Are you using AI to cheat?
Academic integrity has never been more at stake as students across Jesuit High School are turning to artificial intelligence for homework help, but many are missing simple prompting techniques that could transform AI from a cheat sheet into a personalized tutor.
Let’s face it, we are all using it in some capacity, but are you maximizing the power and intelligence that is behind it all?
Chances are, you might be using it wrong. Here are two proven ways to increase the accuracy of your responses.
A December 2024 Google study, done by Google researchers including Yossi Matias, Google’s head of research, titled "Prompt Repetition Improves Non-Reasoning LLMs," found that repeating prompts can increase response accuracy by up to 76%.
The first method involves inputting a role into your prompt. For example, write “You are a Socratic math teacher” into your prompt. This gives specific direction and in the case of assigning the role of a Socratic math tutor, AI becomes a 24/7 teacher rather than a cheat sheet, helping you stay in academic integrity.
The next way of prompting is even simpler. Write out your prompt, then copy and paste it so it appears twice. AI models often forget the beginning of your prompt, but by copying and pasting you solve this problem in seconds while getting more accurate answers.
These techniques aren’t just about accuracy, but using AI the right way. Now how can you use it for homework and tests without cheating?
First, shift your mindset. View AI as a partner and teacher, rather than a cheat sheet.
“Truthfully, AI is the future. It is integrated into so many things that we don’t even realize it,” Konrad Reinhardt, an English teacher at Jesuit, said.
If you are struggling with homework, upload a picture of your homework and ask for an easier problem to help you practice. Then get it checked and move on to your homework.
When you have completed your homework, take a picture and ask for your work to get checked.
“I use AI to generate additional practice questions,” Malia Bernards, a history teacher at Jesuit, said.
If you are studying for a test, upload a practice test or reference notes/work and ask for another practice test, and then get your answers checked. After you have checked your answers, fix your mistakes to reinforce your learning.
By shifting from answer-searching to active learning, AI becomes a tool for leverage rather than a shortcut—ensuring students don't just get through concepts, but master them.
