Understanding ChatGPT at USF

What is ChatGPT?

ChatGPT is an AI assistant launched by OpenAI in 2022. Based on artificial intelligence and large language models, ChatGPT can be trained to follow instructions in a prompt and provide a detailed response. With more faculty and students turning to AI, the big questions around academic integrity and how we teach and learn are hard to ignore. We've put together some resources below to help you get up to speed and think about how it fits in the classroom.


What Can ChatGPT Do?

  • Read, Write & Communicate – Draft, summarize, outline, analyse, and translate across 95+ languages
  • Think & Plan – Brainstorm ideas, reason through problems, and support decision-making
  • Learn Independently – Use it as a coach: create quizzes, instant feedback, and step-by-step guidance for a deeper understanding
  • Create Content – Generate text and images, presentations, social posts, and more
  • Work with Data & Code – Write code, visualize data, analyse complex scientific concepts, and design simulations

Special Features

ChatGPT offers several features worth exploring, depending on how you plan to use it:

  • Canvas -  A collaborative workspace for writing and coding projects, with inline suggestions for edits and revisions.
  • Deep Research - Searches the web in real time, gathers information from multiple sources, and delivers a synthesized summary.
  • Study Mode - Supports learning through the Socratic method, interactive prompts, scaffolded guidance, and knowledge checks like quizzes and open-ended questions.
  • Projects - Lets users organize chats, files, and code into folders to keep work structured and easy to find.

Limitations of ChatGPT

Before you dive in, here are a few things every user should keep in mind when using ChatGPT:

  • Hallucination — ChatGPT can make things up confidently. Always verify facts and citations independently.
  • Bias — Its responses reflect biases present in the data it was trained on. Read critically.
  • Not an expert — It's great for general knowledge, but can fall short on specialized or complex topics like medical.
  • Conversations may not be private — By default, chats can be used to train future models. Turn this off in "Settings" under "Data Controls", or use Temporary Chat to avoid saving your sessions.
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Getting great results from AI starts with how you ask. A well-crafted prompt gives the model the context, role, and format it needs to respond usefully — and the more specific you are, the better your output. If your task is complex, break it into smaller subtasks.

# Role/Personality [tone, expertise, style]
Example: Instead of "Summarize this," try "You are a faculty advisor. Summarize this article in 3 bullet points for a non-technical audience."

# Audience [faculty, student, business, administrators]
"Explain this policy," try "Explain this AI use policy to first-year students who have never used AI tools before."

# Task with requirements/Outcome [topic, deliverables]
Instead of "Write something about AI," try "Write a 2-paragraph introduction to a faculty training guide on using AI for course design, including one concrete classroom example."

# Constraints [limitations]
Instead of "Give me ideas," try "Suggest 3 low-cost wellness program activities for a university campus. Keep each idea under 2 sentences and avoid anything requiring special equipment."

# Validate Criteria [check before answer]
Instead of "Is this a good syllabus?" try "Review this syllabus and flag only items that conflict with ADA accessibility guidelines before giving feedback."

# Expected Output [format, length, tone, language]
Instead of "Summarize this report," try "Summarize this report in a bulleted list of no more than 5 items, using plain language suitable for a general staff meeting."

Our goal is to prepare students for a future where AI tools are integral to many professions — which means designing assessments that develop both critical thinking and responsible AI use.

  1. Establish clear AI-use guidelines early in the semester to constructively balance academic integrity with appropriate technology integration
  2. Use non-traditional assessments 
    • AI-resistant assessments: In-person oral exams, presentations, live demonstrations, reflective portfolios
    • AI-integrated assessments: "Show your AI conversation and critique the output," "Use AI as a tool and document your process"
    • Process-focused evaluation: Annotated bibliographies, research journals, drafts showing iteration
    • Authentic assessments: Real-world projects, case studies requiring contextual knowledge AI doesn't have

[Source:  Educause Teaching with Artificial Intelligence 2025]

Visit the instructional design website to learn how to incorporate AI into your course design, and schedule a consultation.

Help and Support

ChatGPT Official FAQ Page

 

Last updated:  May 29, 2026