Communicate with students about generative AI

Generative AI’s inroads into higher education environments necessitates that instructors provide clear guidelines and expectations for their students. This is most often provided in the course syllabus as a statement regarding the use of generative AI in the course.

A note of the importance of the syllabus: The syllabus is a critical tool for faculty to convey their expectations for the class as well as to help students understand the requirements for attendance, amount of work, important dates, and types of assessment tasks. It’s also one of the first opportunities for communication between the instructor and their students, so tone, language, accessibility of formatting, and range and relevance of information are all key to the design of a syllabus. A successful syllabus will be transparent about class expectations, motivate students to learn (Harrington and Thomas, 2018), and support an equitable environment for academic success.

Generative AI in the syllabus

Below are syllabus statement examples for the most common considerations of AI in the classroom. Please note: these are example statements, not university policy. Please adapt your own statement to fit the use allowed in your own course. Boston University is still in the process of  developing university-level policies for the use of AI in teaching and learning. Until such policies are in place, please discuss these guidelines with other members of the faculty as well as your dean. See also AI and Academic Integrity to round out the information on this page.

Use with prior permission

What this means: Instructors give permission for students to use generative AI or other automated content-generating tools for specific assignments, assessments, or projects in the course. Examples of the tools mentioned include ChatGPT, DALL-E, Bard, or Bing Image Creator. If permission is not granted, students are expected to complete their work (whether individually or collaboratively) without the assistance of AI tools or other assistance. 

Example of syllabus statement wording: You may use one or more generative AI tools from the approved list for this class for the following assignment only: Essay 1. We will be using generative AI to brainstorm ideas, to gain feedback on drafts, and to check for grammar and syntax on final versions. AI tools are not permitted for other assignments as we will be comparing how processes and products differ with and without the use of AI tools. Students who do not follow these guidelines will not be able to satisfactorily complete the final assignments (Essay 2 and a written reflection) or meet the learning goals for the class.

Use freely permitted with acknowledgement

What this means: Instructors permit students to use generative AI or other automated content-generating tools as long as each use is acknowledged and properly cited. The following citation styles provide guidance on how to cite generative AI use: APA citation guidelines, Chicago Style and MLA citation guidelines. Remember that approved citation of the use of these tools will also require disclosure of the prompts used to generate the content. 

Example of syllabus statement wording: You may use one or more generative AI tools from the approved list for this class for the following assignments: Essay 1, group project, and Essay 2. In each case, you are required to disclose the prompt/s you used and provide appropriate acknowledgment of the AI tool/s using APA Style. This specific approval is given to allow you to become familiar with AI tools, to increase your AI literacy, and to understand how to use AI in appropriate ways within an academic context.

Use freely permitted without acknowledgement

What this means: Students are allowed to use generative AI or other automated content generating tools but are not required to provide an acknowledgment or citations. This application seems quite unlikely for many assessment tasks in an academic setting where source acknowledgment is an integral part of academic integrity and research-information literacy. However, faculty who are exploring AI use for various class activities may wish to allow students latitude for experimentation. Although acknowledgment may not be required, faculty can encourage students to incorporate intentional reflection on the use of AI tools as a way to increase their AI literacy.

Example of syllabus statement wording: Students may complete this assignment using generative AI. While you are not required to attribute your use of AI tools for this assignment, please consider maintaining your own records of prompts and answers you generated so that you can reflect on the success of your prompt formulation. Note that other assignments in this course will require you to acknowledge your use of AI.

Use prohibited

What this means: Faculty who do not wish AI to be used in their classes may prohibit its use for assignments and assessment tasks as part of expectations for the class. This prohibition should be explained within the context of learning and goals for the class, so that students understand the rationale. Faculty will also need to explain the consequences of AI usage to students within the framework of the specific class.

Example of syllabus statement wording: In this class, we prioritize critical, analytical thinking applied to materials within our discipline. To become competent in our field requires that students must read, understand key points, and synthesize information from a variety of sources to offer plausible interpretations, without the assistance of generative AI. Since AI is specifically prohibited in this class [or for this assignment], its use will lead to a grade reduction for the assignment [and/or the overall class].

Communicating with students about the disadvantages of AI use

Generative AI has limitations that students should be aware of, especially if faculty decide to allow the use of the tools in their course. Generative AI tools are known to show bias, return false or inaccurate information, and provide fake resources or citations. Faculty should consider including this information in their syllabus so students are aware of these limitations and concerns. 

Example of syllabus statement wording:

Chat GPT and other generative AI and automated content tools are known to return incomplete, incorrect, and/or biased information, along with fake citations or sources. Therefore, they and are not considered a completely reliable resource. It is the student’s responsibility, when using these tools, to ensure that all information presented in assignments is accurate.

Faculty should also make students aware of the privacy issues related to generative AI. In classes where generative AI may be required to complete assignments, faculty should discuss the sharing of personal information with students and provide them with information about the privacy policies of any AI tools used in class. For students who may not wish to share personal information with third party tools, faculty should offer the possibility of alternative assessment tasks that meet the learning outcomes of the assignment.

Example of syllabus statement wording:

For assignments in this class, we will be using ChatGPT-3. Creating a ChatGPT account requires that you provide personal information, such as an email address. Please review the privacy information supplied by OpenAI so that you are aware of the uses of your information. As your instructor, I abide by FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) Guidelines and will not create or respond (for example, through feedback or grades) to assignments in any way that will impact the privacy of your student records.

Last updated: August 22, 2023