You've identified possible misuse of GenAI on one of your assessments using our provided checklist of typical evidence. Review this checklist and the documentation once again before proceeding with addressing the suspected misuse.
focus on the learning
This conversation is not about being a detective or investigator. Instead, be curious to determine if the student learned and/or demonstrated the learning in the intended ways. It could be that the student's explanation convinces you that GenAI misuse did NOT occur. It could be that the conversation makes you realize that your GenAI & AI Policy isn't sufficiently clear to prevent inadvertent misuse. It could be that you are able to educate the student on appropriate and inappropriate ways of using GenAI in future assessments. Or, it could be that you realize that your GenAI & AI Policy doesn't line up with your assessment conditions/instructions (e.g., it's ineffective to restrict use of GenAI on a remote test that also allows for open notes/resources). All of those are as equally as possible as confirming that the student did, indeed, misuse GenAI.
demonstrate empathy
the majority of students are not setting out to use GenAI to cheat their assessments. Some are, to be sure, but most students are simply either making bad decisions under stress and pressure OR they are confused because GenAI is so ubiquitous now and has some legitimate uses that it's difficult for them to see the line between cheating and integrity. Have some compassion for the lack of surety many of us are feeling in the age of AI and some understanding that 17-21 year olds (the majority of our student population) are simply going to do some things that they will regret. So, even if you determine there was GenAI misuse, treat the student as you would your own child - let them know that you understand and that there are still consequences for the violation, hopefully to help them learn from the experience.
be fair
Not all students are equal in their ability to orally communicate their learning or their processes. While the conversation can be helpful, it may not answer all of your questions. So, document the conversation and be prepared to submit your notes if you decide you have to report a violation. Also, don't violate your own policy or your institution's policy by letting a charming, well-spoken student convince you to ignore the evidence or the situation. You should treat all students the same if they violate academic integrity. Following policies is the best way to be fair to all students.
be supportive
If this isn't the last assessment in the course, talk to the student about how they can succeed with integrity for the rest of the course. Diagnose where they're struggling with the learning, and provide them with resources to get over that hurdle. If the student expresses other types of struggles (e.g., mental, physical, sleep, food or housing insecurities), get in touch with the student's dean of student affairs (or let AIO know) and refer the student to appropriate campus resources (e.g., CAPS).
There can be two reasons why you want to talk to a student about suspected GenAI misuse:
to confirm if your suspicions are valid; OR
to conduct an Instructor-Student Resolution Meeting
Option #1
You are concerned that a student may have misused GenAI on an assessment in a way that hindered, rather than amplified, their learning OR in a way that mispresents their knowledge or skills. However, you're not sure and you think a conversation with the student about their assessment will help you decide.
Invite the student in for a conversation to discuss the assessment in question using the following email template:
Dear [Student Name] -
I would like to talk to you about your [NAME OF ASSESSMENT(S)] submitted on [DATE]. I have some questions about your process, as well as about the content of the assignment/test. Please schedule a meeting with me [METHOD] so we can discuss this prior to [DEADLINE]. The grade on your assignment/test will remain undetermined until then.
Option #2
You are more than 50% sure that GenAI was misused, but you want to talk to the student and attempt to resolve it with an Instructor-Student Resolution Meeting.
Dear [STUDENT NAME]:
I am emailing to notify you that I am concerned that you may have misused GenAI (e.g., ChatGPT, Grammarly) on [NAME OF THE ASSESSMENT(S)] submitted on [DATE]. If this did occur, I am professionally and ethically obligated to file a report to the Academic Integrity Office. However, before I do that, I would like to first meet with you. You can schedule that meeting here [METHOD]. I'd like us to meet before [DEADLINE]. The grade on your assignment/test will remain undetermined until this situation is resolved. If you are enrolled in the course this quarter, you may not drop this class; should you attempt to do so, you will be automatically re-enrolled. Before our meeting, I encourage you to familiarize yourself with academic integrity and the process for resolving this matter by visiting http://academicintegrity.ucsd.edu and reading the Academic Integrity Policy. If you still have questions afterwards, or you would simply like to talk to someone about the process before we meet, I encourage you to make an appointment to speak with a Peer Advisor in the Academic Integrity Office. I look forward to speaking with you soon.
Regardless of whether you've chosen Option #1 or #2 for the type of conversation, we suggest that you structure the conversation something like the following.
share with the student your concerns, using your checklist as your guide. For example, "I am concerned because the paper you submitted doesn't address the prompt and fails to refer to course readings. In addition, two of the sources you provide seem not to exist."
then ask "what would you like to tell me about this paper?"
The conversation can take three turns at this point:
The student could admit that they used GenAI and express understanding that they shouldn't have
The student could admit that they used GenAI, but express a belief that they used it appropriately.
The student could deny using GenAI or just not mention it at all
if the student readily admits to using GenAI in an inappropriate way (i.e., your syllabus was clear on "no GenAI use" or they used it to complete their assignment/test for them, then let them explain to you why they did it and talk to them about strategies for going forward in your class on future assessments. You can then also proceed with an Instructor-Student Resolution, telling them that you'll be emailing them a completed form and a request for their acceptance of responsibility in writing.
if the student readily admits to using GenAI but they think they did so in an appropriate manner, you might want to hear them out and explore it further. This happens most frequently with papers/assignments rather than with tests/exams. The most common uses of GenAI that the AI Office has heard include:
improve my writing, make it sound more academic or more professional
brainstorm ideas before I started the paper
summarize the texts I was supposed to have read (similar to using cliff or sparks notes)
conduct research, instead of using google/google scholar
give me feedback on my ideas and suggest ways that I could expand on them
study for the test and then used that information as part of the "open books/notes" policy for the exam
if the student admits or denies GenAI use, you may want to probe a bit. Some questions that the AI Office has found helpful in these conversations include:
okay, let's back up to the beginning. Tell me about your process for completing this assessment.
what tools or other assistance (e.g., tutors, friends) did you use?
how did you use those tools?
on what platform did you complete the assessment?
are you willing to share your version history with me?
if you used GenAI, are you willing to share your chat history with me?
[and then questions on your specific concerns, e.g., "how did you come up with the name of an article that doesn't exist?", "why did you choose X instead of Y?", "why did you use this outside source instead of course sources?"]
just to clarify, did you use a GenAI tool to produce any of this content? (If yes, please share the output from the tool so we can see your process & the changes you made)
Once you've had the conversation with the student, you need to decide if you are going to report it as a violation or not.
The conversation may have convinced you that the student did not violate academic integrity. Or, maybe it didn't convince you, but you're left with sufficient doubt. In the case of academic integrity violations, the standard for deciding is "more likely than not" or "preponderance of the evidence". So, if, after the conversation, you're unsure, then err on the side of not reporting the student and grade the assessment according to the rubric. However, if after the conversation you are at least 50% confident that an integrity violation occurred, you should report it according to your University's procedures. (At UC San Diego, follow these procedures).
Remember - the results of so-called "AI detectors" do not sufficient evidence make! Those freely available detectors available online are notoriously bad at doing what they promise to do. Also, we advise against running student work through detectors that have not been vetted and approved for use within your institution; you may be violating privacy or other laws/regulations.