AI Student Guide

Your AI Toolkit, and How to Actually Use It

Every tool on this page has a free tier, and several are free because you are a Fullerton College student. This guide shows you how to get into each one, what it is genuinely good at, where it will let you down — and the prompts that turn a generic answer into a useful one.

Work smarter. Learn smarter. Change the world for good.

Last updated: October 2026. This is a living document. These tools change constantly — treat specifics as a snapshot, and always check the assignment page for what is allowed in a given course.

About this guide

This guide is from Professor Gary Graves to help you explore AI with confidence and curiosity. It is not official Fullerton College policy, and every course is different: your syllabus and your professor always have the final word on whether and how you may use AI. When in doubt, ask before you use it. Asking is never the wrong move.

Not sure which one to open?

Pick what you're trying to do and I'll point you at the right tool.

I need help with…

Something about this course Writing & revising Research with real sources Studying & understanding Coding, data & spreadsheets Slides, images & presentations

Use Ask Graves AI (in the Canvas course menu). It is the only tool on this page that knows our syllabus, assignment instructions, rubrics, and due dates. General chatbots will confidently invent a deadline — this one won't.

Still stuck after that? Message me in Canvas. The assistant is a first stop, not a replacement for asking me.

Claude or ChatGPT — both are strong at drafting, restructuring, and line-editing. Microsoft Copilot is the convenient choice if you're already writing in Word or Outlook, since it works right inside the document.

Best move: write your own draft first, then ask the AI to critique it against the rubric. You learn more, and the writing still sounds like you.

Perplexity for the open web — it footnotes every claim with a clickable link. Gemini for Education is a strong second and pulls in live search results.

If the research is about our assigned readings rather than the open web, use NotebookLM instead: it answers only from documents you upload and cites the exact passage.

Then verify in the Fullerton College Library databases. An AI citation you have not personally opened is not a source — it's a guess.

NotebookLM is the one built for this. Upload the readings, lecture slides, and your notes, then have it generate a study guide, quiz you, or produce an audio overview you can listen to on the drive in.

For concepts that aren't in a document, use Claude or ChatGPT and change how you prompt: "act as a tutor, ask me one question at a time, and don't give me the answer." The prompt guide further down has copy-ready versions.

Playlab activities I've built for the course are designed for this kind of practice too.

Claude and ChatGPT are both excellent at code, formulas, and debugging. Microsoft Copilot plugs directly into Excel, which is handy for spreadsheet work.

Always run the code or check the formula yourself. AI-generated code that looks right and is subtly wrong is the single most common trap here.

Microsoft Copilot for PowerPoint drafts and Designer images, Gemini for Education for image generation and Google Slides, ChatGPT for images plus outline-to-deck drafting.

If you use an AI-generated image in submitted work, label it as AI-generated in the caption.

The Tools

Each card below opens up — click anywhere on a card (or the + button) for setup steps and cautions. Use the filters to narrow the list.

Show all ★ Best for students Use your @fullcoll.edu login Free, no student status needed Gives citations

Ask Graves AI Knows this course — syllabus, assignments, deadlines ★ Start hereIn CanvasFree

How to access

Open our Canvas course and click Ask Graves AI in the left-hand course navigation.
No separate account, no sign-up, no cost. You're already logged in.

Why use it

It has been given our actual course materials — so it can answer "what exactly does the rubric want?" or "when is Project 2 due?" accurately.
It won't hallucinate a due date the way a general chatbot will, because it is reading our real schedule.
Available at 2 a.m. when I am not.

Still check Canvas. If the assistant and the Canvas assignment page ever disagree, the Canvas page and the syllabus win. Tell me if you catch a conflict.

Microsoft Copilot Free with your college account — and built into Office & Outlook ★ Best for students@fullcoll.eduFree tier

How to access — three ways

Website: go to copilot.microsoft.com and sign in with your @fullcoll.edu address, not a personal account.
App: install Microsoft Copilot from the iOS App Store, Google Play, or the Windows Store, then sign in with the same college account.
Inside Outlook & Office: open Outlook on the web (or Word / Excel / PowerPoint / Teams) and look for the Copilot icon in the toolbar or side panel. It can summarize a long email thread, draft a reply, or outline a document without you leaving the app.

