Your syllabus is an essential document for conveying expectations to your students. In addition to traditional policies around late work, attendance, and other aspects of your course, the faculty senate at UNL now requires that you incorporate a policy related to AI use into your syllabus. It is entirely up to the individual instructor to determine which policy to use, but it is essential that you clearly explain to students what the expectations are around AI use in your course. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach here since courses differ vastly from one another, and there is a wide variety in how instructors are incorporating AI into their courses.
There are a wide variety of options available for AI policies. Before we give example language that you might use, here are a few things you might consider as you decide what policy might work best for your specific course.
- Having an AI policy is important for students. There is a wide variation in AI policy across the university. Some instructors allow any use of AI in the completion of coursework, while others prohibit it entirely. It is therefore very important for you to clearly convey when and how you allow the use of AI in your courses, if at all. Otherwise, students may assume that the rules from their other courses also apply in yours, which can lead to inadvertent violations of academic integrity.
- Frame AI as part of the general conversation around academic integrity. At UNL, individual instructors have always been responsible for educating students about expectations around academic integrity in their course. AI has been integrated into the Student Code of Conduct (in section II.A.1.i, Cheating now includes “Taking all or part of work that someone else or an entity prepared and submitting it as one’s own”), so violations of your course AI policy should be treated the same as any other academic integrity violation. This page has more information on the intersection of AI and academic integrity.
- Clearly and frequently convey your policy to students. Students are taking multiple courses which may all have different AI policies. You should take time to talk about your policy when you discuss other elements of your syllabus, but it is also helpful to integrate ongoing communication throughout the course. For example, you might put an abbreviated version of your AI policy at the beginning of each assignment in the course. See our Communicating with your Students about AI page for additional suggestions.
- You may have different policies based on assignment type. You likely already have differentiated expectations for different assessments in your course. For example, textbook use is often encouraged on homework but prohibited on exams. As you consider the different assessment types in your course, you may end up with similarly distinct policies regarding AI use. For example, it might be okay to use it for the brainstorming phase of a project but not for the production of the final work. Maybe it could be useful for helping improve essays but prohibited on quizzes and exams. You may even develop some assignments where you actively want students to use AI while it is prohibited for other work. If this is the case, be very clear about when and how you allow students to use AI.
- Explain the ‘why’ behind your policy. Generative AI is quickly becoming a commonplace feature in our world. It is already being used in workplaces to speed up tasks, brainstorm ideas, organize concepts, and so many other things. Be clear about the learning value students can expect from completing your assignments and explain why you place limits on AI use in terms of how it would negatively impact learning. Clear communication around the purpose of your assessments can help reduce student temptation to use AI inappropriately. For more suggestions around encouraging students to complete assessments without overreliance on AI see this page on AI-resistant pedagogy.
- AI is everywhere and its use isn’t always obvious. Increasingly, technologies are incorporating generative AI tools without always labeling them as such. When requiring citation or prohibiting certain AI use, it can be helpful to list specific tools when feasible. For example, when discussing expectations around written work, you might mention that using the Gemini tool in Google, CoPilot tool in Microsoft, or paid version of Grammarly for drafting or revision counts as generative AI use even if they’re not clearly labeled as such within the program.
- Give guidance for citation of AI. If you allow students to use AI, you may want to ask them for formal citations of any text that was generated by AI as well as asking them to explicitly state how they used AI for help. Guidance is becoming available for citation of AI using formal styles like APA and MLA.
- Ask for help. If you’re not sure how to get started or want to discuss your policy with someone, instructional designers at the CTT are available for consultation on this or any other teaching challenge you may be facing.
Related Links
- UNL's Justin Olmanson (CEHS) created an AI policy based on a taxonomy of generative AI use for learning in higher education. This tool helps communicate what students can, and cannot, do with generative AI in his classes as well as those of other CEHS instructors.
- The College of Arts and Sciences provides faculty with a framework for making decisions about AI in teaching spaces.
AI-Syllabus-Policy-Examples
Example AI Policies
There is a wide range of policies that instructors use for their courses. They generally fall into 3 categories, each with example policy language listed below.
- AI Permitted and/or Encouraged
- AI Allowed under specific circumstances
- AI Prohibited
As noted earlier, you may have different policy categories for different types of assignments or even different stages within a specific assignment. For these more complex situations, see additional advice and policy suggestions in the “Mixed-use classes” section below.
Developing an AI policy that reflects your values
Your AI policy does more than communicate rules - it also conveys your values as an instructor. Taking some time to reflect on your learning goals for students can help lead you to a policy that fits with your instructional style and teaching philosophy. When crafting your policy, you need to decide when and how AI is permitted. It is equally important to be intentional about the specific language you use to convey your policy. Some useful points of reflection when writing your policy include:
- What are your course learning objectives? Think carefully about whether you can confidently assert that students have met the objectives for your course if they use AI. If your course is a lower-level course heavily focused on learning the terminology and underlying theory of your discipline, you may want to have a more prohibitive AI policy than an upper-level course focused on completing complex projects and engaging in experiential learning.
