Val is RMIT’s generative artificial intelligence virtual learning assistant– powered by OpenAI’s GPT-4o. Val is private, secure and free for RMIT Vietnam students to use.
Launch Val
Access Val using your RMIT email and password.
Meet Val – RMIT’s AI virtual learning assistant
Val is a generative AI tool which interacts with you in a conversational way, just like ChatGPT. Within a chat-style interface, you can ask Val questions and provide instructions (called “prompts”), and Val will respond.
Val can help you with your study and learning, planning and editing resumes or cover letters, drafting emails, summarising text and much more.
Val is powered by GPT-4.1, GPT-4o & o3-mini, the same large language modal used by ChatGPT Plus, ChatGPT’s paid subscription service. This means Val is more powerful and provides more accurate answers than the free version of ChatGPT.
Access to GPT-4.1 costs USD$20 per month via ChatGPT's paid subscription service, whereas Val is free for RMIT students to use!
Any data you share with Val is also kept private, secure and confidential – it’s not shared with OpenAI, or any other external organisations outside RMIT.
Using Val
Val can help you with various tasks, for instance:
- support in your studies and learning,
- planning and editing resumes or cover letters,
- drafting emails,
- summarising text,
- and much more
Your course guides will provide guidance on how you can use Val or other AI tools in your learning, including whether or not it’s appropriate to use AI tools in your assessments. If you’re unsure, ask your teacher. All uses of Val should be in accordance with RMIT policies and academic integrity requirements. See the FAQs below for more information.
Besides Val, RMIT students can leverage other AI tools to assist their learning and assessment. You should consult with your lecturers first if you are unsure about the usage of AI tools.
Other tools that are accessible for RMIT students:
You can also seek academic support from RMIT.
Frequently asked questions
- Image generation – Val can create images, diagrams and graphs based off prompts
- Image recognition – Val can understand images you upload as part of a conversation
- Personas – Personas are tailored versions of Val, with different behaviour, knowledge and capabilities:
- Imagino is a role-play persona you can use to act out a scenario
- Quizzical creates quizzes on a topic
- EssayMate provides essay feedback
- Polichat can help you search and understand RMIT's policies
- Prompto can give you feedback on improving an AI prompt
- Franklin helps explore problems deeply, sparking curiosity and critical thinking
- Support to upload over 250 different document types – including PDF, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Markdown and many more. You can upload an article or study and have Val summarise it, or upload your assignment and the rubric and ask Val to tell you if there’s parts of the rubric you haven’t addressed
- Run generated code directly in your browser
- Dark mode – Eyes tired? Val now has dark mode
- Install Val as an app on your iPhone, Android, Mac or Windows device
- Create Your Own Private Persona: Head to My Studio to personalise Val to fit exactly what you need
- New Message Features: Use the Features function when drafting your message to compare different Personas and access curated, high-quality prompts to improve responses
Val functions like ChatGPT. You can ask Val questions and provide instructions (called “prompts”), and Val will respond.
Here’s some examples of things Val can help you with:
- Summarise documents and information – upload documents and ask Val to summarise the information or quiz you on the information you provided. You can upload large documents in multiple formats, including PDF, Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Markdown and more
- Provide feedback on your writing – upload your writing as a document or copy/paste it straight into Val
- Generate images, diagrams and graphs based off prompts – these can be use in presentations, assessments and more
- Upload and converse with Val about images, diagrams and more
- Personas – Personas are tailored versions of Val, with different behaviour, knowledge, and capabilities. Val can act as a Socratic tutor, help you understand maths, roleplay a scenario, quiz you on your study notes and more
- Use Val to help you explore ideas related to a particular topic or create a basic structure for an assignment
- Use Val when applying for jobs – Val can help you plan and edit cover letters or responses to selection criteria
- Ask Val to help you draft a social media campaign, including hashtags, then use Adobe software (available free to students via RMIT Adobe Creative Campus) to make it a reality
- Need to learn to program? Ask Val to write some code for you, or provide feedback on code you’ve written, in Java, Python, Matlab, SQL, and many more languages
- Tell Val what ingredients you have in your house and ask it for suggested recipes
For detailed information on how Val can be used in your studies, see the self-paced Generative AI for students at RMIT module. It's packed with tips and examples to help you use AI effectively.
To upload images, files or documents to Val:
- Click the + icon next to the text input box
- Click Upload files to upload the file from your device
Val can generate images, diagrams and graphs based on prompts.
To generate an image:
- Write your prompt in Val – include instruction like "Make me an image of..."
