It is important that students know how they can and cannot use Generative AI tools in their academic work. Informing students about what is and is not permissible often comes in the form of academic integrity policies. This is Alliant’s policy on academic integrity and the use of AI that should be included in every course syllabus:
The University is committed to principles of scholastic honesty. Its members are expected to abide by ethical standards both in their conduct and in their exercise of responsibility towards other members of the community. Each student’s conduct is expected to be in accordance with the standards of the University. The complete Academic Code, which covers acts of misconduct including assistance during examination, fabrication of data, plagiarism, unauthorized collaboration, and assisting other students in acts of misconduct, among others, may be found in the University Catalog. An act of plagiarism (defined in the University catalog as “Any passing off of another’s ideas, words, or work as one’s own”) is considered to be a violation of the University’s Student Code of Conduct and Ethics: Academic and will be addressed using the Policies and Procedures outlined in the University’s Catalog. Assignments that include excerpts, all or in part, from generative artificial intelligence programs are considered plagiarized and are unacceptable. The instructor in this course reserves the right to use a computerized detection system (TurnItIn), or to review source document(s), to help identify potential plagiarism.
In addition, it has been recommended that instructors establish clear guidelines with students about what is allowed in their course and communicate them both in class and in the syllabus. This means formulating policies about AI use and being direct with students about what AI tools they are permitted to use and about the reasons for any restrictions. Some have suggested that students be included in formulating these policies. An effective approach is to explain rationale in terms of improved learning by doing one’s own work. Rather than focusing on integrity, honesty, and cheating, the emphasis should be on the benefits of originality and creativity and how work in the class will help attain personal and academic goals. It is also important to discuss with students what ChatGPT can and cannot do.
Ethan Mollick and Lilach Mollick of the Wharton School and Wharton Interactive at the University of Pennsylvania have created an AI policy for students and offered these suggestions for what should be included:
- Under what circumstances AI use is permitted or forbidden.
- How students should cite or credit AI.
- A warning about the technology’s tendency toward hallucination (i.e., deceptive data) and clear rules regarding students’ accountability for AI output.
- A notice about using AI ethically and responsibly.
- Discussion of the need to use AI as a tool to learn, not just to produce content.
Carleton’s Writing Across the Curriculum recommends the following steps in creating guidelines for the use of GIA technology:
- Learn about what current AI tools can do and the most common ways students are using AI in their writing.
- Consider what tasks are part of the learning objectives of the course, so you want students to do themselves, and what tasks are ancillary and they could reasonable do using AI. Ways students have reported using AI in their writing include
- Generating outlines or even whole essays, which the student then fills revises.
- Generating portions of an essay and then writing the rest themself.
- Revising and/or proofreading their drafts, either to eliminate grammar mistakes or to put their writing into a more appropriate voice.
- Brainstorming to help them consider possible topics or ways to focus their writing, without use any of the text generated.
- Set clear guidelines and explain the rationale for them; focus on learning and growth rather than transgressions and punishment. The policy should include information on
- The role the writing assignment serves in the course: what skills they will gain.
- How using AI might undermine their achieving these goals.
- What the limitation of AI tools are.
- What they should do if they have questions about using AI tool.
- Maintain an open dialogue with students and encourage them to come to you with questions about AI use in your course. Focus on the ways that AI tools can benefit or hinder their learning in your class.
Several other instructors and schools have also developed guidance or recommendations for syllabus statements regarding the use of ChatGPT. For example, The Center for Teaching & Assessment of Learning at the University of Delaware has developed four sample syllabus statements.
- “Use prohibited
Students are not allowed to use advanced automated tools (artificial intelligence or machine learning tools such as ChatGPT or Dall-E 2) on assignments in this course. Each student is expected to complete each assignment without substantive assistance from others, including automated tools.
- Use only with prior permission
Students are allowed to use advanced automated tools (artificial intelligence or machine learning tools such as ChatGPT or Dall-E 2) on assignments in this course if instructor permission is obtained in advance. Unless given permission to use those tools, each student is expected to complete each assignment without substantive assistance from others, including automated tools.
- Use only with acknowledgement
Students are allowed to use advanced automated tools (artificial intelligence or machine learning tools such as ChatGPT or Dall-E 2) on assignments in this course if that use is properly documented and credited. For example, text generated using ChatGPT-3 should include a citation such as: “Chat-GPT-3. (YYYY, Month DD of query). “Text of your query.” Generated using OpenAI. https://chat.openai.com/” Material generated using other tools should follow a similar citation convention.
