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Generative AI for Students
Generative AI for Students
Generative AI for Students

Generative AI for Students

Last updated:
Feb 27, 2026 9:11 PM
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AI Fair Use and Best Practices for NECO Students

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When using generative AI tools, note that you are NOT permitted to share course content or anything else for which you do not own the copyright in any way or with anyone.

Refer to your faculty of record’s course syllabi for their AI use policy within a given course.

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How can students use generative AI as a study aid?

In general, generative AI tools can:

  • Summarize or explain complex topics
  • Generate practice questions
  • Generate study guides

Google Notebook is particularly useful for studying purposes:

  • Organize notes: Use Notebook to create a digital notebook for each course. Organize your notes by topic, and use tags to easily find specific information.
  • Annotate textbooks and articles: Import PDFs of articles into Notebook. Annotate them with highlights, comments, and questions.
  • Collaborate with classmates: Share notebooks with classmates to collaborate on study groups, discuss concepts, and share resources.
  • Create flashcards: Use Notebook to create digital flashcards for memorization. You can even quiz yourself within the app.
  • Produce podcasts: Transform your class notes and readings into audio overviews, making it easy to study while you're on the go.

Generative AI Toolkit

These tools are all NECO-approved. Click on the box below to learn more about each.

Google Gemini
Google Gemini

Similar to ChatGPT, but can also process and generate images, audio, and other forms of media.

Google NotebookLM
Google NotebookLM

Can summarize documents, create study guides, timelines, FAQs, flash cards, podcasts, and more. Uses only the data you tell it to use.

Consensus
Consensus

An AI-powered search engine for research papers. Sign up for an account using your NECO Gmail for access to the Pro version - which will also allow you to access full text where available.

NECO GAiTE (Gen AI Tool Evaluator)
NECO GAiTE (Gen AI Tool Evaluator)

Find out if the tool you want to use is appropriate for use at NECO.

Generative AI 101

Generative AI: FAQ
Generative AI: FAQ
Generative AI: Definitions
Generative AI: Definitions
How to Write Effective Prompts
How to Write Effective Prompts
Self-paced AI Training Programs
Self-paced AI Training Programs
Generative AI: Protecting Your Data
Generative AI: Protecting Your Data
Copyright and AI
Copyright and AI
Selected Articles and eBooks on Gen AI
Selected Articles and eBooks on Gen AI

Generative AI Fair Use Guidelines for NECO Students

The New England College of Optometry (NECO) encourages the responsible and ethical use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to enhance learning, foster innovation, and prepare students for a future shaped by intelligent technologies. At the same time, NECO affirms the importance of academic integrity, critical thinking, and professional accountability in all student work.

To this end, students are expected to adhere to the following guidelines when using AI tools in academic, clinical, and research settings (click the drop-downs to learn more):

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Authorized Tools

  • It is highly recommended that students use NECO-authorized generative AI tools when studying or preparing coursework. These tools do not train on uploaded data.
  • No course materials may be uploaded to generative AI tools that have not been authorized by NECO.
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Transparency and Attribution

  • Students must clearly disclose when and how AI tools were used in the creation of assignments, reports, or projects, including generative tools used for writing, image generation, coding, or data analysis.
  • AI-generated content should never be presented as original student work without appropriate acknowledgment. Where applicable, students should describe their process and specify which AI tool was used.
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Academic Misconduct

  • AI tools may not be used to complete graded assignments, quizzes, exams, or assessments when such use would violate the intent of the assignment or give an unfair advantage.
  • Submitting AI-generated work as one’s own, without proper disclosure or authorization, constitutes academic misconduct.
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Critical Engagement

  • Students are responsible for evaluating the accuracy, relevance, and appropriateness of any content produced by AI. They should not assume that outputs are factual, unbiased, or complete.
  • Use of AI should support, not replace, student learning, professional judgment, and independent thinking.
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Faculty Expectations and Course Policies

  • Students must comply with course-specific guidelines regarding AI use, as communicated by faculty. Instructors may prohibit or limit AI use in particular assignments or learning activities.
  • When in doubt about permissible use, students should seek clarification from instructors before using AI tools.
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Professional and Clinical Responsibility

  • In clinical and patient-facing settings, students must never use AI tools to make diagnostic, treatment, or communication decisions unless such use is explicitly authorized, supervised, and compliant with privacy and ethical standards.
  • Respect for patient confidentiality and data security remains paramount and extends to the use of AI technologies.
  • Please see additional clinical policies here.
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Respect for Others’ Work

  • Students must not use AI to reproduce, manipulate, or summarize copyrighted or proprietary materials in ways that violate intellectual property rights.
  • AI should not be used to generate content that misrepresents the work, opinions, or identities of others.

Consequences of Misuse

Violations of these guidelines may be treated as breaches of NECO’s Academic Integrity Policy and subject to disciplinary action.

NECO reserves the right to update these guidelines as AI technologies evolve and as institutional values and accreditation standards require.

Best Practices for NECO Student Generative AI Use

While it may be tempting to delegate all your work to an AI tool, AI systems are imperfect and prone to errors, inaccurate information (hallucinations), and inherent biases. As a human using AI, you are responsible for quality, thoroughness, and accuracy; the same is true for any AI output presented in your work.

This includes checking the reliability of sources and including your unique perspectives, analysis, and insights. Before using generative AI tools for studying or coursework, be aware of the following (click the drop-downs to learn more):

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Prompting for Better Results

Refine your prompts (the questions you ask a generative AI tool) to get high-quality results rather than providing minimal effort. Writing good prompts takes critical thinking on your part. For assistance in crafting prompts, please reach out to a librarian.

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A Support, not a Replacement

Use AI as a supportive tool for your work, not a replacement for your skills and effort. Continuously work to sharpen your AI skills.

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Verifying Output

Critically assess the AI outputs and do not passively accept them. Verify the accuracy, quality, and thoroughness of any facts, figures, cited sources, or claims made by the AI tool. AI can be prone to inherent biases, and those biases can be subtle. You are responsible for any errors or omissions.

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Protecting Your Privacy

Data entered into the AI may be used for future training of the large learning model (LLM). While NECO's Generative AI Toolkit includes versions of LLMs that do not use the data you input for training purposes, the current state of privacy remains unclear for many other AI models. A good general practice is only to share what you would be comfortable sharing in public. Do not feel compelled to share anything personal, even if the AI asks (i.e., names, email addresses, mailing addresses, mother’s maiden name, etc.).

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Citing AI Tools

Acknowledge the use of AI tools appropriately. Be sure to cite them as you would any other source. You can find guidance on citing AI in this guide.

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Understanding Limitations

Not all generative AI tools can access current events, information, and data. Be aware of what the model you are using can (and cannot) access.

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Staying Current

Generative AI is a rapidly evolving technology. Review these guidelines often, and let your instructor know if you need further guidance on the appropriate use of AI tools.

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Academic Integrity

Unethical use of AI, including without proper citation, for cheating, or in general violation of the Student Fair Use of Generative AI stipulations, falls under Unprofessional Conduct as delineated in the Student Handbook.