Why use it

Signing in with your school email matters. On the educational/work tier your chats get enterprise data protection — Microsoft doesn't use your prompts to train its models. A personal Microsoft account does not get the same handling.
It lives where your college work already lives: your inbox, your Word docs, your Teams messages.
Good all-rounder for drafting, summarizing, and quick web-grounded answers with links.

Heads up: which Copilot features you get inside Word/Excel/PowerPoint depends on the license the district assigns. Copilot Chat on the web always works; the in-document features may or may not appear for you. If it's missing, ask FC's IT Help Desk what's enabled for students.

ChatGPT (OpenAI) The most widely used one — deep free tier ★ Best for studentsFree tier

How to access

Go to chatgpt.com or install the ChatGPT app (iOS / Android / Mac / Windows).
Create a free account — you may sign up with your @fullcoll.edu address.
Check for a student offer. OpenAI periodically runs discounted or free upgrade promotions for verified college students. Look for a "Students" link in the pricing page before you ever pay full price.

Why use it

Broadest skill set: writing, math, code, data analysis, image generation, voice conversation, and file uploads (PDFs, spreadsheets, images).
The free tier is genuinely usable — you hit limits on the newest model, then get downgraded rather than cut off.
Custom GPTs let you use tools other people have already built for a specific subject.

Privacy setting worth changing: in Settings → Data Controls, turn off "Improve the model for everyone" if you'd rather your conversations not be used for training. ChatGPT Edu is a separate campus-wide license — it is not something you can self-enroll in.

Claude (Anthropic) Best writing partner; strong on long documents ★ Best for studentsFree tier

How to access

Go to claude.ai or install the Claude app (iOS / Android / desktop).
Sign up free with your email — your @fullcoll.edu address works.
Anthropic runs a Claude for Education program with a "Learning Mode" that walks you through reasoning instead of handing over answers. It is licensed by campuses, so check whether FC has it before assuming you have access.

Why use it

Noticeably good at prose: nuance, tone, structure, and honest critique of your draft.
Handles very long inputs — paste an entire reading, a full chapter, or a 40-page PDF and ask questions about it.
More willing to say "I'm not sure" than most chatbots, which is a feature, not a bug.
Projects let you keep course materials in one persistent workspace.

Free tier limits: you get a message allowance that resets every few hours. Save your longest, most important task for the start of a session.

Gemini for Education Free with your @fullcoll.edu account — use this one for my AI courses ★ Best for students@fullcoll.eduFreeLinks sources

How to access

Go to gemini.google.com and sign in with your @fullcoll.edu account — not a personal Gmail.
If you're already signed into a personal Google account, use the profile picture in the top-right corner to switch, or open it in a private/incognito window.
It also appears inside Google Docs, Slides, Sheets, and Drive when you're working in your college account.

Why use it

This is the version I want you using in my AI courses. Your @fullcoll.edu login gives you the education tier at no cost.
On the education tier your prompts and files get enterprise-grade data protection — they are not used to train Google's models. A personal account does not get that.
Higher usage limits and access to stronger models than the consumer free tier.
Grounds answers in live web results and shows you the links, so you can verify what it tells you.

Check which account you're in. The fastest way to tell: look at the profile picture in the top-right. If it isn't your college account, you're on the consumer tier and your data is handled differently.

NotebookLM Upload your readings — it answers only from them, with citations ★ Best study tool@fullcoll.eduFreeCites sources

How to access

Go to notebooklm.google.com and sign in with your @fullcoll.edu account.
Create a notebook, then add sources: PDFs, Google Docs and Slides, Word files, web pages, YouTube videos, pasted text, even audio recordings of a lecture.

Why use it

It only answers from the sources you gave it. That single constraint removes the biggest risk of every other tool on this page — it can't wander off and invent an outside fact.
Every answer carries a numbered citation that jumps you to the exact passage in your own document. You can check its work in one click.
It will generate, from your material: a study guide, a timeline, a briefing document, an FAQ, and a mind map.
Audio Overview turns your readings into a two-host podcast discussion you can listen to while driving or at the gym. For a lot of students this is the single most useful study feature of any tool here.
One notebook per unit or per exam is a genuinely strong way to study.