- Use is freely permitted with no acknowledgement
Students are allowed to use advanced automated tools (artificial intelligence or machine learning tools such as ChatGPT or Dall-E 2) on assignments in this course; no special documentation or citation is required.” Advanced Automated Tools: Syllabus Language
Here are two examples of policies provided by Yale University Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning:
- “A policy prohibiting the use of ChatGPT for assignments in your course might read: Collaboration with ChatGPT or other AI composition software is not permitted in this course.
- If you’d rather consider students’ use of ChatGPT on a case-by-case basis, your policy might read: Please obtain permission from me before collaborating with peers or AI chatbots (like ChatGPT) on assignments for this course.” AI Guidance
These are two additional options from the Northern Illinois University Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning:
- Sample Statement Prohibiting Use Of AI-Generated Text
All written work submitted for this course must be completed by you, personally. Use of artificial intelligence (AI) to generate text is strictly prohibited. Submission of text generated by AI will be considered a violation of academic integrity, including AI-generated text that you have summarized or edited.
- Sample Statement Providing Parameters For Use Of AI-Generated Text
You are responsible for the content of any work submitted for this course. Use of artificial intelligence (AI) to generate a first draft of text is permitted, but you must review and revise any AI-generated text before submission. AI text generators can be useful tools but they are often prone to factual errors, incorrect or fabricated citations, and misinterpretations of abstract concepts. Utilize them with caution.” Chat GPT and Education
The Temple University Center for Advancement of Teaching provides an example of a statement that details acceptable and unacceptable Use of AI. It is appropriate for use when an instructor allows the use of AI tools for certain purposes, but not for others.
- “The use of generative AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Dall-e, etc.) is permitted in this course for the following activities:
- Brainstorming and refining your ideas
- Fine tuning your research questions
- Finding information on your topic
- Drafting an outline to organize your thoughts; and
- Checking grammar and style.
- The use of generative AI tools is not permitted in this course for the following activities:
- Impersonating you in classroom contexts, such as by using the tool to compose discussion board prompts assigned to you or content that you put into a Zoom chat.
- Completing group work that your group has assigned to you, unless it is mutually agreed upon that you may utilize the tool.
- Writing a draft of a writing assignment.
- Writing entire sentences, paragraphs or papers to complete class assignments.
- You are responsible for the information you submit based on an AI query (for instance, that it does not violate intellectual property laws, or contain misinformation or unethical content). Your use of AI tools must be properly documented and cited in order to stay within university policies on academic honesty. For example, [Insert citation style for your discipline. See these resources for APA guidance, and for other citation formats.]. Any assignment that is found to have used generative AI tools in unauthorized ways [insert the penalty here*]. When in doubt about permitted usage, please ask for clarification.”
The University of Illinois Center for Innovation in Teaching and Learning recommends that rather than having one AI use policy for a course, instructors might want to create different policies for each assignment and assessment to provide flexibility.
Sources
Carleton College AI Course Policies
University of Illinois/Urbana-Champaign Center for Innovation in Teaching & Learning Generative AI Implication in Teaching and Learning
University of Iowa Office of Teaching, Learning, and Technology Artificial Intelligence Tools and Teaching
Ohio University Center for Teaching, Learning, and Assessment Generative AI and Teaching and Learning
Yale University Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning AI Guidance
University of Pittsburgh University Center for Teaching and Learning Generative AI Resources for Faculty
Georgetown University Center for New Designs in Learning and Scholarship Teaching with Artificial Intelligence Tools
University of Texas/Austin Center for Teaching and Learning 5 Things to Know About ChatGPT
Mollick,E. & Mollick, L., Harvard Business Publishing: Education (2023) Why All Our Classes Suddenly Become AI Classes
Northeastern University Center for Advancing Teaching and Learning Through Research AI in Higher Ed: Teaching in an Era of ChatGPT and Other AI Tools
University of Delaware Center for Teaching and Assessment of Learning Considerations for Using and Addressing Advance Automated Tools
Temple University Center for Advancement of Teaching Sample Syllabus Statements for the Use of AI Tools
Resources
Guidance for Syllabus Statements About AI Use This resource from the Oregon State University Center of Teaching and Learning
provides guidance for syllabus statements about AI use with examples.
Syllabi Policies for AI Generative Tools For further information on wording of course policies, see this wide-ranging document compiled originally in January 2023 and updated regularly.
Additional Examples
University of Texas/Austin Center for Teaching and Learning ChatGPT and Generative AI Tools: Sample Syllabus Policy Statements
University of Wisconsin/Madison Teaching and Learning AI Statements for Course Syllabi
Northwestern University Education Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence in Courses
University of Maryland Teaching and Learning Transformation Center Artificial Intelligence (AI)