From Heck No to Heck Yes: Creating your AI Policy

By Tim Whiting

The wheel.  Electricity.  The printing press.  The automobile.  The internet.  And now AI.  All have impacted not only the world they were in, but future generations.  We are currently in the beginning stages of the impact of AI, and, more importantly, our students will be impacted by AI for years to come.  It has and will continue to affect academia so we will need to be prepare, and that starts with an AI policy for our courses.

Why an AI policy for your course? 

We will start with “the numbers.”  As of 2024, 99% of U.S. colleges surveyed agreed that AI will be central to their competitiveness in the coming years, 86% of students report using AI in their studies, 58%  of college students feel that they lack AI literacy, and 79% of company leaders believe that adopting AI is necessary to remain competitive.  In short, companies want it, students use it, and higher education needs to respond to it.  As an instructor in higher education, if you do not discuss it, talk about it, and lay out your expectations for it, then you do not have a leg to stand on when students use it outside of the realm that you feel it should be used in.   

A policy needs to be laid out, and it needs to be unique to and tied to your course content and area of study.  “...a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to AI adoption is inadequate for educational institutions, whose missions and values differ significantly” (Montagino, 2025). As the age of AI develops, we are in a world of constant change, and each discipline and industry is different and unique.  As faculty and instructors, you are on the front lines with students, and you are their bridge to the “real world.”  You know what they will need to know and how they will use AI in the future.  You can guide students in this transition and establish this with your AI policy. 

Questions to Consider 

Before developing an AI policy, consider the following: 

• How do I use AI? 

• What conversations do I have regarding AI? 

• How is AI viewed at my campus? 

• Is there a university policy in place?  Is there a uniform policy for my school/department? 

• How is AI viewed/used in my discipline’s industry? 

• How do I expect to use AI in my course? 

• How do I expect my students to use AI in my course? (good or bad) 

Reflecting on these questions will help you think about the needs of your policy and how it could guide your students. 

University Policy 

Most universities have created a general policy guiding the overall use of AI by students, faculty, and staff.  Similarly, most universities have established that instructors develop their own policy (in line with the university) for their own course.  The instructor knows how AI is used within the discipline and, therefore, should develop their policy to mirror that.  This is the case at Texas Wesleyan University.   Contact your school dean or team lead for directions on where to find the university policy.  The Texas Wesleyan AI policy includes: 

• Ethical guidelines for AI use 

• Acceptable use cases for students 

• Non-acceptable use cases for students 

• Acceptable use cases for faculty 

• Non-acceptable use cases for faculty 

• Potential benefits and risks of AI 

• Privacy and data protection 

• Compliance with laws and regulations 

• Procedures for addressing violations 

• Role of Provost’s Council 

• Importance of responsible AI usage 

An overview of the Texas Wesleyan University AI policy can be found here. 

A Resource for You 

Texas Wesleyan University has created a resource for its faculty and instructors, Enhancing Education Through Artificial Intelligence: A Faculty Guide, which guides faculty through the benefits of incorporating AI, pitfalls to be aware of, steps to take in creating an AI policy, and tools to implementing AI in your courses.  The following information is based on the faculty guide.  For access to this resource, contact CETL at cetl@txwes.edu. 

Policy Types 

When developing your AI policy, revert back to the section Questions to Consider and determine the level of acceptance that works best for the specific course.  We will present three levels of acceptance for an AI policy: 

Prohibited: AI use is not allowed for any assignments or class activities.  This is your red light.  Stop before you get to the crosswalk and do not move forward unless directed to (even then, proceed with caution).   

Limited: AI is permitted in specific ways, with clear boundaries and rationale.  Consider this your yellow light.  Yeah, you can proceed but make sure that you do it with caution, and that you know why you are using AI.  At this level, the instructor clearly spells out how and why students can use AI, including explanations and examples with each assignment and activity.  Although this gives some free range to students, for this to be successful, the instructor needs to actively provide guidance.  

Integrated: AI use is openly encouraged and integrated into learning tasks and assessments.  The light is green.  Students make the choice of how to use AI and at what speed, yet they are still cautious because they know the repercussions of obvious misuse.  

 Student Disclosure Types 

Since work generated with the assistance of AI is not the student’s original work, acknowledgement of the source needs to be made.  Depending on the level of use determines how the student will disclose the use.  A research paper will be cited differently than a discussion board assignment.  This should be made clear to students within the policy. 

Citation:  Similarly to how a student will quote a peer review article, a student will quote AI.  Example: 

OpenAI. (2024). ChatGPT (April 10 version) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com [brainstorming & grammar] 

This article guides students on how to cite AI sources.  Provide this article to students directly. How to cite ChatGPT 

Use Statement:  Students could provide a brief statement at the end of an assignment, noting how AI was used, and which tool was used. 

“I used ChatGPT to generate an outline and brainstorm counterarguments. All final writing and analysis are my own.” 

Comments: Students could enter a short disclosure via a comment when submitting work through Canvas LMS.  This is a more informal approach.   

How do I go about writing my AI policy? 

Our friends at Merriam-Webster's defines a policy as “a writing whereby a contract of insurance is made” (Merriam-Webster, n.d.).  Therefore, one can conclude that stating in a syllabus “AI will not be tolerated” does not constitute a “policy.”  A policy should “clearly tell the audience why it exists, who it affects, major conditions and restrictions, when and under what circumstances it applies, and how it should be executed” (Policy Manual, 2024).  The following is a structure of an outline to help guide you. 