Use it as a study partner, not a shortcut. Loading the readings and then asking it to quiz you works. Loading the readings and asking it to write your paper is the thing you'll get caught doing — and you'll have learned nothing.

Google Gemini (personal account) The consumer version — for everything outside class Free tierLinks sources

How to access

Same address — gemini.google.com — but signed in with a personal Gmail account, or through the Gemini mobile app.
Also shows up at the top of Google Search results and inside personal Google Docs and Gmail.
Check the student offer. Google has repeatedly given verified college students a free year of its premium AI plan. Search "Google AI for students" and verify with your .edu email before you ever pay.

Why use it

Fine for personal projects, curiosity, and anything not connected to coursework.
Strong image and video generation, and deep integration with your personal Google account.

For coursework, use the education version instead. On a personal account your conversations may be reviewed by humans and used to improve Google's products. Same interface, meaningfully different data handling.

Perplexity A research engine — every answer comes with citations ★ Best for researchFree tierCites sources

How to access

Go to perplexity.ai or install the app. You can even use it without an account, though signing up saves your threads.
Watch for student promotions — Perplexity has partnered with universities and carriers to give students free Pro access.

Why use it

This is the one to reach for when you need sources. It searches the live web and footnotes every claim with a numbered, clickable link.
Because the sources are right there, it is far easier to catch a wrong answer — which is exactly the habit this course wants you to build.
"Focus" modes let you restrict a search to academic papers instead of the open web.

Still verify. A citation existing does not mean it says what the summary claims. Open the link and read the relevant passage before you cite it in an assignment.

Playlab.ai AI apps built by educators, for classroom use ★ Course activitiesFree for education

How to access

Go to playlab.ai — or, more often, just click the Playlab link I post in a Canvas assignment, which drops you straight into the right activity.
Sign in with your school Google or Microsoft account when prompted.

Why use it

Playlab apps are purpose-built for a single task — a Socratic tutor, a rubric-checker, a brainstorming partner — so you get better results than a blank chat box.
Built specifically for schools, with student privacy in mind and free access for educators and their classes.
You can build your own app too. If you want to make an AI tool for your study group, this is the easiest on-ramp there is — no coding required.

Grok (xAI) Real-time X/Twitter data; looser content filters Free tierUse with care

How to access

Go to grok.com or install the Grok app; it is also inside the X app if you have an account there.
Free tier with usage limits; a paid tier lifts them.

Why use it

Its edge is live access to X/Twitter, so it's useful for tracking a breaking story or public reaction in real time.
Strong general reasoning and image generation.

Why it's not on my "best for students" list: Grok has no education tier, applies noticeably looser content moderation than the others, and draws heavily on social media posts — which is a very uneven evidence base for academic work. Fine for curiosity; not my first choice for coursework.

If you only set up three

My honest shortlist for a Fullerton College student who wants strong tools without spending anything.

The starter kit

Gemini for Education — sign in at gemini.google.com with your @fullcoll.edu account. Free, protected, and the version I want you using in my AI courses.
NotebookLM — same college login. Load your readings in and let it quiz you, outline them, or turn them into an audio overview. This is the study tool.
Microsoft Copilot — also free on your @fullcoll.edu login, and it works inside Outlook and Office where your coursework already lives.

Then add one general chatbot as your everyday thinking partner — Claude for writing and long readings, ChatGPT for the widest range of tools — and Perplexity when you need open-web research with citations.

Plus, always: Ask Graves AI in our Canvas course for anything about this course specifically.

Free vs. paid: what's the difference?

Free tiers are plenty to learn, explore, and experiment. Paid and college-provided versions usually add three things:

Newer, stronger models that reason better and make fewer mistakes.
Higher limits: longer files, more messages, more features.
Data protection: when the college provides the tool, its agreement keeps your work out of model training. Paying for a personal plan doesn't give you that by itself.

Good news: you already have college-provided versions of Microsoft Copilot, Gemini for Education, and NotebookLM at no cost. You should never have to buy an AI subscription to succeed in a class. And if there's a tool you wish the college offered, say so to your professors or Associated Students. Student voice shapes what colleges invest in.