- What are the types of assignments in your course? You may have a range of assessment types connected to different learning objectives that might lead you to different conclusions about how appropriate AI use is. In this case, you may need a more complex AI policy that has different expectations for different types of assignments.
- What is your educational philosophy? Take a few minutes to think about your top 5 educational values. When writing your policy, we recommend ensuring that the type of policy and language used are grounded in your overall philosophy as an educator. For example, if you value:
- Collaboration: Is there a way to get feedback on your policy from students or even co-create parts of it with them?
- Inclusivity and Accessibility: Are there ways in which your policy might negatively impact some groups of students? Could you adjust it to maintain other values while ensuring inclusion and access?
- Workforce Preparedness: Does your course teach students the types of AI skills they will be expected to use in their future careers?
- Academic Integrity: Did you explain why academic integrity is the cornerstone of the academic enterprise and how your policy is designed to ensure all students complete work honestly?
- Disciplinary Standards: Does your AI policy ensure that students learn the basic theories, concepts, and terminology deeply enough that they can use them in coursework, conversation, and future learning experiences?
- Critical Thinking: Does your policy ensure that students can think flexibly and apply coursework in response to real-world future challenges?
- Ethical / Moral Reasoning: Do you provide the opportunity for students to learn the aspects of AI ethics that are relevant to your course and discipline?
AI-Permitted-and-or-Encouraged
AI Permitted and/or Encouraged
These policies allow students to use AI in any way they’d like to complete coursework. However, they often include important caveats warning students about the dangers of turning in AI generated work without making any revisions and that students are still responsible for any content submitted. They may also specify the need for citation of any AI use. You may also want to include a note that full academic integrity policy still applies, so AI should not be used in a way that violates copyright, intellectual property law, or plagiarizes someone’s work without citation.
AI Permitted and/or Encouraged Examples
“The use of AI tools like Chat GPT is neither encouraged nor prohibited on assignments for this course. If you choose to use Chat GPT for assignments, please be sure to revise the content for clarity, conciseness, and audience awareness. Chat GPT is simply a tool and should not be used as a way to produce first and only drafts. Every assignment submission will be graded using the rubric provided in the syllabus. Be aware that Chat GPT may not develop high-quality work that earns a passing grade. It is your responsibility to review and revise all work before submitting to the instructor.”
“Within this class, you are welcome to use generative AI tools such as Copilot, ChatGPT, or DALL-E 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 an AI model. If you use an AI tool, its contribution must be acknowledged in the work you hand in, and you will be penalized for using AI without proper citation. Having said all these disclaimers, the use of AI 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.”
“There is a good possibility that using generative AI tools like ChatGPT and Dall-E are going to become an important skill for careers in the not distant future. For my class, a responsible use of AI-based tools in completing coursework or assessments must be done in accordance with the following:
- You must clearly identify the use of AI-based tools in your work. Any work that utilizes AI-based tools must be clearly marked as such, including the specific tool(s) used. For example, if you use ChatGPT-3, you must cite "ChatGPT-3. (YYYY, Month DD of query). "Text of your query." Generated using OpenAI. https://chat.openai.com/"
- You must be transparent in how you used the AI-based tool, including what work is your original contribution.
- You must ensure your use of AI-based tools does not violate any copyright or intellectual property laws.
- You must not use AI-based tools to plagiarize without citation.”
AI-Allowed-Under-Specific-Circumstances
AI Allowed under specific circumstances
These policies allow students to use AI for some tasks but not for others. For example, it may be allowed in particular phases of a project but not others. It might also be allowed on some types of assignments but not all of them. If you choose to apply this type of policy, be sure that you cover all types of assignments in your course so your students know exactly what they can use when.
AI Allowed Under Specific Circumstances Examples
“The use of AI tools such as ChatGPT is allowed in this course under some circumstances. For homework and projects, you must clearly indicate any use of AI tools and provide appropriate citations or references for any AI-generated content or results produced. This should include full documentation of exactly how the tool was used. AI should not replace your individual effort or original work but rather, should be used as supplemental resources to support your own analysis, critical thinking, and problem-solving. For quizzes and exams, use of any external resource (AI, Google, your textbook, other students, etc.) is strictly prohibited. Any misuse or violation of the policy, including unauthorized or excessive use of AI, will be considered a breach of academic integrity and subject to disciplinary actions as per the institution's policies and procedures on academic misconduct.”
