As you think about how and to what extent you plan to utilize Generative AI in your teaching, keep in mind the importance of a clear, student-friendly course policy. As you design your own course policy, consider the following questions.

What is Generative AI in the Context of My course?

A course policy should include and/or link to a definition of GenAI that is relevant to the context of your discipline and goals of your course. The definition should be written with a student audience in mind. The definition you feature in your policy should consider the modalities most relevant to your assignments. GenAI spans many modalities from text to image to sound, etc. See CELT's simple definition here. Feel free to revise and make it your own.

Are students allowed to use Generative AI in this course? To what extent?

Clearly indicate the specific moments when students may (or may not use) GenAI. Also indicate what ways they may use it - including any guidelines or requirements. If students are not allowed to use GenAI, offer a rationale to help students learn about when it is appropriate to use these tools and when it’s not. Root this discussion in the ethos of the course or the discipline.

How should students cite AI?

If students are permitted to use GenAI, provide clear instructions and expectations for how to cite their interaction with it. These expectations may include having students include the prompts they used, details about how they interacted with the tool, or something less involved. See your discipline's typical style guide (i.e., APA, MLA, Chicago) for additional suggestions.

What does misuse look like? How will you handle misuse of AI?

What is deemed misuse of GenAI in one class may not be considered misuse in another. Be sure to establish a clear indication of what misuse is in your classroom. These descriptions should match logically with the other components of your AI policy to avoid confusion. For example, if you allow students to use AI on one assignment but not others but do not directly say so, this may lead to misinterpretations of what is appropriate. Also indicate the procedure for how you will deal with misuse should it occur.

What are some possible responses to students who prefer not to use AI?

Given the outstanding questions about privacy and ethics related to GenAI, it is possible that some students would prefer not to use it for their course work. If you choose to include AI as part of your assignment design, what options are available for students who opt not to do so?

Want to see some example policies? Click here.