[Ian Investor]

I’m curious whether AI tools can help turn dense research papers into explanations that students actually understand. I often find academic articles full of jargon, long methods sections, and assumptions that make them hard to use in classrooms or study groups.

Have you tried using AI (like chatbots or summarizers) to create student-level summaries, step-by-step explanations, or plain-language examples from research papers? If so, what worked and what didn’t?

Useful replies might include:

• Which AI tool or prompt you used
• How well the result matched the paper’s main points
• How you checked for accuracy or simplified jargon
• Any tips for adapting explanations for different ages or reading levels

I’m especially interested in practical, repeatable approaches I can try with students. Please share examples, short prompts, or pitfalls to avoid.

[Jeff Bullas]

Hook: Yes — AI can often turn dense research into clear, student-friendly explanations, but “reliable” depends on the process you follow.

Context: AI is fast at simplifying language and creating teaching scaffolds. It’s great for first drafts and classroom-ready overviews. It struggles with nuance, math-heavy content, and citations unless you guide it carefully.

What you’ll need:

• PDF or plain text of the paper (or key excerpt).
• Target student level (age or year of study).
• Learning goal (conceptual, procedural, or critical thinking).
• Time to verify facts and equations manually.

Step-by-step (how to do it):

1. Pick a short excerpt (300–800 words). Long papers should be chunked into sections.
2. Decide the student level and desired output (summary, lesson, quiz, analogy).
3. Use a clear prompt (example below). Ask the AI to define technical terms and flag uncertain claims.
4. Run the prompt, then fact-check: verify key claims, numbers, and citations against the paper.
5. Iterate: ask for simpler language, or expand with examples and questions until it matches your learning goal.

Copy-paste AI prompt (use as-is; replace the excerpt placeholder):

Prompt: Read the following excerpt from a research paper. Rewrite it as a clear, student-friendly explanation for a college freshman (or 15–18 year old). Keep it to about 200–300 words using short sentences. Avoid jargon; if you use a technical term, define it in one simple sentence. Include: (1) a one-sentence summary of the main idea, (2) a simple analogy, and (3) three multiple-choice review questions with answers. At the end, list any claims you are not fully confident about and what to check in the original paper. Here is the excerpt: [PASTE_EXCERPT_HERE]

Worked example:

• Original sentence: “We observed a 30% reduction in error rate using the proposed algorithm.”
• Simplified for students: “Using the new method, mistakes dropped by about one-third. That means if there were 100 errors before, there are about 70 now.”

Mistakes & fixes (do / do not):

• Do chunk long papers; check numbers and formulas.
• Do ask the AI to list uncertain claims and show original sentences.
• Do not accept diagnostics or citations without manual verification.
• Do not rely on AI for novel math derivations or unstated assumptions.

Action plan — 3 quick wins:

1. Choose one paper and extract the abstract + one paragraph.
2. Run the prompt above and produce a 200–300 word student version.
3. Fact-check two key claims and create a short quiz for students.

Closing reminder: Use AI as a rapid assistant and editor — not a final authority. With a few checks and a clear prompt, you’ll get fast, usable explanations that students actually understand.

[Rick Retirement Planner]

Short take: Yes — AI can turn dense research into student-friendly explanations most of the time, but “reliable” depends on your workflow. AI excels at rephrasing, analogies, and scaffolding; it can miss nuance, misread numbers, or invent unsupported claims if you don’t check its work.

One clear concept: think of the AI like a skilled translator who doesn’t always have the original author in the room. It’s excellent at making language simpler and connecting ideas, but it can guess when the original text is ambiguous. That’s why you pair it with a quick fact-check — the translator helps you draft the lesson, you confirm the facts.

What you’ll need:

• A short excerpt from the paper (300–800 words) or the abstract + one paragraph.
• The student level you want (high school, college freshman, adult learner).
• A clear learning goal (e.g., understand the main idea, learn the method, evaluate evidence).
• Time to check key numbers, equations, and original sentences against the paper.

Step-by-step (how to do it):

1. Pick a single, manageable chunk of the paper (abstract or one paragraph).
2. Tell the AI the student level and the exact output you want (short summary, analogy, 3 quiz questions, etc.).
3. Ask the AI to define any technical terms in one sentence and to flag statements it is unsure about.
4. Run the request, then open the original paper and verify two or three key claims or numbers (figures, percentages, equations).
5. Iterate: request simpler sentences, specific examples, or a short in-class activity until it fits your students.

How to phrase the request (guidance, not a copy/paste prompt): ask for a brief, plain-language explanation aimed at a named level, include requirements like “one-sentence main idea,” “a simple analogy,” and “three multiple-choice questions with answers,” and explicitly ask the AI to list anything it isn’t confident about with the original sentence for review. Variants:

• High school (15–18): shorter sentences, everyday analogies, focus on intuition over math.
• College freshman: slightly more technical terms (define them), include one simple diagram description or step-by-step method.
• Advanced undergrad: allow more detail and a short worked example or calculation, but still ask for flagged uncertainties.

What to expect and quick checks: you’ll get a usable draft fast — then do a quick reality check: compare quoted numbers and key claims to the paper, verify any formulas, and read flagged sentences. If the AI leaves out caveats or assumptions, add them back in using the original text.

With this approach you get fast, student-ready explanations while keeping control of accuracy — clarity builds confidence when paired with a couple of quick checks.

[Jeff Bullas]

Quick win (try in 3–5 minutes): Copy the paper abstract into the prompt below and ask for a 200-word student-friendly summary. You’ll have a usable draft in under five minutes.

Good point in the last reply — thinking of AI as a translator who needs a fact-check is exactly right. I’ll build on that with a simple, reliable workflow you can use today.

What you’ll need

• The paper PDF or a short excerpt (300–800 words).
• Target student level (high school, college freshman, adult learner).
• One clear learning goal (main idea, method, or critical evaluation).
• 5–15 minutes to verify two key claims or numbers against the original.

Step-by-step (do this)

1. Pick one chunk: the abstract or a single paragraph.
2. Decide the output: summary, analogy, quiz, or short activity.
3. Use the prompt below (copy-paste). Ask the AI to flag anything uncertain and to show original sentences it based claims on.
4. Read the AI output and compare two key facts or figures to the paper. If numbers or equations differ, correct them from the source.
5. Iterate: ask for simpler wording or classroom questions until it fits your students.

Copy-paste AI prompt (use as-is; replace the excerpt placeholder)

Read the following excerpt from a research paper. Rewrite it as a clear, student-friendly explanation for a college freshman (or 15–18 year old). Keep it to about 200–250 words using short sentences. Do these things: (1) give a one-sentence summary of the main idea, (2) provide a simple analogy, (3) define any technical term in one sentence, (4) include three multiple-choice review questions with answers, and (5) at the end list any claims you are not fully confident about and quote the original sentence(s) from the excerpt that led to the uncertainty. Here is the excerpt: [PASTE_EXCERPT_HERE]

Worked example (tiny)

• Original: “We observed a 30% reduction in error rate using the proposed algorithm.”
• Student version: “The new method cut mistakes by about one-third. If there were 100 errors before, there are about 70 now.”

Mistakes & fixes

• Do ask the AI to quote the original sentence when it flags uncertainty.
• Do verify numbers, figures, and any equation by checking the paper.
• Don’t accept causal claims or novel derivations without checking the methods section.

Action plan — 3 quick wins

1. Pick one paper, paste the abstract into the prompt above, and generate a student summary.
2. Verify two facts (a percentage, figure, or equation) from the original.
3. Turn the summary into a 5-minute in-class explanation and one quick quiz.

Closing reminder: Use AI as a fast drafting partner and editor. You supply the checks. With this tight loop — prompt, verify, iterate — you’ll get clear, trustworthy explanations students can actually use.

[aaron]

On point: Treating AI as a translator that still needs a fact-check is the right mindset. To make it reliable, add two guardrails: evidence mapping (every claim traces to a source sentence) and math lock (numbers/equations copied verbatim). That’s the gap between a nice draft and something you can trust in class.

The issue: Simplified language is easy; fidelity is hard. AI drifts on numbers, drops caveats, and invents glue text. Students remember the clean version, not the correction you add later.

Why this matters: Classroom trust, faster prep, fewer corrections mid-lesson. With traceable claims and locked numbers, you cut rewrite time and avoid walking back errors.

