Academic Honesty & ChatGPT : Syllabi Guidance

Policy changes concerning ChatGPT and any other AI language bot can now be found in the definition of Acquiring Information in the Academic Honesty Policy.  See below and the catalog to access this portion of the policy.  Syllabi wording suggestions are also below.  The Academic Honesty Taskforce will continue to track the changes in AI technology and be on the lookout for further EEC trainings.  Also, be sure to click the LibGuide tabs above to learn more about the impact ChatGPT will have in your classroom.

Acquiring Information

1. Acquiring information for any assigned work or examination from any source not authorized by the instructor.
2. Working with another person or persons on any assignment or examination when asked for individual work.
3. Observing the work of other students during any examination.
4. Using, buying, selling, stealing, soliciting, copying, or possessing, in whole or part, the contents of an un-administered examination, paper or another assignment.
5. Using test materials not authorized by the person administering the test.
6. Agreeing with one or more persons to commit any act of academic dishonesty.            
7. Using any type of AI Chatbot results without prior permission from the instructor or unless part of the assignment.

Guidance for Faculty regarding ChatGPT:

• If your course includes essay writing, you should consider addressing ChatGPT explicitly with your class, and even demonstrate the shortcomings and challenges of using it to generate truly effective writing for the types of prompts we typically use in college courses. (In fact, it is a good idea to test your prompts on ChatGPT to evaluate what ChatGPT outputs and potentially refine your writing prompts.) Working explicitly with your students is one of the best ways to avoid academic integrity issues.
• It is important to note that under the current conditions, using ChatGPT to generate essays for submission for lower division writing will be considered a violation of academic integrity (see sample of lower division writing syllabus text below). However, as with any tool, individual instructors should determine how specific tools are used within their course. Knowing that individual faculty may make different choices within their specific classes, it is critical that we communicate clearly to students what will or will not be considered a violation in a particular course. For example, when can tools be used for testing and brainstorming versus work for submission? Also, it is useful to remind students that the usage of tools will be course-specific and dependent on individual course goals.  (University of California Irvine Division of Teaching Excellence & Innovation, n.d.)

Referring to AI Chatbots in your syllabus:

• Academic Integrity for Your Writing Class: The Composition Program and its teachers assume that work submitted by students–all process work, drafts, low-stakes writing, final versions, and all other submissions–will be generated by the students themselves, working individually or in groups. This means that the following would be considered violations of academic integrity by the Composition Program:

1) if a student has another person/entity do the writing of any substantive portion of an assignment for them, which includes hiring a person or a company to write essays and drafts and/or other assignments, research-based or otherwise, and using artificial intelligence affordances like ChatGPT;

2) if a student submits the same work for more than one class without consulting with the instructors.  (University of California Irvine Division of Teaching Excellence & Innovation, n.d.)

• Sample Statement Prohibiting Use of AI-Generated Text:

All written work submitted for this course must be completed by you, personally. Use of artificial intelligence (AI) to generate text is strictly prohibited. Submission of text generated by AI will be considered a violation of academic integrity, including AI-generated text that you have summarized or edited.  (Kelley, n.d.)

• Sample Statement Providing Parameters for use of AI-Generated Text

You are responsible for the content of any work submitted for this course. Use of artifical intelligence (AI) to generate a first draft of text is permitted, but you must review and revise any AI-generated text before submission. AI text generators can be useful tools but they are often prone to factual errors, incorrect or fabricated citations, and misinterpretations of abstract concepts. Utilize them with caution.  (Kelley, n.d.)

• Example from Joe Ganakos:

Academic Honesty – Course Policies: Any student caught cheating, plagiarizing, or colluding with other students will be punished via the guidelines set forth by the College. Any use of AI platforms, including all versions of ChatGPT, will be reviewed and, if sufficient evidence exists that the use of AI assistance was used then an alternate assignment may be required to be eligible for credit.

For documented academic honesty issues, students will lose all credit for the assignment in question and be ineligible for extra credit in any form. Other steps may include, but not be limited to, being reported to the Associate Vice-President of Instruction for further discipline, failure for an assignment, and/or failure for the course.

Rules of Thumb when updating your Syllabus: (Watkins, 2022)

1. Include time for ethics.

Add time into your course to discuss the ethical implications of chatGPT and forthcoming AI systems. Talk with students about the ethics of using chatGPT in your course, at your university, and within your discipline or profession. Don’t be afraid to discuss the gray areas where we do not yet have clear guidance or answers.

2. Update your honor code – (Our Academic Honesty Procedure)

If you include honor code pledges or statements in your syllabus, you should update those to include chatGPT and other AI systems.

3. Set clear expectations.

Be clear in your syllabus about your policies for using chatGPT, and how to appropriately acknowledge (e.g., cite, reference) when they do use chatGPT.

Also see the Sentient Syllabus Project (Steipe, n.d.)