As there are many ethical issues surrounding generative AI, we ask all instructors to consider what level of AI-use is appropriate for their classroom. The level of acceptable use will vary by discipline, department, and instructor, but with the growing prevalence of AI-based tools, it is important to have clear policies in your syllabus or other course documents. This will make your expectations clearer to your students and provide them with valuable information about how to avoid academic integrity violations in your classroom.
The following are reflective questions to help you create your syllabus policy:
- When do I consider AI-use to be plagiarism in student writing? Creating a draft? Writing an outline? Summarizing sources? Finding sources? All or none of the above?
- Do I require AI-use to be cited or discussed in a "Methods" section?
- Can students use AI to enhance their work or the presentation of their work? Some examples could include using AI to make data graphics, companion images, or presentation slides.
- If I suspect a student is using AI in violation of my policies, how do I intend to prove it in a way that this equitable and fair to the student? What is the penalty for AI use? Please keep in mind that there are ethical questions about AI detectors as well, as many of these detectors are heavily biased against non-native English speakers.
- If I want to institute an all-encompassing AI ban in my courses, what are my pedagogical or ethical reasons for this? How will I articulate this reasoning to my students?
Still unsure on what to do? Try using the following checklists from Educational Technology:
