14 Quizlet: AI-Generated Study Guides
Allen Klassen
Abstract
This paper delves into the challenges students face in learning automotive mechanics, particularly in memorizing tool and engine part names. It underscores the constraints of classroom time and the laborious nature of traditional methods like flashcards, which can be time-consuming for teachers to create. However, it also shines a light on the promising potential of AI tools, such as Quizlet, to enhance vocabulary retention, autonomy, and self-study habits among students. In this paper, I propose that AI tools could not only alleviate cognitive overload but also enhance engagement and save time for teachers through interactive learning techniques like Quizlet Live, offering a hopeful outlook for the future of teaching automotive mechanics.
Figure 1
High school student struggles to learn mechanic jargon.
Note: Allen Klassen (2024) generated this image using the ChatGPT platform. CC dedicates any rights it holds to this image to the public domain via CC0.
Introduction
Over the last 18 years of teaching automotive mechanics, I have realized that some of the most challenging things for students to learn and retain are the names of tools and engine parts prevalent in the automotive industry. Many students come to a Grade 10 class with little to no experience using the tools or understanding the components needed for an internal combustion engine to operate. The lack of prior knowledge limits the methods a teacher can use in creating new knowledge that solidifies in students’ memories. For students to safely disassemble and reassemble an engine, learning the proper tool names, their purpose, and the possible safety concerns of each tool is essential.
Unfortunately, when only recognition of a tool or part is required, rote memorization is still the best chance students have of remembering specific names. Therefore, teachers often spend much time either creating student aids, searching for other methodologies or techniques, or endeavouring to create more one-on-one teaching and learning times. As any teacher will state, there is not enough time in a class full of students to extend the one-on-one experiences sufficiently. Therefore, teachers rely on prep time or after contract hours to develop aids and lessons we hope will reach everyone. For example, physical flashcards became common in arithmetic, science, and language arts classes to promote rote memorization. However, these flashcards often had to be purchased as a pre-published set or created by the teacher. The time commitment to creating or recreating class sets of flashcards and laminating them so they may be reused class after class, year after year, can prevent teachers from planning, assessing and performing other critical daily tasks. This is where AI tools such as Quizlet can be a game-changer, saving teachers valuable time by creating flashcards, practice tests, and study guides from teacher input in seconds.
Learning Objectives
- Examine Quizlet as a tool to enhance students’ automotive terminology and vocabulary.
- Evaluate the affordances and constraints of Quizlet AI for enhancing vocabulary retention.
- Examine the effect of Quizlet in increasing student autonomy and self-study habits.
- Determine the value of Quizlet to teachers and instructional designers with respect to time-saving and ease of use.
Case Study
As a high school automotive teacher, I have used a three-pronged approach to introducing automotive jargon to students. First, I use video of the tools and/or the components being used or in the context of operation. Students then receive handouts they attempt to fill out independently. Once they have had a couple of days to identify and label the tools and parts they know, I will introduce a classroom lesson and demonstration where all the correct names are provided. Over the next few weeks, I periodically perform demonstrations using the correct terminology. As a final summative assessment, I have the students identify components and tools orally while physically pointing them out.
Using this method has had mixed results. Students from a farming background or a mechanically active household often excel at the exercises mentioned earlier and can help the less experienced students. Students with less experience often struggle to connect the component names with the object. This can lead to negative impacts as the students may develop a lack of motivation to learn autonomously. I believe it is this autonomy that can increase knowledge and understanding because, as Waluyo and Bakoko (2021) stated, “facing the learning only on teachers’ explanations and class hours is simply ineffective and limits the number of words that students can acquire” (p.290). Therefore, having greater exposure to visual cues and corresponding identification can aid with the retention of new information. Unfortunately, time constraints within the classroom force me to move on to other outcomes. Waluyo and Bakoko (2021) suggested a step-by-step method to help teachers encourage students to become autonomous learners (see Figure 2).
Figure 2. Suggested steps for implementation (Waluyo and Bakoko, 2021, p. 297).
I have also realized that the required information may be too large for students’ working memory capacity. Cowan (2010) indicated that while working memory capacity varies, most adults’ maximum is three to five chunks of information, while children’s and young adults’ maximum is lower (one to three chunks) (p.52). In terms of working memory, a chunk may consist of three or four pieces of information and “is a set of active memory elements strongly related to one another and weakly related or unrelated to other active memory elements” (Cowan, 2010, p.82). Quizlet may help teachers by reducing workload and students by reducing cognitive overload. Educators who have created lesson plans and notes can either upload or copy and paste them into Quizlet’s AI Study Guide creator, and within minutes, Quizlet will produce a study guide, a flashcard set, and a practice test.
The students can access several methods for practicing and studying the material. The Flashcard feature will break the content down into smaller, more manageable chunks, focusing on five points or terms until mastery is obtained. Students can converse with the Q-Chat feature, immersing the student in a conversational situation focused on the terms the teacher has deemed crucial. Zakaria et al. (2022) stated that “to assist students in learning vocabulary, teachers need to discover innovative and engaging ways of teaching. One of the ways is by incorporating technology such as mobile phones or smartphones into the classroom, known as Mobile Assisted Language Learning” (p.276). Quizlet Live and Checkpoint are excellent methods for incorporating technology and engaging students. Teachers can define the game’s parameters by choosing team or individual play, selecting how the questions are displayed, and allowing the students to join via mobile devices, laptops, or school computers. Students can access the Match feature to compete against others in a timed memory-matching game. By choosing Quizlet Live or Checkpoint, a boring classroom review of vocabulary becomes an engaging, competitive game. The study by Zakaria et al. (2022) “concluded that the use of Quizlet Live mode for ninth-grade students … strongly affected their vocabulary mastery in procedural text” (p. 287).
Despite its many advantages, some Quizlet users have commented negatively (Pham, 2022). Quizlet will only work with a stable internet connection. Therefore, if students are not connected to a local wireless network or have cell phone data, in-class use of Quizlet cannot happen. Additionally, too many students on the network may cause a network slowdown, and rural schools often experience unreliable wireless connections. Furthermore, some students can have difficulty accurately typing on their phone screens. Spelling errors during games played on Quizlet will result in incorrect answers being recorded. However, I would like to note that since Pham’s 2022 study, three features of Quizlet are no longer available. Instead, they have been replaced by more sophisticated AI tools. In 2022, Quizlet included activities such as Writing, Spelling, and a Gravity activity that are no longer available. Gravity attempted to gamify vocabulary by incorporating an asteroid word game. The makers of Quizlet monitor and adapt their offerings based on user preferences and feedback. Pham (2022) noted that “the feature Gravity was not preferable as a third of the students never or seldom used it to study vocabulary” (p. 58). One other disadvantage of Quizlet may be cost. While it is free for students to sign up, play the games, and use the flashcards and practice tests, teachers must purchase a subscription to track the students’ progress and make multiple study guides.
Vignette
Sarah’s father is an automotive technician at a local car dealership. Ever since she was little, she has wanted to work on cars like her dad. However, Sarah’s father keeps his home and work lives separate, so she has no experience learning about cars. She enrolled in an automotive class in high school but is having trouble remembering the names of the parts of an engine. Sarah’s teacher sees her struggle and wants to help but cannot spend more than three to five minutes with each student, as the class of twenty-four students all need help.
Sarah’s teacher turns to Quizlet to help her and others. By creating a study guide using pictures, names, and definitions of the engine parts, students can now use digital flashcards to see an image of a part, its name, and a brief description at any time. The teacher also incorporates a weekly game of Quizlet Live for the next three weeks to ensure that all students know the engine part names.
The result is that Sarah and all the mechanics class students complete the engine parts identification successfully, and the teacher can monitor, record, and assess student understanding and comprehension.
Figure 3
A high school student learning the various names of automotive tools.
Note: Allen Klassen (2024) generated this image using the ChatGPT AI platform. CC dedicates any rights it holds to this image to the public domain via CC0.
Example Flashcards
Responsible use of AI
- Pham’s study (2022) quoted a student participant indicating that study sets created by other Quizlet users and made public can be erroneous in definitions or spelling. Minor errors in the generated output can also occur when creating with the AI study guide. Therefore, it behooves us as teachers and professionals to proofread and correct the information provided.
- One aspect of Quizlet that I disagreed with is that when students sign up to join your class, they are asked for their complete birthday. I do not believe that is necessary and that it can lead to identity theft. I encouraged my students to fabricate a birthday and ensure that only the birth year was correct.
Future Research and Innovation
- Currently, Quizlet learning focuses mainly on the lower level of Bloom’s revised taxonomy, Remembering (Anderson et al., 2001). However, the AI chatbot Q-Chat does ask students to synthesize greater understanding and meaning by getting them to provide examples of what the terminology means. More profound thinking questions should be incorporated for students to reach higher-order thinking.
Summary
Note. This video was produced by Allen Klassen (2024) using the Prezi.com presentations, 11ElevenLabs AI voice generator, and Microsoft Clipchamp software.
Acknowledgements
The comments and suggestions by the peer reviewers are deeply appreciated.
Grammarly grammatically and punctually corrected the content. Additionally, Ghat GPT aided in creating the abstract, Key Takeaways, and images. (OpenAI. (2024). ChatGPT [Large language model]. https://chatgpt.com/c/85d4a038-0519-4a41-b7d6-9dc9a65336b7
The summary video was created with Prezi.com, 11ElevenLabs AI voice generator and Microsoft Clipchamp.
Open Researcher and Contributor ID (ORCID)
Allen Klassen https://orcid.org/0009-0003-4921-0594
Allen Klassen is a Journeyperson Automotive Service Technician with at Bachelor of Education from the University of Saskatchewan. He has been teaching for 18 years and is currently completing a Master of Education specializing in Educational Technology and Design.
References
Anderson, L. W., Krathwohl, David R, & Bloom, Benjamin S. (2001). A taxonomy for learning, teaching, and assessing : a revision of Bloom’s taxonomy of educational objectives (Complete ed.). Longman.
Cowan, N. (2010). The magical mystery four. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 19(1), 51–57. https://doi.org/10.1177/0963721409359277
Pham, A. T. (2022). University students’ perceptions on the use of Quizlet in learning vocabulary. International Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning (iJET), 17(07), 54–63. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v17i07.29073
Waluyo, B., & Bakoko, R. (2021). Vocabulary list learning supported by gamifica- tion : Classroom Action Research Using Quizlet. The Journal of AsiaTEFL, 18(1), 289–299. https://doi.org/10.18823/asiatefl.2021.18.1.20.289
Zakaria, A., Ikhsanudin, I., Rahmani, E. F., Suhartono, L., & Sumarni, S. (2022). The effect of Quizlet Live Mode on students’ vocabulary mastery in procedure text. Celtic: A Journal of Culture, English Language Teaching, Literature and Linguistics, 9(2), 274–289. https://doi.org/10.22219/celtic.v9i2.22657
