The integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into the academic sphere is becoming increasingly prevalent, with discernible effects on students and faculty members. Consequently, it is imperative for all educators to deliberate on the implementation of comprehensive instructions pertaining to the utilization of generative artificial intelligence in scholarly endeavors throughout all courses they administer. There have been numerous reports in recent months regarding instances of unfounded allegations of AI utilization directed towards students at various institutions. The issue of AI detection poses significant challenges for technology, with its feasibility being uncertain. Moreover, as AI tools grow increasingly prevalent and sophisticated, the difficulty of this task is expected to intensify. Based on the available evidence, it is our contention that AI detection software lacks efficacy and should not be employed as the only way of determining academic misconduct. This includes the AI detector in Turnitin.

Here are a few things to keep in mind when addressing AI and academic integrity in your course.

Students benefit from clearly communicated expectations for their coursework, and will likewise benefit from transparency regarding limits to and expectations for use of generative AI in their course assignments and exams. To reduce the chance of violations of academic integrity, explicitly communicate your course’s AI policies by:

• Including in your syllabus clear expectations regarding the use of generative AI tools and any differentiation in the usage policy for specific assignments.
• Discussing the expectations spelled out in the syllabus during a class session.
• Reviewing expectations and communicating how they apply to specific assignments.
• Engaging in ongoing conversations about the importance of academic integrity including the fact that basic academic integrity principles remain important and still apply regardless of the existence of generative AI tools.

Additional Resources:

• Artificial Intelligence Syllabus Policy Statements: A Traffic Light Framework

All faculty are encouraged to reach out to ARR mlockett@highlands.edu or CETL for assistance with this matter.