- Wait for Val to respond. Val might generate code or simplified representations, this can be ignored
- Under Val's response, click the Generate Image icon (see below)
- Wait a moment, then scroll back up to the top of Val's response and the generated image should appear
To generate a diagram or graph:
- Write your prompt in Val asking for it to create a diagram – include instruction like "Make me an diagram..."
- Your diagram or graph should be generated automatically, but, if you receive an error message, click the Regenerate icon under Val's response
- Wait a moment and your generated diagram/graph should appear
Personas are tailored versions of Val, with different behaviour, knowledge and capabilities. Personas are useful for specific tasks, for example:
- Imagino is a role-play persona you can use to act out a scenario
- Quizzical creates quizzes on a topic
- EssayMate provides essay feedback
- Polichat can help you search and understand RMIT's policies
- Prompto can give you feedback on improving an AI prompt
- Franklin helps explore problems deeply, sparking curiosity and critical thinking
How to use the Franklin persona
Franklin aims to help staff and students to think critically and gain deeper perspectives by guiding conversations on related topics and issues. When Franklin is asked a question, it first provides a context followed by 10 considerations for further discussion.
Users can ask Franklin to expand on any of the considerations put forward or to provide greater context. Example questions include:
- Why is a human-centered approach crucial in design thinking, and how does it impact the outcome of the design process?
- What are the primary factors driving migration and the global refugee crisis?
- How does access to healthcare intersect with issues of inequality and poverty?
- How might access to quality education be a transformative factor in reducing poverty and promoting social mobility?
- How can promoting a cultural shift towards public transportation improve the perception and usage of train services?
Ample data is available in Val to explore a wide range of topics.
New personas will be added to Val over time.
To view the currently available personas:
- Click Personas in the lefthand side menu, or click the dropdown arrow next to Val
- A dropdown menu with all personas will appear
To turn dark mode on and off:
1. In the Val interface, click on your profile icon in the top righthand corner of the screen, then click Settings
2. Under General – WebUI Settings you will see Theme. Next to Theme, click the dropdown menu that says System
3. Select your preferred setting between Dark, OLED Dark or Light
4. Click Save
You can install Val as an app on your desktop or mobile device.
The exact process for installing Val depends on your device and browser. Because Val is a PWA (Progressive Web App), Val can give your tailored instructions. Just log in to Val and ask “How do I install a PWA?” then Val will tell you how to install Val as an app!
To access Val:
- To access Val, you click the “Launch Val” button at the top of this page. You will need to log in with your RMIT email address and password.
- To start a conversation, simply interact with Val in the same way you would with any other chat application: Add a query such as a question, wait for Val to respond and then continue the conversation in a back-and-forth style.
- To close the conversation, just close the browser tab.
- To start a new conversation, press the ‘Start a new chat’ button (plus icon) or come back to this page and click the “Launch Val” button again.
- To see your previous conversation with Val, you should access Val and click on the button “Show chat history” at the top right corner of Val.
When writing a prompt, be specific and provide appropriate context and details. You can do this either in a single message or as a series of messages.
A well-structured prompt will more likely result in a more suitable result from Val. If the answer isn’t right, refine your prompt with more information, such as the purpose or goal to be achieved, the role you want Val to take, any constraints or limitations, the format of the response or even examples.
Example tasks and prompts
| Task | Example prompt |
|---|---|
Improve your writingAcademic writing can be tricky, especially if English isn’t your first language. Val can help make your writing better. |
Please give me feedback on this writing sample: [copy/paste text you want feedback on]. |
Kick start your assignmentSometimes starting with a blank page can be a bit challenging. Val can help you to bring out your own ideas and create a basic structure for your assignment. |
Act as an expert writing tutor. I need to write an analysis of how management type impacts employee satisfaction. Ask me questions to help me write something insightful. Ask one question at a time, wait for my response, and ask me the next question. After I have answered your questions, produce a potential structure for an analytical report for me. |
Generate questions to help you studyUse Val to produce questions to review and reinforce learning, assess your knowledge and help prepare for upcoming assessments. |
You are a university tutor, and I am a student, and we are revising for a test on theories in developmental psychology as part of a first year psychology degree. Please provide me with a series of multiple-choice questions and respond to my answers to let me know if I am correct or incorrect. |
Suggest counterargumentsAsk Val to suggest counterarguments for a topic or compare two concepts/theories. |
You are a law expert. List opposing viewpoints of strict and absolute liability and provide thorough reasoning. Include multiple viewpoints. |
For more tips and examples, see the self-paced Generative AI for students at RMIT module.
Follow the guidance provided in your course guide and any specific assessment instructions to know whether Val or other generative AI tools are appropriate to use in an assessment.
Your teachers may advise you that:
- no generative AI tools can be used (this includes Val).
