Copilot provides robust data protection and ensures compliance with European data privacy standards. The following link can be used to access Microsoft Copilot: Copilot (microsoft.com). Users must log in using their UL account if they are not already signed in. 

It is recommended that students include acknowledgements section in your assignment outlining clearly how you used Gen AI, describing the instructions or prompts you gave the AI platform, the results generated and how they contributed to your work. Examples of ‘Acknowledgment Templates’ are provided here . Please note these are for guidance only and can be amended as you require for your specific discipline. 

Further requirements may be stipulated by a Department, academic programme, or individual teaching staff. These should be made clear within the assignment brief. 

It is important that students understand the difference between acknowledging GenAI use in academic work and differentiate it from their practices of academic referencing and citing. The Glucksman Library has added a couple of examples of how to handle GenAI to their Frequently Asked Questions site. This can be found here. 

We have also created a sample checklist that could be used by students and submitted as part of their assignments. You can edit this checklist for your student groups to ensure that it is relevant and appropriate for your discipline. 

 

  • The AI Essentials: Student Guide to GenAI is a self-study primer to GenAI and is approximately 30-min duration. You can access the lesson by clicking  this link. The lesson has been developed by David Moloney and Yvonne Hynes, the Digital Skills Development Team at the Centre for Transformative Learning (CTL), University of Limerick, as part of the LevUL Up Digital Skills Hub (opens in a new tab) on Brightspace.