Skip to main content

Leveraging Gen AI for Academic Excellence

3 hours learning
Short Course
Beginner
Register to Enroll

Section outline

  • Course Overview

    This course provides clear guidance on utilizing Gen AI tools to support and enhance your academic performance. It demonstrates use cases including using LLMs to summarize complex academic content, create personal study materials, and enhance idea generation. It takes a strong stance that Gen AI should always be used to support critical thinking rather than as a replacement, and shares information around the ethical and appropriate use of AI-generated content in your work. 

    Learning Outcomes

    This course will help you to:

    1. Employ Gen AI-assisted techniques to enhance your academic writing style and output 
    2. Integrate Gen AI insights with your own critical thinking 
    3. Evaluate the ethical implications of using Gen AI in academic work 
    4. Assess the limitations of relying on Gen AI for academic tasks 

    • Course Instructor: Dr. Leo Lo

      • Dr. Leo Lo

        Dr. Leo Lo is the Dean and Professor of the College of University Libraries & Learning Sciences at the University of New Mexico. His work focuses on advancing AI literacy and developing training programs for library and higher education professionals. As President of the Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL), Leo established a national task force to create a set of essential AI competencies for library workers, and created an AI Discussion Group. He studied Artificial Intelligence at the University of Oxford and holds a doctorate in Higher Education Management from the University of Pennsylvania, as well as an MLIS from Florida State University.

        View Bio for Dr. Leo Lo

      • Pre-Course Self Assessment

        Before you dive into this course, spend a few moments reflecting on your familiarity with the topic and your current level of skills confidence.

        You will then re-visit the same questions in our Post-Course Self Assessment and reflect on how the course has helped you develop in confidence and grow your skills.

        • Module One: Enhancing Study Techniques Using Gen AI

          This module will help you to:  

          1. Apply Gen AI tools such as LLMs to effectively summarize complex academic content 
          2. Utilize LLMs to create personalized study materials and tailor your learning resources
          3. Employ Gen AI-assisted techniques to enhance your academic writing style and output 

        • Module Two: Creative Problem-Solving Using Gen AI

          This module will help you to:  

          1. Use LLMs to enhance brainstorming and idea generation  
          2. Integrate Gen AI insights with your own critical thinking 
          3. Utilize LLMs to augment your research process 

        • Module Three: Using Gen AI Responsibly

          This module will help you to:  

          1. Evaluate the ethical implications of using Gen AI in academic work 
          2. Apply strategies to avoid plagiarism when using Gen AI
          3. Assess the limitations of relying on Gen AI for academic tasks 
          4. Develop a personal action plan that aligns with institutional policies and academic integrity guidelines 

        • Glossary of Key Terms

          In addition to the glossary you’ll find woven throughout the course, you can find the full glossary collated in one place here.

        • Post-Course Self Assessment

          Now you’ve completed the course, spend a few moments reflecting on where your familiarity with the topics and your confidence skills levels are at now. 

          Has the course helped you develop new skills and grow your confidence?

          You'll need to complete the Post-Course Self Assessment in order to download your certificate. If you didn't do the Pre-Course Self Assessment before starting the course, please go to the top of the page and reflect on your familiarity with the topic and your level of skills confidence before you started the course.

          • Completion: Certificate

            Completing all modules (plus the pre and post-course assessments) will unlock the course certificate, which you can then download here. Your course certificate will only be made available once you have completed all these sections.

            If you have difficulty accessing your certificate, please contact the Sage support team at: onlinesupport@sagepub.co.uk. You can also check out this FAQ page which may be helpful.

            • Give Feedback About This Course

              Did you enjoy the course? Please take two minutes to share your feedback. We use learner feedback in future course updates and developments to provide an excellent learning experience.

            • Accessibility

              We have high standards of accessibility on Sage Campus and as of May/June 2024 all activities within this course are keyboard and screen reader compatible. For more details on accessibility standards, please see the Sage Campus Accessibility Guide.

              For those using assistive technology, please note that within this course:

              • Tab components: JAWS and NVDA behave slightly differently. For NVDA to keep reading, it is best to exit focus mode and go back to browse mode. 
              • Matching: JAWS does not read out question label on dropdown focus. 
              Original Publication date: 03-2025
              Last Updated: 07-2026