Guide To Teaching and Learning

AI Sample Syllabus Statements

Before deciding how you want students to use – or not to use – generative AI tools in your course, faculty are encouraged to play around with different tools and see what they can – and cannot – do and consider this general guidance. Please feel free to adapt suggested language below as appropriate to your classes.

Faculty are encouraged to use this moment to practice transparent teaching. Most of us are new to generative AI tools. Have the conversation with your students about how the use of these tools can support or undermine their learning in your course. If you are not allowing the use of an AI tool on a particular assignment, ask students to consider the skills they may develop during the assignment and why the use of technology would impede that development. And if you are allowing their use, faculty are encouraged to ask or require students to document how they used the tools and what they learned – about the assignment objectives, about their learning, about the AI tool and AI generally, and about themselves – in the process of using it.

In speaking about generative AI tools with students, be mindful of using anthropomorphizing language like saying the tool “created” an image or “made up” facts. The tools generate plausible outputs based on predictions informed by analysis of billions of data points. They are not making up citations or facts (referred to as “hallucinating”); they are simply generating outputs that are very realistic.

Below are examples of different ways of talking about syllabus statements about the use or non-use of these tools in various types of classes.

Generic Syllabus Statement Allowing Use of AI Tools

Generative AI tools are a part of life today. We can’t always tell when they’ve been used, but it’s important in the context of this course to be completely transparent when they are. I do not prohibit using any of these tools, but you may not submit materials generated with any AI tool as your own. If you use them – and there will be times when we will intentionally use them to learn their value and their limitations – you must document what tools you used, how you used them, what you learned about the tools in the course of using them, what you learned about the intended outcomes of the assignment, what you learned about yourself as a learner, and what you learned about yourself as a person in the course of doing the assignment. This may be submitted in the form of a narrative description or journal entries. Please also submit all prompts you used and any interim steps using AI along with the assignment. Suggested by The Faculty Center.

Generic Syllabus Statement Prohibiting Use of AI Tools

Use of any generative AI tools/software such as ChatGPT, MidJourney, DALL-E, etc. is explicitly prohibited unless otherwise noted by the instructor.  The information derived from these tools is based on previously published materials. Therefore, using these tools without proper citation constitutes plagiarism.  Additionally, be aware that the information derived from these tools is often inaccurate or incomplete. It is imperative that all work submitted be your own. Any assignment that is found to have been plagiarized or to have used unauthorized AI tools may receive a zero and / or be reported for academic misconduct. Derived from Tara Perrin, Tennessee State

Generative AI Text-Based Tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Bard, Bing, Claude)

Course: Composition and Rhetoric 

Development as a writer requires personal investment and practice. Chat GPT and AI platforms are tools that good writers may rely on in some situations. Part of your development as a writer entails critically considering different occasions and developing a rationale for the appropriate use of AI writing tools. In this class, we ask that you keep an open line of communication with the instructor regarding the use of AI writing tools. It is important to consult your instructor BEFORE using them in an assignment. If, in consideration with your instructor, you do use Chat GPT or other AI tools, cite them in your Works Cited page and be prepared to argue a rationale for the appropriateness of their use. These are matters of concern because over reliance on technology can impede the growth of your writing skills and offset the learning outcomes for the course. Paul Shovlin, Ohio University

Course: First Year Seminar

Policy on artificial intelligence (AI, meaning apps such as Chat GPT): It is fine to get research assistance from AI as long as you put both your prompt and the resulting text as an appendix at the end of your paper, and list it in your reference list. Just as with any other source, if you use an AI bot’s exact words, enclose them in quotes and put the citation in parentheses. You are expected to compose the sentences in your written assignments yourself, except for a small amount of well-cited quoting.  Be cautious in using AI for research assistance, as all existing AI apps ‘hallucinate’ and supply false information; don’t rely on AI for accurate information, but always fact-check. Betsy Leondar-Wright, Lasell University

Course: Bioethics and the Law

You may use AI programs e.g. ChatGPT to help generate ideas and brainstorm.  However, you should note that the material generated by these programs may be inaccurate, incomplete, or otherwise problematic.  Beware that use may also stifle your own independent thinking and creativity. You may not submit any work generated by an AI program as your own.  If you include material generated by an AI program, it should be cited like any other reference material (with due consideration for the quality of the reference, which may be poor). Any plagiarism or other form of cheating will be dealt with severely under relevant Penn policies. Holly Fernandez Lynch, University of Pennsylvania

Course: Digital Literacies and Intercultural Learning    

Transparency: When/if you use Artificial Intelligence (AI) platforms in your assignments, please write a note to clarify where in your process you used AI and which platform(s) you used. We will discuss this more throughout the semester in class, and you are encouraged to reflect on this in your writing as well. Please note that what the AI writing tools generate is often inaccurate and you may have to exert effort to create something meaningful out of them. I also hope that when the assignment is about reflecting on your own opinion or experience, you will do so. Maha Bali, American University in Cairo

Course: Entrepreneurship: Specialization is for Insects

I expect you to use AI (ChatGPT and image generation tools, at a minimum), in this class. In fact, some assignments will require it. Learning to use AI is an emerging skill, and I provide tutorials in Canvas about how to use them. I am happy to meet and help with these tools during office hours or after class. Be aware of the limits of ChatGPT:

  • If you provide minimum effort prompts, you will get low quality results. You will need to refine your prompts in order to get good outcomes. This will take work.
  • Don’t trust anything it says. If it gives you a number or fact, assume it is wrong unless you either know the answer or can check in with another source. You will be responsible for any errors or omissions provided by the tool. It works best for topics you understand.
  • AI is a tool, but one that you need to acknowledge using. Please include a paragraph at the end of any assignment that uses AI explaining what you used the AI for and what prompts you used to get the results. Failure to do so is in violation of the academic honesty policies.

Be thoughtful about when this tool is useful. Don’t use it if it isn’t appropriate for the case or circumstance. Ethan Mollick, University of Pennsylvania

Course: Creative Writing

Since writing, analytical, and critical thinking skills are part of the learning outcomes of this course, all writing assignments should be prepared by the student. 

Developing strong competencies in this area will prepare you for a competitive workplace. Therefore, AI-generated submissions are not permitted and will be treated as plagiarism. 

Ethics still matter and plagiarism is a serious [name of university] offense. Lis Horowitz, Salem State University

Course: Judaism and Jewish Language in the 21st Century

ChatGPT and other AI generators that use large language models can be powerful tools for researching and writing papers. However, you should be aware of their limitations: 

  1. Errors: AI generators make mistakes. Assume the output is incorrect unless you check the claims with reliable sources. 
  2. Bias: Their output may reflect bias because the data they are trained on may reflect bias or may not include sufficient data from certain groups. 
  3. Citation: These tools use existing sources without citation. Therefore using their outputs puts you at risk of plagiarism. 
  4. Environmental impact: Each ChatGPT search uses non-trivial amounts of electricity and water. 

With these concerns in mind, you are welcome to use AI generators to brainstorm and refine ideas, find sources (that you subsequently read), draft outlines, check grammar, refine wording, and format bibliographies. Beyond bibliographic references, you are not allowed to copy and paste material generated by AI and use it in your assignments. At the end of your bibliography, add a note indicating which AI tool you used and how you used it, including the prompt(s) you used and the date(s). Sarah Bunin Benor, University of Southern California

Course: Theories & Methods of Social Services

The purpose of assignments in this course is for you to demonstrate your writing and critical thinking skills while providing you with opportunities to grow as a communicator, thinker, and scholar. Writing skills, along with the course concepts you learn while writing, will help you develop as a person and valued employee who will succeed in your future career(s). I may sometimes incorporate the use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools like ChatGPT into your lessons and assignments. In these cases, AI is a valuable tool for learning. However, in instances where you are not specifically told to use AI, I ask you to embrace the challenges of learning, scholarship, and personal growth and write without using AI. Please let me know if you have any questions about the use of AI in this class. Bryan Saums, Volunteer State Community College

Generative AI Image-Based Tools, (e.g., Midjourney, Stable Diffusion, DALL-E)

Course: Design and Technology

Statement regarding the use of AI:

  • You MAY use AI in the initial stages of research, idea generation, and drafting.
  • You MAY use AI for language translation.
  • However, you MAY NOT not rely on AI output for significant portions of your final project form unless it is a necessary part of your project concept.
  • If you use AI at any stage in the creation of your project (including initial stages, idea generation, drafting, language translation, and final form), you must properly cite and disclose this use. This should include details on the specific tool and version used, as well as the nature of your usage (for example, in programming code, images, and/or text/writing).
  • Citation should reference both the platform and any creator (“style of”) names or references.

Jess Irish, The New School

Course: Core Methods in Educational Data Mining

Within this class, you are welcome to use foundation models (ChatGPT, GPT, DALL-E, Stable Diffusion, Midjourney, GitHub Copilot, and anything after) in a totally unrestricted fashion, for any purpose, at no penalty. However, you should note that all large language models still have a tendency to make up incorrect facts and fake citations, code generation models have a tendency to produce inaccurate outputs, and image generation models can occasionally come up with highly offensive products. You will be responsible for any inaccurate, biased, offensive, or otherwise unethical content you submit regardless of whether it originally comes from you or a foundation model. If you use a foundation model, its contribution must be acknowledged in the hand-in; you will be penalized for using a foundation model without acknowledgement. Having said all these disclaimers, the use of foundation models is encouraged, as it may make it possible for you to submit assignments with higher quality, in less time.

The university’s policy on plagiarism still applies to any uncited or improperly cited use of work by other human beings, or submission of work by other human beings as your own. Ryan S. Baker, University of Pennsylvania 

For a very comprehensive, nationally-sourced and growing compendium of syllabus statements for different courses in different universities, we recommend these Classroom Policies for Generative AI Tools.

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