- only specific AI tools like Val or Adobe Firefly are allowed.
- AI tools can be used for certain parts of the assessment.
- AI tools can be used if you follow RMIT policies and academic integrity requirements.
Always be transparent about using AI and properly reference it according to the RMIT Library AI referencing guidelines.
Transparency, trustworthiness, and honesty are fundamental principles of academic integrity at RMIT, and around the world.
Spell check is already a feature in many writing tools, like Microsoft Word and Grammarly, but Val can still provide additional support by helping you with suggestions on grammar and tone.
Please note, that while Val is configured to use Australian English, it may sometimes respond in US English.
No, Val cannot reliably generate true references. Use the RMIT Library referencing guides and tools or ask for support at RMIT Library for accurate citations with the style you require.
For detailed information on how to cite and reference content generated by Val or other generative AI tools, refer to the RMIT Artificial Intelligence Referencing Guidelines.
No, Val does not have access to Canvas or any RMIT Library databases.
No, you should employ critical thinking to evaluate all the outputs that you receive from Val. All generative AI chatbots, including Val, may provide incorrect, biased and inappropriate content. As such, it is important to validate the information that you receive for factual accuracy against additional sources.
Val is powered by GPT-4.1, GPT-4o & o3-mini, a large language model pre-trained by OpenAI – it has been trained on publicly available internet data only, reflecting the predominant biases, prejudices, and misconceptions of the web’s human authors.
You should not rely on Val’s responses, especially for medical, financial, legal or any other professional advice.
If you encounter a hateful or inappropriate response while using Val, you can report it by selecting the ‘Feedback' button at the top right corner of the Val chat interface.
RMIT’s academic integrity page provides further information about appropriate use of generative AI, such as Val.
No, Val was trained on internet data up to October 2023. Val doesn't have access to internet data after October 2023. You should always validate the information that you receive from Val for factual accuracy against additional sources.
Do not share personal, sensitive, or health information. Avoid details like names, ID numbers, and contact information.
RMIT is collecting information from interactions with Val, including inputs (“prompts”) and Val’s responses.
This information is being collected to:
- understand how Val is being used by students and staff
- ensure Val is operating as expected and responding appropriately to prompts
- inform new features and enhancements to satisfy student and staff use.
This data is de-identified and stored securely for six months. Only a few authorised RMIT staff can access this data, this excludes educators and operational staff. Your personal information is not shared with external organisations.
The only people who can see user’s inputs and Val’s responses are a small number of authorised RMIT staff members. Educators (teachers, lecturers, etc) and other students cannot see any inputs or responses.
Recorded information is de-identified and does not include student or staff IDs. It is not shared with any external organisations.
No, Val does not use your data to learn or train. Your inputs are used only to respond to your prompts within your chat.
Val is a free, secure and private option for RMIT students looking to use a text-based generative AI tool. By using Val, you save money while protecting the information you provide from being shared with third parties.
Using Val instead of public tools, even those where you pay a fee, guarantees that no one can use the information you provide. Many generative AI tools use the data provided by you to train their tool or share it with third parties. Your data is valuable and may include your intellectual property. Additionally, if you use other AI tools for assessment work there is a risk it could be sold and used for misconduct, negatively impacting you.
Val is powered by OpenAI’s GPT-4.1, GPT-4o & o3-mini large language model, so it has all the same functionality as GPT-4.1, GPT-4o & o3-mini. Val has the added bonus of being private and secure, your data won’t be shared with OpenAI or other third parties. And Val is free for RMIT students to use.
If you experience technical issues accessing or using Val, please contact IT Support for assistance or to report the problem.
You can leave feedback or make suggestions via the ‘Feedback’ button at the top right corner of the Val chat interface. You can also contact IT Support for assistance.
Val stands for "Virtual Assistant for Learning." It's named this way because it helps RMIT students with their studies and daily tasks.
Key RMIT policies governing use of Val
Use of Val must comply with the Val- Terms of Use (PDF, 4p, 287KB) and RMIT Acceptable Use Standard – Information Technology.
Student use of Val is governed by the Student Conduct Policy and Academic Integrity Policy. Use of Val by researchers is governed by the Research Policy.
Personal data is handled according to the RMIT Privacy Statement.
For any questions or concerns, please contact aiquestions@rmit.edu.au.
Need help?
- If you’re having technical issues accessing Val, contact IT Support for assistance.
- For detailed information on how to use Val effectively and appropriately in your studies, check the Generative AI for students at RMIT module.
- For information on how to reference or cite Val, see the RMIT Library AI referencing guidelines.
- The key RMIT policies that relate to student and staff use of Val are: