Use AI to explain concepts at three difficulty levels
Build self-tests from your own study material
Apply an academic-integrity line for assessed work
The explain ladder
Ask for the same concept at three levels: 'explain like I'm 12', 'like a first-year student', 'like a professional'. The gaps between levels reveal exactly what you don't yet understand.
Study from YOUR documents
Upload your lecture notes or textbook chapter to a note-AI (e.g. NotebookLM) and ask questions grounded in that source. Grounded answers cite the source, cutting hallucination and keeping you honest to your syllabus.
The integrity line
AI as tutor, quizzer and editor: excellent. AI as author of submitted assessed work: misconduct at most institutions. Know your institution's policy, declare use where required, and keep authorship yours. Skill grows only where you struggle a little.
Key terms
Grounding
Answers tied to uploaded source documents.
Active recall
Testing yourself instead of re-reading.
Explain ladder
Same concept at rising difficulty levels.
Academic integrity
Honest authorship and declared tool use.
🛠 Hands-on task: Build a 10-question self-test
Tools: NotebookLM / ChatGPT file upload
Upload one chapter/notes file to a note-AI.
Generate 10 MCQs with answers hidden, then sit it yourself.
Ask the AI to explain only the questions you missed.
Key takeaways: Before you go, three takeaways from this lesson. One: Use AI to explain concepts at three difficulty levels. Two: Build self-tests from your own study material. Three: Apply an academic-integrity line for assessed work. And your hands-on task: build a 10-question self-test. Upload one chapter/notes file to a note-AI. When it is done, mark the lesson complete on your dashboard, keep the artifact for your portfolio, and step into the next lesson. I will see you there.