Side-by-side

Tool	Cost	Sign in with	Strongest at	Cites sources
Ask Graves AI	Free in Canvas	Canvas login	Our syllabus, assignments, deadlines	Course materials
Microsoft Copilot	Free (edu tier)	@fullcoll.edu	Outlook, Word, Excel, everyday drafting	Yes, web links
ChatGPT	Free tier	Any email	Widest range: text, code, images, files	When it searches
Claude	Free tier	Any email	Writing, long documents, careful reasoning	When it searches
Gemini for Education	Free (edu tier)	@fullcoll.edu	Live web, Google Docs, protected data	Yes
NotebookLM	Free	@fullcoll.edu	Studying from your own readings	Yes, to your sources
Gemini (personal)	Free tier	Personal Google	Non-course use, image generation	Yes
Perplexity	Free tier	Optional	Sourced research and fact-checking	Yes, always
Playlab.ai	Free for education	School account	Course activities built for a task	Depends on app
Grok	Free tier	X / any email	Real-time social media, current buzz	Posts, mostly

Copy-and-paste prompt guide

The tool matters less than how you ask. These work in Copilot, ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini — open a category and grab one.

How to use these: click a prompt box once to select the whole thing, then copy it (Ctrl+C / Cmd+C) and paste it into your AI. Replace the [highlighted parts] with your own details — that's the step that makes the difference between a generic answer and a useful one.

Understand a hard reading When the textbook may as well be in another language

Why this works: You are asking it to teach, not to summarize. Naming your current level and demanding an analogy forces it out of textbook-speak.

Explain it at my level

I'm a community college student in [course name]. Explain [concept] to me in plain language, as if I have no background in it. Then give me one everyday analogy, and one example of how it actually gets used. Keep it under 300 words.

Unstick me on one paragraph

Here is a paragraph from my assigned reading that I don't understand: [paste the paragraph] Tell me: (1) what it's actually saying in plain English, (2) which specific words or ideas are probably tripping me up, and (3) one question I should be able to answer if I understood it.

Quiz me for an exam Active recall beats re-reading, and this is the easiest way to do it

Why this works: Re-reading notes feels productive and barely works. Being asked questions you can't answer is what actually builds memory.

Turn my notes into a quiz

You are my tutor. Here are my notes for an upcoming exam: [paste your notes] Quiz me one question at a time. Wait for my answer before showing the next one. After each answer, tell me if I'm right, and if I'm wrong explain why briefly. Start with easier questions and get harder. Do not give me the answers up front.

Find the holes in what I know

I have an exam on [topic]. Ask me 8 questions that would reveal whether I actually understand this or have just memorized it. After I answer all 8, tell me which specific areas I should go back and study, ranked by how shaky I looked.

Explain it back (the Feynman check)

I'm going to explain [concept] to you in my own words. Listen for anything that's wrong, vague, or missing, then point it out specifically. Don't be nice about it — I'd rather find out now than on the exam. Here's my explanation: [your explanation]

Get real feedback on my draft Write it yourself first, then have AI critique it

Why this works: This is the highest-value, lowest-risk way to use AI on writing. The words stay yours; the revision gets sharper. Give it the rubric — it changes the feedback completely.

Critique against the rubric

Here is my draft and the assignment rubric. RUBRIC: [paste the rubric] DRAFT: [paste your draft] Grade my draft against each rubric criterion, quote the specific sentences that are hurting me, and give me the three highest-impact revisions in priority order. Do not rewrite it for me — I want to make the changes myself.

Attack my argument

Here is my thesis and my supporting argument: [paste it] Play the skeptical reader. What's the strongest objection to my argument? Where am I asserting something I haven't supported? What counterexample would a professor raise? Be direct.

Tighten it without changing my voice

Here's a paragraph I wrote: [paste it] Show me where it's wordy, unclear, or repetitive. Mark the specific phrases and explain the problem with each. Keep my voice — I don't want this to sound like it was written by AI.

Start an assignment without cheating Beating the blank page, honestly

Why this works: The line is: AI helps you find your idea, you write the thing. Asking for questions instead of content keeps you on the right side of it.

Brainstorm angles, not answers

My assignment is: [paste the assignment prompt] Don't write any of it. Instead, ask me 5 questions that will help me figure out what I actually want to argue. Then, based on my answers, suggest three different angles I could take and the strongest evidence each one would need.

Build a plan I can execute

I have to [describe the assignment] and it's due in [number] days. I have about [hours] hours a week to work on it. Break it into specific tasks with target dates, and tell me which task people most often underestimate.

Research with sources I can verify For anything you have to cite

Why this works: The point is not the summary. The point is the links — so you can go read the actual source and decide for yourself.

Sourced overview of a topic

I'm researching [topic] for a college paper. Give me an overview of the main positions in this debate. For every factual claim, cite the source with a link. Flag anything where the evidence is contested or thin. Prefer peer-reviewed and primary sources over blogs.

Ask only from my readings (NotebookLM)

Using only the sources I've uploaded, answer this: [your question] Cite the specific passage for each part of your answer. If the sources don't address something I asked, say so explicitly instead of filling the gap.

Fact-check an AI answer

Another AI told me the following. Check it claim by claim. For each one, tell me whether it's accurate, misleading, or false, and link a source: [paste the answer you want checked]

Fix code, formulas, and data For programming, spreadsheets, and stats

Why this works: Asking for the explanation alongside the fix is the difference between getting unstuck and learning nothing.

Debug and explain

Here is my [language] code and the error I'm getting. CODE: [paste code] ERROR: [paste error] Tell me what's causing it and why, then show the fix. Explain the concept I was missing so I don't make this mistake again.

Build a spreadsheet formula

In [Excel/Google Sheets], I have [describe your columns and data]. I need to [what you want to calculate]. Give me the formula, explain what each part of it does, and tell me what would break it.

Prepare a presentation Outline it, then rehearse against it

Why this works: Rehearsing against predicted questions is what separates a nervous presentation from a confident one.

Outline from my material

I have to give a [length]-minute presentation on [topic] to [audience]. Here's my material: [paste your notes] Give me a slide-by-slide outline with a clear through-line. For each slide, tell me what I should say out loud — not just what goes on the slide.

Predict the questions I'll get

I'm presenting on [topic] and arguing [your main claim]. What are the 6 hardest questions my audience is likely to ask? For each, tell me what a strong answer would include. Then ask me them one at a time so I can practice.

Career: résumés, transfer essays, interviews Useful outside class too

Why this works: Bring the real job posting or real prompt. Generic input gets generic output.

Sharpen a résumé bullet

Here's a bullet from my résumé: [paste bullet] Here's the job posting I'm applying to: [paste posting] Rewrite it three ways to better match what they're asking for. Keep it truthful — don't inflate anything I didn't actually do. Tell me what detail I should add to make it stronger.

Mock interview

Interview me for a [job title] position. Ask one question at a time, wait for my answer, then give me specific feedback before moving on. Include at least two behavioral questions. Be realistic, not easy.

Before you lean on any of this: build the literacy

Take “Your Mission: AI Literacy”

Knowing which button to click is the easy part. Knowing when the output is wrong, when using it crosses a line, and how to prompt so you actually learn something — that's the part that shows up in your grade and, later, in your job.

“Your Mission: AI Literacy” walks you through it hands-on. You'll find it in our Canvas course under Professor News. If you've already done it, or you want the reference version to come back to, work through the AI Literacy Module instead.

Start Your Mission: AI Literacy → Review the AI Literacy Module

Go further: Google AI Professional Certificate

Want something for your résumé and your LinkedIn? The Google AI Professional Certificate is a self-paced, industry-recognized credential in applied AI skills — the kind of thing an employer recognizes on sight.

You can self-enroll. It costs you nothing but the hours you put in, and you can work through it alongside this course.

Self-enroll in the Google AI Certificate →

The ground rules

These apply to every tool on this page.

The four AI levels

Assignments in my courses name one of these levels. If an assignment doesn't say, ask before you use AI.