• Policy Overview: What are the basic ideas behind the policy?  How will this policy help guide the students? 

• Tool Permissions: What are acceptable uses of AI in your course?  What are some examples of specific tools and what are the ways that students can use them?  On the flip side, what are unacceptable uses of AI in your course? 

• Citation and Disclosure: What are your expectations for students when disclosing that they used AI in this course?  Include specifics (including using APA format) and provide examples.  Remember that students should disclose AI use in any situation, from papers and projects to assignments and discussions.   

• Rationale: Why does this policy exist and why does it exist in the way it does?  Include specifics related to the course content and real-world application.  If students can see the why, they are more likely to follow the what. 

• Academic Integrity:  How does this policy connect to the academic integrity put in place by the university?  This is where you include consequences related to unacceptable use of AI in your course. 

Consider incorporating the following information when writing your AI policy. 

• How students may use AI 

• How students may not use AI 

• Approved vs. Prohibited tools (i.e. university provided subscription to Grammerly) 

• Disclosure requirements and example format 

• Consequences of misuse 

• Purpose or rationale of this policy 

• Assignment-specific guidance (if different than other assignments in the course) 

• Encouragement of critical thinking 

• Flexibility statement (e.g. “This policy may be updated during the semester based on student feedback and new developments in AI.”) 

The faculty guide (Enhancing Education Through Artificial Intelligence: A Faculty Guide) has a breakdown of the process for writing an AI policy as well as examples of AI policies at all three levels. 

Talking to Your Students About AI Use 

When it comes to implementing a policy, we naturally wait until we have to talk to the other party involved.  We wait until the rule has been broken.  In this case, it is imperative that we set the stage and have an open discussion before it is an issue.  Start by connecting your AI policy to your syllabus and to your course overall.  Include it in any “Getting Started” modules and beginning of the course activities and discussions.  Ensure that you explain why the policy is in place and why you do or do not allow the use of AI within the course.  Include how you use AI daily and the times that you choose not to use AI, even if it is an option.  Make this discussion personal.  If possible, a face-to-face discussion allows students to make a strong connection to you.  Consider the use of video (for both in-person and online) as a connection is made even with a video.  End your discussion with encouragement for communication.  Relationships are built based on communication, and by opening the ones of communication, students will feel comfortable asking questions.  By asking questions, they will continue down the right path. 

Students will use AI in a way that violates your policy.  It will happen.  Your response is key.  Don’t start by assuming guilt.  Open communication and stive to understand their process.  Ask the student to walk you through their process and describe how and why they used AI. Review your assignment and expectations to determine if they student was in line with the assignment. Determine your next steps by following your policy and the university’s policy.     

How to Present Your Policy 

For a policy to be effective, it needs to be presented to students in a variety of ways.  Consider your approach from the beginning, taking on the role of a “guide” as opposed to “the cops.”  Our role as educators is to lead students to successful practices.  What can you do to help students explore AI tools and how they connect to your course and your AI policy?   

Here are some ideas: 

• The first choice (and the most obvious) is to incorporate it into your syllabus.  Ensure that it falls within the scope of the university’s syllabus expectations, most likely within a section that addresses academic integrity.   

• Create a lesson focused on the use of AI and, specifically, AI use in your course.  Include content related to AI use in general, real-life scenarios, student exploration, a class discussion, and a quiz to wrap it up.   

• Survey students on their use of AI (personally and academically) and see what their comfort level is.  This survey could be a digital form, or it could be a discussion or classroom activity.   

• Acknowledgement questions.  It is important to ensure that you and your students are on the same page.  Acknowledgement questions require the students to be familiar with the policy and, if they do not agree with it, it requires them to address their concerns.   The following are potential acknowledgment questions: 

• I have read and I understand the expectations for acceptable use of AI in this course as outlined in the course syllabus. 

• I understand the difference between acceptable and unacceptable use of AI in this course. 

• I agree to abide by the AI policy as outlined in this course.  If I have any questions or concerns, I will address them to the instructor of the course. 

Additional Resources 

The following resources allow you to explore what other institutions and other instructors are doing with AI policies.  

How Are Instructors Talking About AI in Their Syllabi? 

An article from The Chronicle on Higher Education 

Struggling to Create AI Policies? Ask Your Students 

An article from Inside Higher Education 

5 Sample Classroom AI Policies And How They Differ from Institutional Guidelines 

An article from Havard Business Impact 

A Different Way to Think About AI and Assessment with Danny Liu 

A podcast on Teaching in Higher Education 

Conclusion 

As guides to our students’ academic success, we need to help them along the way.  Specifically, we must guide them in how they manage the changes in our society.  By establishing an AI policy, you are providing guidance in how they use AI not just in your course, but as they move forward in their careers. 

References 

Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Dictionary by Merriam-Webster. In Merriam-Webster. https://www.merriam-webster.com/ 

Montagnino, R. D. a. C. (2025, June 18). Crafting Thoughtful AI Policy in Higher Education: A guide for Institutional leaders. Faculty Focus | Higher Ed Teaching & Learning. https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/academic-leadership/crafting-thoughtful-ai-policy-in-higher-education-a-guide-for-institutional-leaders/ 

Policy Manual. (2024, November 6). Policy writing guidance. https://www.boisestate.edu/policy/policy-writing-guidance/