“Intellectual honesty is vital to an academic community and for my fair evaluation of your work. All work submitted in this course must be your own, completed in accordance with the University’s academic regulations. Use of AI tools, including ChatGPT, is permitted in this course, but only to help brainstorm assignments or to revise existing work you have written. Using AI to complete assignments on your behalf is considered plagiarism. Also, be aware that the accuracy or quality of AI generated content may not meet the standards of this course, even if you only incorporate such content partially and after substantial paraphrasing, modification and/or editing.”
“Acceptable uses:
- Using AI to help brainstorm ideas and organize thoughts.
- Using AI image generators to create visuals for storyboards.
- Using AI to help with grammar and spelling checks.
- Using AI to explain confusing concepts in simple language.
- Using AI to translate text from one language to another.
- Using AI to help diagnose error messages.
Unacceptable uses:
- Using AI to generate content for assignments.
- Using AI image generators to create visuals for journalism or fact-based reporting, photojournalism or anything you’re creating that’s represented as real.
- Using AI to plagiarize content from other sources.
- Using AI to answer exam or quiz questions.
- Using AI to automate the completion of assignments.
Other ethical considerations to keep in mind when using AI for college assignments:
- Be transparent with your instructor. If you are using AI to help with your assignments, let your instructor know. This will help to avoid any misunderstandings or accusations of plagiarism.
- Avoid plagiarism. Using AI-generated content without proper citation could result in academic dishonesty charges.
- Use AI responsibly. Do not use AI to cheat or automate the completion of assignments. Instead, use it to help you learn, understand and improve your academic skills.”
AI-Prohibited
AI Prohibited
These policies put in place an outright ban on any use of generative AI. For policies like these, we recommend being very clear with students about why you have the policy that you do. Given how easy it is to use AI and how difficult it is for instructors to detect, these policies will be difficult to enforce, making it particularly important to work on getting student buy-in for the learning process. For more suggestions around encouraging students to complete assessments without overreliance on AI see this page on AI-Resistant Pedagogy.
An important consideration for this type of policy is that AI is often built into tools in ways that students are unaware of, which can lead to unintentional misuse. It can be helpful to think about the ways in which students could encounter AI tools while completing coursework and be explicit about what constitutes academic misconduct. For example, the paid version of Grammarly has an AI tool that will rewrite individual sentences. Some instructors might consider this appropriate use since it is like what a human editor would do. Others might consider it problematic since a student could use it on every single sentence and lose their own voice in the process.
AI Prohibited Examples
“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. While AI is readily available and can be useful in some circumstances, it is essential that you learn basic skills to help you identify what good writing looks like before you’ll be able to accurately and ethically employ their use. To better help you meet the learning goals of this course, AI-generated submissions are not permitted at all in this course and any use of AI tools at any point in your writing process will be treated as plagiarism.”
“This course aims to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of the subject matter by engaging in critical thinking, problem-solving, and creative exercises. To promote the development of essential skills and encourage active participation, the use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools or technologies such as paraphrasing software or ChatGPT is prohibited in this course. Use of any such tools will be considered a violation of the academic integrity policy and disciplinary action will be taken.”
“Use of an AI Generator such as ChatGPT, iA Writer, MidJourney, DALL-E, etc. is explicitly prohibited. 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’s imperative that all work submitted should 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.”
Mixed-Use-Classes
In courses where different assignments have different AI policies, communication with students becomes both more challenging and more important. Your overall syllabus policy will need to include clear explanations of the different rules that apply to different assignment types. It is recommended that you also reiterate the relevant policy in the instructions for each assignment type to make the information clearer to students. You might even want to create different labels or icons for each type of AI policy. For these more complex situations, you might consider creating a table for your syllabus policy similar to this example from Justin Olmanson.
Mixed-Use Classes Examples
“Some assignments in this course will explicitly state that you may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) such as ChatGPT when completing the work. Use of AI to produce or help develop content when an assignment does not explicitly allow for it is a form of plagiarism and will be treated as academic misconduct. If you are unsure about whether something may be plagiarism or another form of academic dishonesty, please reach out to me to discuss it as soon as possible.”
“Struggle and effort are an important part of learning, developing professional skills, and producing work that is yours. AI should not replace your struggle and effort but rather, should be used to support your learning, and expand your analysis, critical thinking, problem-solving, and production. The use of AI tools such as ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini is allowed in this course under particular circumstances. The instructions for each assignment will include guidance for whether / how AI is allowed. Any time you use AI, you must clearly indicate your use of AI tools and provide appropriate documentation of exactly how the tool was used.”
End-Policy-Section
Even more examples!
To explore policies in use at other institutions, check out this crowd-sourced resource.
Assistance in Developing Course Material
If you would like help creating an AI policy or assistance with anything else related to AI in your course, please reach out to instructional designers designated for your college.
If you have any feedback about the content of this page or ideas for additional content to include, please reach out to the page developer Amy Ort (aort@unl.edu).