Published on 08-20-2024
With the increased popularity of using artificial intelligence (AI) tools in education, instructors are finding it challenging to distinguish AI-generated work from student-generated work. There is also the potential for student confusion on when and how AI can be used in the classroom.
There is great value in using AI in business communication, strategy and execution. The Daniels School expects its students to be ready to use the relevant tools of AI — and also to be able to discern when use of AI is inappropriate.
Prior to the start of fall classes, the Daniels School’s Director of Teaching and Learning, Erica Lott, and the Associate Dean for Student Experience and Undergraduate Programs, Kelly Blanchard, shared with faculty four written resources to aid in establishing AI-use clarity:
A syllabus checklist that included these boxes:
- ☐ If AI use is allowed, include the assessments where AI can be used, how it can be used (e.g., brainstorming, summarizing articles, defining codes, etc.), citing AI use, accepted platforms, and penalties for improper AI use.
- ☐ If AI use is not allowed, include clear statement that AI use is not allowed for the course, information and resources for additional assistance, and penalties for improper AI use.
A syllabus template with these AI guidelines:
Whether you plan to allow your students to use AI in your course or not, provide clear guidelines around appropriate use and restrictions in the course.
In addition to providing guidelines to use, it is important to have a discussion with your students around ethical use, appropriate use/situations for AI, how to use AI, pros/cons to using AI, biases, limitations, academic integrity, as well as discussing the guidelines for use in your course.
If AI use is allowed, include the following items in your syllabi:
- Provide a table or list with the assessments where AI can be used.
- Document what is allowed and not allowed when using AI (e.g., brainstorming, summarizing articles, defining aspects of codes, etc.).
- Provide information about how you want students to cite AI use (e.g., provide the prompt, response, both the prompt and the response; ask AI for a bibliography, etc.).
- Provide a list of AI platforms that are allowed for use (e.g., ChatGPT, Excel Formula Bot, Claude AI, etc.).
- Be clear as to the penalty(ies) for improper AI use.
If AI use is not allowed on some or all assessments, include the following items in your syllabi:
- Provide a clear statement that students are not allowed to use AI for their work.
- Provide information as to the resources and supplemental materials students can use for their assessments and where they can go for extra help.
- Provide a list of AI platforms that are allowed for use (e.g., ChatGPT, Excel Formula Bot, Claude AI, etc.).
- Be clear as to the penalty(ies) for using AI when it is not allowed.
A two-page Suggestions and Sample Syllabi Statements for AI document that provides suggested text for specific scenarios of AI use, or non-use, including:
- Students are allowed to use AI in class for brainstorming only.
- Students are allowed to use AI for written assessments in the course. Students need to cite the AI source and provide certain information around its use.
- AI restrictions on presentations and writing.
A Creating Assessments that Emphasize Student Work primer that offers suggestions for creating assessments that are not easily completed by AI tools for both written work and quantitative/non-written work.
For written work, suggestions include:
- Collect a short writing assessment to get a baseline of students’ written work.
- Have students explain the changes made between document drafts.
- Incorporate personal experiences or application in the assessment.
- Use current events, as AI ChatGPT is less likely to generate written work that includes them.
- Have students include references or citations to materials shared in the course that are not available on the internet, such as activities or notes from class.
And many more. For quantitative work, suggestions include:
- Create application-based questions. Design questions that require students to apply knowledge to real-world scenarios, unique situations, or problem-solving tasks.
- Use multi-step, conceptual thinking. Avoid questions that can be easily answered by putting numbers into equations.
- Ask students to explain, interpret, and defend a solution (e.g., proof structure), or explain modifications made to different codes.
- Use randomized parameters.
- Require graphs, diagrams, or sketches to demonstrate understanding.
- Use incorrect AI-generated responses or solutions to problems. Have students identify and/or explain the issue(s) with the AI-generated responses.
Faculty are advised to not rely on AI-checker or AI-detection software unless it has been evaluated extensively and for various scenarios.
