Generate Customized Study Flashcards with Artificial Intelligence

This project follows the Engineering Design Process. Confirm with your teacher if this is acceptable for your project, and review the steps before you begin.

Setting Up ChatGPT

1. You will need a ChatGPT account. If you do not have one, make one when prompted. You could also use a different LLM of your choice. 

Creating Flashcards with ChatGPT

1. Start a new chat in ChatGPT.
2. Choose your source material. You can copy and paste your notes, attach a PDF or document, or even attach a picture of handwritten notes! You can make flashcards from almost anything, such as:
   1. Class notes
   2. Lecture video transcripts
   3. Textbook sections
   4. Websites or online articles (use caution–online sources can be inaccurate or oversimplified)
3. Decide what kind of flashcards you want. Before you prompt ChatGPT, think about:
   1. How many cards you want
      1. Fewer cards → more general, big-picture concepts
      2. More cards → more detailed coverage
   2. Card format (pick one or mix multiple)
      1. Definition/vocabulary
      2. Short answer
      3. Fill-in-the-blank
      4. Multiple choice
   3. Card variety
      1. Concept questions, definitions, examples, comparisons, “why/how” questions, etc.
   4. Length and style
      1. Short questions + longer explanations, or quick Q/A for fast review
   5. Any other preferences (difficulty level, key terms to include, topics to avoid, etc.).
4. Decide how you want to save or export your cards. If you are making physical flashcards, you can ask ChatGPT to generate the questions and answers with no specific formatting–then simply copy them from the chat into your index cards. If you are using a flashcard app like Anki or Quizlet, you can ask ChatGPT to format the cards for quick import.
5. Write a clear, detailed prompt. The more specific you are, the more useful and customized your cards will be. For example:
   1. “Create 20 flashcards using the lecture transcript I uploaded. Make each question 1-2 sentences, and each answer 2-4 sentences. Focus mostly on conceptual understanding, but include a few definition and example cards. Keep the language slightly simpler than the transcript. Format the output as a ready-to-import Anki TSV file (one card per line, with the front and back separated by a tab).”

Improving the Flashcards

Once your cards are imported and you’ve tested a few, take a few minutes to make them better for learning–not just correct.

1. Once your cards are created, do a quick “test run” to find what needs fixing. Check the criteria you set for your flashcards back in step 3 of the Creating Flashcards with ChatGPT section.
   1. Study or preview 5-10 cards.
   2. Take notes on what went wrong (e.g., too wordy, too easy, unclear questions, missing examples, lots of duplicates, not enough conceptual questions, inaccurate info).
2. Update your prompt with specific fixes. Copy your original prompt and add a short “revision checklist” based on what you noticed. Common upgrades:
   1. Make cards clearer:
      1. “Rewrite any vague questions so the front is specific and unambiguous.”
      2. “Avoid pronouns like ‘it/this’--repeat the key term.”
   2. Make cards better for active recall:
      1. “Avoid yes/no questions.”
      2. “Use more why/how/compare questions rather than only definitions.”
   3. Control difficulty:
      1. “Make the questions slightly harder by asking for reasoning or application.”
      2. “Simplify the language.”
   4. Improve structure:
      1. “One concept per card. Split multi-part cards into separate cards.”
      2. “Use bullet points for lists on the back.”
   5. Improve coverage:
      1. “Include 60% concept/why/how, 25% definitions, 15% examples.”
      2. “Make sure you cover these topics: ___, ___, ___.”
   6. Reduce redundancy:
      1. “Do not repeat the same fact on multiple cards. Each card should test something distinct.”
   7. Add examples (without making answers too long):
      1. “Include one short real-world example in the answer when helpful (1 sentence max).”
3. Regenerate and re-import (replace the old deck).
   1. Ask ChatGPT to make the needed changes and create new flashcards.
   2. Preview a few cards again to confirm improvements.
4. Continue with steps 1-3 until your flashcards meet all of your criteria. Below is an example table you can use to keep track of the changes you made to your flashcards:
   
   Swipe left to see more

   Table 1. Example data table. You can add more rows to the table for additional revisions. 

   Generation	Prompt	Notes
   V1	Create 20 flashcards using the lecture transcript I uploaded.	The flashcards were too wordy.
   V2	Remake the flashcards to be more concise.	More flashcards with specific examples from class would be helpful.
   ...	...	...