Dr. Elizabeth Urban from the history department co-creates an AI course policy with her students. She begins by collecting students perceptions on AI using a 3 question survey.
Question 1:
“What should my Artificial Intelligence Policy be in this Course?”
- No AI whatsoever, period.
- Can use AI with citation / documentation and explicit instructor approval
- Can use AI with citation / documentation (instructor approval is assumed)
- Free, unlimited AI use
Question 2:
“When do you think it is appropriate to use AI in this course?” (select all that apply)
- Brainstorming or coming up with ideas
- Looking up background information on a topic
- Doing research into a topic
- Organizing thoughts on making an outline
- Proofreading or improving writing
- Completing informal assignments (such as reflections or reading responses)
- Completing formal, graded assignments (such as essays or projects)
- Composing emails or other communication
- Other (fill out blank below)
Question 3 :
Explain your choices in 2 to 3 sentences.
Dr. Urban then used those responses to draft a policy which she presents back to the students for ratification during class time. They have a chance to discuss the results, make tweaks, and vote on its approval. Here is an example:
Dr. Urban’s AI Policy, Fall 2024
You may use generative AI (such as ChatGPT) in my course. However, there are certain limitations and expectations around its use.
- You MAY NEVER simply copy and paste AI-generated output and submit it as your work. This is especially true for formal, graded assignments.
- If I strongly suspect you’ve done this, your assignment will receive a grade of 0 and we will have a follow-up conversation about it in my office hours.
- If I suspect you do it again after our initial conversation, I will write you up for a formal violation of academic integrity.
- You MAY use AI tools to help you brainstorm ideas, understand concepts, or help improve/organize your writing (ahem, *your* writing). But then you must think critically about what AI tells you and use your own human brain to improve the work.
- If you use AI tools to help with your work, you must DOCUMENT your AI use. That means, you must tell me the following things:
- What prompts you used.
- What you did with those prompts. How did you incorporate them, fact-check them, improve upon them, or otherwise think critically about them?
- You may add this information to your submitted work as a footnote or as a separate attachment.
- You may also simply take a screen shot of your “conversation” with AI and attach that image to your work.
- Anything you submit is considered your own work and you are RESPONSIBLE for it.
- If you use AI to help you, and AI is wrong (which it often is, I’m afraid), you are still held accountable for that.
- If you use AI to help you, and AI’s work is surface-level and generic (which it almost always is, I’m afraid), you are still held accountable for that.
- Remember some of the VALUES of professional historians (and history students):
- Practice your work with integrity
- Document your sources
- Our enterprise depends on mutual trust
- We should never betray that trust
- Now that you know my policy, I TRUST you to follow it. I’m always open to conversations, discussions, and questions about this policy. When in doubt, just ask me!
