Using AI Ethically in Education: Sample Syllabus Statement

AI tools can be useful in your learning experience and are permitted. In some situations, which are noted in the syllabus (e.g., exams), the use of AI is prohibited. AI can be helpful in brainstorming, tutoring, and studying. AI should not be used to generate answers to your assignments but as a starting point.

Do not use AI as a substitute for your own work. It is a violation of the institution’s policy to misrepresent the work of others, including AI, as your own.

To effectively use AI in your learning experience, you need to first build AI literacy with generative AI applications and other AI tools. There will be some class activities on how AI tools can and may be used. For any tool that you use during this course, you need to be able to assess outputs that are generated as you would with any research resource. Consider how the AI is trained to ensure that the tool is not biased.

Before using an AI tool, consider how it protects (or doesn’t) your privacy and data. Therefore, be careful not to share information that you want to remain private as the information can be stored and used to train the AI tool. Similarly, instructors will not upload or share students’ information in an AI tool.

Always acknowledge the use of AI in your work and include appropriate attributions or citations as you would with any research resource you use. Attributions and citations will also help to distinguish your words and thoughts from others, including AI, that you’re using as support.

Citation guidelines for AI-generated content:

For more on ethics and privacy when using AI, explore these resources: