This module is designed to help educators navigate the complex landscape of GenAI and academic integrity in their classrooms. The module also provides classroom-ready resources and some strategies to facilitate discussions around ethical AI uses in the classroom and to start developing policies that promote ethical AI integration in academic work.

Background

Many students are using GenAI tools: whether educators are aware of it or not, whether it is allowed or not. Through workshops that I lead, many educators express concern that students are using these platforms to cheat or take shortcuts. However, it is important to recognize that cheating and various forms of academic misconduct have long been challenges in higher education, far before GenAI came around. This highlights that academic integrity is more of a social-cultural-historical issue than merely a technical one. We cannot rely on technological solutions to address this problem. Instead, I suggest approaching this challenge from a pedagogical perspective.

A quote that resonates with this approach is:

If AI-assisted work has anywhere near the impact predicted, banning AI from the classroom will backfire, just as Wi-Fi kill switches did. Reducing cheating is good, but we also need to rethink our standards, what we are really hoping to teach, and what academic integrity will mean in this new era. (Bowen & Watson, 2024, p. 133)

Now, to begin addressing academic integrity in relation to GenAI, I encourage you to check with your institution’s academic integrity office or teaching and learning support unit. They may have valuable resources, case studies, or other support available to help you navigate this challenge.

If you are still looking for some practical strategies, I propose these preliminary steps and examples of enacting academic integrity around GenAI in your classroom.

(1) Start with WHY: Discuss Important Values

As academic integrity is a shared responsibility among all members of an academic community, Bowen & Watson (2024) suggest the following activity:

• Invite students and peers to write down 10 important values that they would like to see in class on sticky notes.
• Split participants into groups and have them sort their stickies into piles. Ask each group to share their top three values. You can expect to hear common values such as trust, respect, and
• Ask each group to create behaviours that align with those values. For example, what, specifically, does respect look and sound like in a classroom discussion?
• Connect the values to GenAI use in the course. For example, if we all value trust, respect, and integrity, what does that mean for our use of GenAI?

(2) Co-create GenAI Policy with Students

Bowen and Watson (2024) suggest some questions and statements to use as a starting point for creating GenAI policy.

• When is AI use permitted or forbidden? Why? Is brainstorming with AI cheating? How might AI enhance or inhibit learning in the class?
• If AI is allowed, must students share their AI prompts with you as part of the assignment submission?
• How would AI use be credited?
• A warning about the limits of AI.
• Transparency regarding your planned usage of AI (detection) tool and how that information will be used.
• Clear rules about students’ ultimate accountability for work.

(3) Cultivate Integrity and Assignment Acknowledgement

Explore these example resources regarding institutional AI statement, class policy, AI disclosure statement or designed statement, and how to model the practice of integrity and AI use acknowledgement in your course.

UBC’s syllabus statement on AI

The use of ChatGPT or other generative AI tools does not automatically equate to academic misconduct at UBC. At this time, the use of artificial intelligence tools is a course-level decision and there is no overall ban on its use in teaching and learning.

Simon Bates, vice-provost and associate vice-president, Teaching and Learning pro-tem, March 2023.

Other AI disclosure statement samples:

Class policy for Artificial Intelligence (AI) – not permitted

One of the course goals is to help you learn to write and communicate effectively: that will require practice. While you will be expected to use AI at work to increase the speed at which you can produce, you still need to be able to create, edit, and recognize high-quality writing yourself. If AI can do the work without you, you will not have employable skills.

To that end, all and any assistance of AI in your writing is prohibited in the first half of the course. Think of the discomfort and struggle of this process like fitness or any other training: the person who does the work gets the benefits (Bowen & Watson, 2024, p. 141).

Class policy for Artificial Intelligence (AI) – allowed in a defined context  (adapted from FSW’s sample syllabus statement on AI)

In this class, you are allowed to use generative AI tools like ChatGPT for some parts of the writing process, but you are required to disclose when and how it has been used (see AI disclosure statement below). Also, be aware that generative AI may produce content that is inaccurate, fabricated, unethical, or in violation of intellectual property laws. You are ultimately responsible for the accuracy and quality of the content you submit. Some ways you may consider using AI to assist in the writing process are:

• Brainstorming and refining your ideas.
• Fine-tuning your research question(s).
• Finding general information on your topic.
• Drafting and preparing an outline.
• Checking grammar and style.

You may not use generative AI tools in this course for the following activities:

• Impersonating you in classroom contexts, such as by using the tool to compose discussion board prompts assigned to you or content that you put into a Zoom chat.
• Completing group work that your group has assigned to you, unless it is mutually agreed upon that you may utilize the tool.
• Writing a draft of a writing assignment.
• Writing entire paragraphs or papers to complete class assignments.

AI disclosure statement (adapted from FSW’s sample syllabus statement on AI)

Your use of AI tools must be properly documented and cited in order to stay within the institutional academic integrity policy. For example, all text written by AI must be quoted with the source of the model in parentheses (ChatGPT or another tool). At the end of your paper, please include the following statement to indicate what was or was not used:

This assignment submission [used or did not use] AI for the following components of the writing process: [Choose from the following – not used, brainstorming, editing, sentence generation].”

[Alternative option – insert the citation style for your discipline. See these resources for APA guidance and for other citation formats.].

Any assignment that fails to adequately disclose your use of AI, or is found to have used generative AI tools in unauthorized ways, will automatically receive a zero. When in doubt about permitted usage, please ask for clarification.

Model best practices for students

In order to model best practices for students, educators should also disclose the use of AI when developing courses in various modalities.

Below are some example disclosure statements that can be used when faculty disclose the use of AI LLMs in their course developments. It also includes suggested locations where these statements can be included within the course. These examples have been divided by modality types.

The highlighted text in each example should be edited to include specific course/instructor information if used verbatim.

Online/asynchronous courses and content

Example statements:

• Unless otherwise indicated, all course content was created by (faculty developer name), a subject matter expert in (field of study) collaborating with (AI LLM). He/She/Theycreated the specific prompt language, vetted the content for accuracy, and revised mistakes in the output.
• Course presentations, overview statements, and assessment instructions were created by (faculty developer name) in collaboration with (AI LLM). (He/She/They)created the specific prompt language, vetted the content for accuracy, and revised mistakes in the output.

Example locations statements can be added:

• Syllabus and textbook page
• Course overview page
• Module overview pages

Face-to-face/synchronous courses or content

Example statements:

• This presentation was created by (faculty developer name), an expert in (the subject), using (AI LLM). (He/She/They)created the specific prompt language, vetted the content for accuracy, and revised mistakes in the output.
• Course presentations, overview statements, and assessment instructions were created by (Faculty Developer Name) in collaboration with (AI LLM). He/She/They created the specific prompt language, vetted the content for accuracy, and revised mistakes in the output.

Example locations where statements can be added:

• Citations slide in a PowerPoint presentation
• Verbal statement provided at the beginning/end of a class meeting
• Syllabus

Summary

This module emphasized the importance of open dialogue and collaborative policy-making regarding GenAI use in academic settings. By understanding the broader context, engaging students in discussions about values, co-creating policies, and modeling ethical AI use, educators can foster an environment that embraces technological advancements while maintaining academic integrity.

Final Reflective Questions

1. How has your understanding of academic integrity in relation to GenAI changed after engaging with this module?
2. What challenges do you anticipate in implementing AI policies in your classroom, and how might you address them?
3. How can you effectively balance the potential benefits of AI tools with the need to develop students’ independent thinking and writing skills?
4. In what ways can you model ethical AI use in your own course development and teaching practices?
5. How might the co-creation of AI policies with students impact their understanding and adherence to academic integrity principles?