Use ChatGPT effectively
Whether you are a UCSF faculty member who wants higher-yield assessment questions, a staff member who needs better PowerPoint slides, or a student struggling with a tough course reader chapter, this guide will show you how to use UCSF ChatGPT Enterprise (ChatGPT) to think, search, and write so you can teach, work, and learn more effectively.
What is ChatGPT?
ChatGPT is UCSF’s private and secure generative AI platform. Your ChatGPT chats self-delete after 90 days. It is approved for use with UCSF internal, sensitive, and restricted P2-P4 data, including data protected by HIPAA and FERPA, when used in accordance with UCSF policies.
ChatGPT is provided in collaboration with OpenAI, but your chats and data will not be accessed or used by OpenAI or UCSF. Some features, including image generation, Deep Research, and Voice mode, have periodic usage limits. Like all generative AI tools, ChatGPT can be biased or convincingly inaccurate, so always verify outputs before using them.
How do I get started with ChatGPT?
Visit IT's ChatGPT Enterprise page to request access and complete the required SPARK training course. See the ChatGPT Enterprise FAQs (MyAccess required) and TEE's list of UCSF AI resources for more info about ChatGPT. For support, you can email [email protected] or use IT's ChatGPT Enterprise Support GPT (UCSF ChatGPT login required).
How do I use ChatGPT effectively?
ChatGPT can help you think, search, and write:
1. Think
Use ChatGPT as a thought partner to brainstorm, organize, evaluate, and refine ideas.
Example: A faculty member designing an assessment can use ChatGPT to clarify learning objectives, identify the knowledge and skills learners should demonstrate, determine the appropriate level of cognitive complexity, anticipate common learner misconceptions, and develop an assessment strategy before drafting assessment questions. This helps faculty gather the information and examples needed to support question development.
2. Search
Use ChatGPT to find, synthesize, and explain information by asking follow-up questions, requesting summaries, and receiving tailored responses.
Example: Once an assessment strategy is defined, a faculty member can ask ChatGPT to identify examples of effective assessment questions, summarize current evidence and clinical guidelines, explain key concepts, and describe how similar topics are assessed in other educational settings. These insights can inform the development of assessment questions and supporting materials that align with learning objectives.
3. Write
Use ChatGPT to draft, revise, summarize, and edit text, or transform online or uploaded content into new materials.
Example: Using the assessment information gathered during the search process, a faculty member can ask ChatGPT to draft multiple-choice questions, short-answer questions, clinical vignettes, answer explanations, or scoring rubrics. ChatGPT can also generate plausible distractors and suggest revisions to improve clarity, difficulty, and alignment with learning objectives. The resulting assessment can then be reviewed, tested, and refined with ChatGPT to improve its clarity, accuracy, and educational quality.
Last revised September 3, 2026
