UH professor explores how AI-powered tutoring can help students study smarter and faculty teach more effectively.

by Caitlin Cloyd/ October 26, 2026

When it comes to studying, most of us have a few familiar strategies: rereading textbook chapters, highlighting important passages, reviewing lecture notes, or watching videos that explain difficult concepts. These activities may feel productive, but how much are we actually learning?

According to University of Houston professor Dr. Richard Willson, there's a better way to study—and artificial intelligence is making it easier than ever to put into practice.

In his presentation, AI Tutoring for Active Recall, Dr. Willson explores how generative AI tools such as ChatGPT and Google's Notebook can transform traditional study habits into more interactive, engaging learning experiences.

The Problem: Feeling Prepared Isn't the Same as Being Prepared

One of the biggest challenges students face is what researchers call the illusion of competence. When we repeatedly read or review familiar material, we may begin to recognize information without necessarily being able to recall or apply it independently.

Dr. Willson points to research showing that popular study strategies, including highlighting and rereading, are often less effective than students believe.

A more powerful approach is active recall: deliberately retrieving information from memory rather than simply reviewing it.

Instead of reading the answer to a question, imagine having to explain the concept without looking at your notes. What do you remember? Where do you get stuck? Can you apply what you've learned to a new problem?

That mental effort is where meaningful learning happens.

AI as a Study Partner, Not an Answer Machine

Traditionally, active recall has involved flashcards, practice quizzes, study groups, or having someone ask you questions. These methods work, but preparing materials or finding a study partner takes time.

This is where AI offers an exciting opportunity.

Imagine having a patient tutor available whenever you're ready to study. One that asks questions, evaluates your responses, explains misconceptions, and gradually increases the difficulty as your understanding improves.

Dr. Willson demonstrates how tools like Google Notebook can generate practice quizzes and flashcards from course materials, while ChatGPT can be prompted to act as an interactive tutor that guides students through a topic one question at a time.

Students at UH also have access to Google Gemini, which includes a dedicated learning experience designed to help students study more effectively. In Gemini's Students section, learners can explore several features that support active learning:

Quiz Yourself: Generate practice questions to test understanding and identify knowledge gaps.

Create Flashcards: Turn study topics into flashcards for reviewing and recalling important concepts.

Guided Learning: Work through concepts step by step with AI guidance that encourages understanding rather than simply providing answers.

Immersive Explorations: Explore concepts through interactive visual learning experiences.

Study Notebooks: Organize learning around specific topics, access customized lessons, and track progress.

These features make it easier to incorporate active recall into everyday studying without having to build every quiz or flashcard from scratch.

The key, regardless of which AI tool you choose, is changing how we interact with it. Rather than asking AI to solve a problem or summarize a chapter, we can ask it to challenge our understanding.

For example, students can try this prompt in ChatGPT or Gemini:

"Act as a tutor. Do not give me answers unless I attempt the question first. Ask me one question at a time about [topic]. After I answer, evaluate my response, correct it if needed, and explain briefly why. Increase difficulty gradually. If I'm wrong, help me understand my misconception. Continue until I say stop."

This simple shift turns AI from an answer generator into a tool for practicing and strengthening understanding.

What Does This Mean for Faculty?

The potential benefits extend beyond students preparing for exams.

Faculty can use AI to create opportunities for self-assessment, encourage students to engage more deeply with course content, and reinforce the importance of learning through practice rather than passive review.

Dr. Willson also introduces an intriguing possibility for instructors: using AI to improve their own teaching.

By explaining a concept to an AI assistant as though teaching it to a young learner, instructors can invite the tool to identify unclear explanations, hidden assumptions, or gaps in reasoning. This approach, inspired by the Feynman technique, offers another way to refine how complex ideas are communicated.

Of course, AI-generated questions and explanations aren't always accurate or useful. Dr. Willson emphasizes the importance of reviewing AI output, particularly when working with specialized subject matter. Providing trusted course materials as sources can help make AI-supported learning more reliable.

A Different Way to Think About AI in Education

As conversations about AI in higher education continue, much of the attention understandably focuses on academic integrity, overreliance, and whether students are using these tools to bypass learning.

Dr. Willson's presentation offers a different perspective: What if we intentionally used AI to make learning more demanding, rather than less?

When AI asks students to retrieve information, defend their reasoning, and confront what they don't yet understand, it can support the very cognitive effort that meaningful learning requires.

For students, the takeaway is simple: The next time you open an AI tool to study, try asking it to quiz you instead of giving you the answers.

For faculty, the opportunity is to help students discover how AI can support the learning process without replacing the thinking that makes learning possible.

Explore Dr. Willson's presentation, AI Tutoring for Active Recall, to see practical demonstrations, sample prompts, and ideas for bringing active recall into your own studying or teaching.