Assignment Promoting Use of Generative AI as an Active Learning Tool in General Chemistry

16 January 2026, Version 1
This content is an early or alternative research output and has not been peer-reviewed by Cambridge University Press at the time of posting.

Abstract

The value of generative artificial intelligence (AI) for teaching and learning is currently hotly debated. Concerns regarding the accuracy of information produced by generative AI as well as student over-reliance on this tool coexist with excitement about tailored opportunities that AI may provide for educational purposes. Student ability to responsibly utilize AI is growing into a key competency that we expect can be co-taught with domain course contents. Driven by this idea, we developed an assignment for first-year undergraduate students in a general chemistry course with the aim to promote the use of AI as an active learning tool. By having students judge AI responses to advanced chemistry-related questions, this assignment is designed to promote the assessment of information accuracy and combat over-reliance. Here, we detail the assignment and report the aggregate student responses that we received while implementing this assignment in our course.

Keywords

General Chemistry
Generative AI
ChatGPT
Active Learning

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