Level	What you may do
Level 0: No AI	Do all of the work without AI tools.
Level 1: AI to learn and plan	Use AI to explain concepts, quiz yourself, or brainstorm, but none of its text, code, or images goes into what you submit.
Level 2: AI-assisted, disclosed	AI may give feedback, help you revise, or help draft parts of the work. Disclose how you used it. You're responsible for the result.
Level 3: AI as collaborator	Full use is expected. Document your prompts, critique what the AI gave you, and reflect on what you kept and changed.

Check the assignment first. Each assignment states its AI level (see the table above). When the assignment page and this guide disagree, the assignment page wins.
Disclose your use. If AI helped, say so: which tool, when, and what you used it for. Copy a template below. Undisclosed use is what turns a legitimate tool into academic dishonesty.
Review, revise, verify. Review the output for accuracy and fit. Revise it so it reflects your own thinking and voice. Verify every fact, quote, number, and citation against a real source. A fabricated citation in your paper is your mistake, not the model's.
Never paste in personal or protected data. No student ID numbers, passwords, or medical or financial information, and nothing private about anyone else, including classmates' names or work. Removing a name isn't always enough if other details still identify the person.
Prefer your @fullcoll.edu login where it's offered. Signed in with your college account, tools like Microsoft Copilot and Gemini for Education keep your conversations under the college's data protections and out of public model training. A personal account doesn't give you that.
Respect copyright. Upload course readings only when your instructor allows it, and only to tools you're signed into with your college login, such as NotebookLM or Gemini for Education. Don't upload textbooks or other paid material to consumer chatbots.
AI agents count as AI use. Letting an AI agent or AI browser take a quiz, post to a discussion, or complete any coursework for you falls under the assignment's AI level like any other AI use.
Use AI on purpose. AI runs in data centers that use real electricity and water. Use it when it helps you learn or do better work, and skip it when it doesn't. Text requests cost far less than image or video generation.
Submit your own thinking. Use AI to pressure-test an idea, not to replace having one. The work has to be yours.

How to disclose AI use

An acknowledgment shows your instructor what the AI did and what you did. Copy the template that fits, fill in the brackets, and put it at the end of your submission.

1. You used AI to brainstorm or plan

AI acknowledgment: I used [tool and model, if known] on [date] to [brainstorm topic ideas / build an outline / quiz myself on the readings]. I chose which ideas to keep, did my own research, and wrote all of the submitted work myself.

2. You used AI to improve your own writing

AI acknowledgment: I used [tool and model, if known] on [date] to get feedback on my draft for [clarity / organization / grammar]. The ideas and the original draft are mine. I reviewed every suggestion and decided which changes to make.

3. AI generated or substantially developed part of the work (only where the assignment's level allows it)

AI acknowledgment: Parts of this work were developed with [tool and model, if known] on [date]. I used it to [draft the introduction / generate the example data / create the image on slide 4]. I reviewed, revised, and verified that material, and I take responsibility for the final work. My prompts: [paste them or link to the chat]

An acknowledgment is not a citation

If you quote, paraphrase, or include AI-generated text or images, also cite them in the style your course uses: APA or MLA. And don't cite an AI as the source of a fact. Find the original source, read it, and cite that.

If your instructor has questions about your work

AI detectors are unreliable, and a detector score is not proof. The fair way to handle a question about AI use is a conversation about how you did the work. Make that conversation easy:

Keep your drafts and version history. Google Docs and Microsoft Word both save it automatically when you work in them.
Save your AI chats, or copy your prompts into a notes file as you go.
Be ready to explain your process and to talk about your work in your own words.

Not sure whether a use is allowed? Ask before you submit. That conversation is always easier beforehand. Academic dishonesty is covered by Fullerton College's Standards of Student Conduct (BP 5500).

Keep going

Digital Professor — free AI tools and chatbots I have built for students.
AI at Fullerton College — AI courses, certificates, and the AI in Business degree.
EduAI Atlas — my wider collection of AI resources for education.
AI Literacy for College Students — my free, interactive module on using AI well: how it works, prompting, ethics, and privacy.
AI Faculty Guide — the companion guide, written for instructors. Worth a look if you are curious how your professors are being asked to think about this.

Questions, or a tool you think belongs on this list? Email me at ggraves@fullcoll.edu, message me in Canvas, or stop by office hours. This guide grows through conversation.

Work smarter. Learn smarter. Change the world for good.