"AI, or Artificial Intelligence, refers to the development of computer systems that can perform tasks typically requiring human intelligence. These tasks include learning from data, recognizing patterns, making decisions, and solving problems without direct human intervention. For college students, AI may offer tools and applications to enhance learning, support research, and streamline various academic processes" (ChatGPT, 2023).

There are many different AI platforms out there to help you, however use them cautiously and with integrity. Although we are still in the early stages of understanding the use of AI, it is already clear that by itself, it is not a substitute for learning but it can be a useful tool if used ethically. 

In my class, any ideas or content used in your assignments that is derived from AI must be clearly cited and include an AI disclosure statement. 

The answer to this question is complicated; let me explain. 

Writing For You
(definite no-no)

An important part of learning is developing your own way of communicating and sharing ideas—writing should be a reflection of your thoughts and ideas in your own voice. Your grade on all assignments are expected to be your own voice.

As a result I do not want you to put your ideas into an AI tool and ask it to write your assignments. All of the assignments in my class are designed to engage you with thinking about, relating to, and applying what you are learning. I do not want “polished” or “perfect” work - I want you to be authentic.

• Do not use Grammarly or any AI tool to put your ideas together.

• Please refer to my copy-and-paste guidance (below).

Cut-and-Paste
(mostly a no-no)

Anytime that you cut-and-paste from another source, that information MUST be quoted and cited; this also holds true for AI generated work. Please refer to my citation policy for more information about how to do that. 

• Up to 15% of any assignment can be quoted word-for-word and cited, regardless of the author/source. Anything in excess of 15% will be considered academic dishonesty.

Generate Ideas
(okay in moderation)

I am fine with students using AI to help generate ideas to guide them through an assignment; of course I am also available to help and by using me, you don't run the risk of violating academic integrity like you do when using AI. Using AI to help generate ideas is perfectly fine so long as the ideas are driven by you, not AI, and they are cited appropriately (see citation policy). 

In my class learning should be authentic, original, and creative, while focusing on critical thinking and problem solving (ChatGPT, 2023) - using AI to help guide your work is acceptable so long as you are building upon those ideas. Below is what ChatGPT produced from my query, where you can see how it was used to guide what was written in this paragraph:

"Let's keep things authentic and original in our assignments – please avoid using AI. Show off your own creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills. It's all about personal growth and learning together. Let's ace this journey with our unique efforts!"

You can see that I cited the ChatGPT core ideas that connected to my own values and were used in this policy, but wrote about them in my own, original way. This is an acceptable way to ethically use AI in assignments:

• I picked the ideas that resonated with me and wrote them in my own words to generate my own meaning.

Getting Feedback
(always okay)

If you are going to use AI, the most appropriate way to use it and maintain academic integrity, is to ask it for feedback on what you’ve written. For example, you might ask it to:

• Review this and give me 2 suggestions to improve clarity and tell me one thing I did well.

• Tell me if there is a concept I wrote about that is inaccurate.

• Review my assignment instructions and let me know if I forgot to answer a question.

• Identify a concept or idea that needs more explanation.

Then, you can implement the suggestions from AI by writing in your own voice. You will still need to include an AI Statement, explaining how you used it, but will have done so ethically.

Once again, the answer to this question is not so easy for me to answer because I am still undecided. If you use it ethically and in accordance with my academic integrity policies, then I think it is a fine tool to use that can facilitate your learning. However, if you use it as a simple cut-and-paste, then that is a definite "no-no." 

If you are ever unsure, the best thing is to check in with me!

If you use AI for any aspect of your assignment, including to help you generate ideas, you are required to cite any AI content used, but also to include an AI disclosure statement. Your disclosure statement should be at the top of your assignment and include:

• the AI tool(s)

• the query phrase

• 1-3 sentences about how you used AI in your assignment

My AI disclosure statement example, which you are free to use as a template for your own:

I asked ChatGPT to "write a student friendly policy that discourages the use of AI in assignments" to get some ideas first, and then created my policies around some of the core ideas generated by ChatGPT. Anything that was created by ChatGPT will be cited.

If you need help or have any questions about using AI in my class, please reach out to me and I will be happy to help you navigate this new world! 

Helpful Resources

• APA Citations for Content Generated by Artificial Intelligence, Normandale Community College

• AI, ChatGPT, and the Library, Salt Lake City Community College