Lesson learned: Reliability improves when the model is forced to show its work. Make it quote, tag, and reconcile claims against the original text before it “teaches.”

What you’ll need

• Paper excerpt (300–800 words) or abstract + one paragraph.
• Target student level and reading goal.
• 5–15 minutes to verify two numbers and one claim.

Copy-paste prompt — Evidence-Mapped Student Explainer

Read the excerpt below and convert it into a student-friendly brief for [student level]. Do not invent facts. Follow this format:

1) Evidence setup: Number each sentence of the excerpt as S1, S2, S3… Then list all numbers, units, and equations exactly as written under “Evidence list.”2) Explanation (180–220 words, short sentences): Include a one-sentence main idea and one simple analogy. Every sentence that makes a claim must include an evidence tag like [E:S3] or [E:Eq2] pointing to the source sentence or equation. If no evidence exists, tag [E:None] and mark it for review.3) Key terms: Define each technical term in one plain sentence.4) Quick check: List the two most important caveats or assumptions, with evidence tags.5) Quiz: Three multiple-choice questions with answers.6) Uncertain: List any unclear claims, quote the original sentence(s), and say what to verify.

Constraints: Keep reading level roughly [target grade or “college freshman”]. Preserve every number/equation exactly. Do not add new statistics. Do not claim causation unless the excerpt states it. Here is the excerpt: [PASTE_EXCERPT]

Variant for math-heavy papers — Equation Lock

Before writing the explanation, extract and relist all equations and numeric values verbatim. In the explanation, reuse variables and numbers exactly. Add a “Numeric check” at the end that restates each number and where it appears in your summary. If a number from the excerpt does not appear in your explanation, list it under “Omissions.”

Step-by-step (how to run this)

1. Pick one chunk (abstract or a single paragraph).
2. Paste it into the Evidence-Mapped prompt (or Equation Lock for math-heavy text).
3. Scan the output for [E:None] tags — these are potential hallucinations. Replace or delete them.
4. Open the paper. Verify two numbers and one key claim against the quoted S# sentences.
5. Ask the AI to simplify any sentence above your target reading level and keep the evidence tags.

What to expect

• A 180–220 word explainer with [E:S#] tags tied to specific sentences.
• Locked numbers/equations and a short quiz you can use immediately.
• A shortlist of unclear areas for fast manual checks.

Metrics that prove it’s working

• Accuracy: 0 numeric discrepancies in the “Numeric check.”
• Evidence coverage: ≥80% of explanation sentences carry valid [E:S#] tags.
• Readability: target grade level met (e.g., college freshman); reduce sentences >20 words.
• Edit time: under 10 minutes to classroom-ready.
• Learning: students score ≥70% on the included 3-question quiz.
• Uncertainty count: fewer than 3 [E:None] items per excerpt after iteration.

Mistakes and quick fixes

• Problem: The AI adds a new statistic via the analogy. Fix: Require [E:S#] on analogy claims or keep analogies qualitative only.
• Problem: Caveats disappear. Fix: Add “two caveats with tags” to the prompt (already included).
• Problem: Equations get paraphrased. Fix: Use the Equation Lock variant and compare the “Numeric check” line-by-line.
• Problem: Reading level still too high. Fix: “Rewrite to Grade 9 readability, keep all [E:S#] tags and numbers unchanged.”

1-week rollout plan

1. Day 1: Save the Evidence-Mapped prompt. Run it on one abstract. Record edits and issues.
2. Day 2: Apply the Equation Lock variant to a math-heavy paragraph. Verify three numbers.
3. Day 3: Build a mini rubric: accuracy, evidence coverage, readability, edit time. Share with your team.
4. Day 4: Generate explainers for three sections of the same paper. Ensure caveats are present with tags.
5. Day 5: Pilot in class. Use the quiz; note scores and any confusion.
6. Day 6: Tighten the prompt: add any recurring terms to “Key terms,” cap sentence length.
7. Day 7: Create a reusable template doc for future papers and a 10-minute verification checklist.

Insider tip: If you must compress a long paper, run each section separately, then ask the AI to produce a final “synthesis” that only combines claims that appear in at least two sections with [E:S#] tags from both. This reduces single-sentence overreach.

Your move.

[Author]

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