Artificial Intelligence (AI) is technology that enables computers to perform tasks that usually require human intelligence (Russell & Norvig, 2021). Users engage with these tools through prompts, allowing them to direct the tool’s responses. Generative AI refers to AI tools that create new content, like text, images, video, or music, that looks and sounds similar to what humans would produce. It learns patterns from existing data and uses that knowledge to generate new output. This includes tools like ChatGPT and Microsoft CoPilot.

Try out the following to explore the capabilities of these AI tools:

• Input a longer text and ask for summary or a translation into a different language
• Compare the output of different AI tools using the same prompt
• Request things beyond the capabilities of a typical search engine such as generating a rubric, creating multiple-choice questions, and/or developing a lesson plan on a specific topic.

To learn more about how to use AI tools to improve your workflow and enhance your instruction, consider attending our Generative AI Crash Course workshop session! 

As the interest in Generative AI has grown, so has the interest in effective AI detection solutions. While there are AI detection tools out there, they can often be unreliable, producing false positives and negatives (Bender et al., 2021). They may also exhibit bias against non-native English speakers and neurodiverse students (Liang et al., 2023). Additionally, these tools can be easily manipulated (Jobin et al., 2019). 

If you suspect that a student might have used generative AI for their assignment, having a conversation with them is a great initial approach. Additionally, due to privacy concerns, it’s advised not to upload student work to other AI detectors without their consent.

Efficiency: AI has the potential to enhance what its users are capable of. Some of the ways that generative AI tools can help instructors is by assisting in the development and modification of lesson plans, rubrics, assessments, case studies, summaries, reports, outlines, tables, revisions, graphics, audio, and more. With a well-developed prompt, various tools can develop the resources above often in a matter of seconds to minutes (Luckin et al., 2016).

Concept Exploration: Users across disciplines can use generative AI to assist in brainstorming, investigating a topic, exploring alternative perspectives, and/or jump-starting an email (Luckin et al., 2016). 

Learning Support: As a learning tool, students can interact in real-time with generative AI tools to get immediate feedback and support. With that said, AI is not a substitute for instructor-student or student-student interaction but can be an effective tool when those types of interactions are not possible.

Career Skills: Currently, there has been an increasing demand for individuals equipped with the knowledge and skills to create AI programs, critically assess AI technologies, collaborate effectively with AI, and leverage it as a tool in various capacities in the workforce. This will likely only expand as AI tools are utilized more in the workplace (Luckin et al., 2016).

Equity and Access: While there are free versions of AI tools, there are more robust AI tools behind a paywall that offer an expanded feature set, more current information, and better output. Additionally, not all AI tools are available globally and not all tools meet accessibility requirements which can make it difficult for students with diverse learning needs to benefit from AI tools as compared to their peers (Crawford & Joler, 2018).

Inaccuracies / Bias: AI tools such as large language models and image generators are trained from data that exists on the internet including digitized materials, online discussion boards, and other human-generated sources. As a result, the outputs that AI tools generate can contain misinformation as well as reflect views of racism, sexism, ableism, violence, stereotypes, and more that were “learned” from what is published on the internet (Bender et al., 2021). 

Academic Dishonesty: The rise of AI tools has made generating written content and other forms of content more efficient and easier. It is not always easy to determine if work is generated by AI or not and AI generators have been found to not only be unreliable but in some cases biased (Jobin et al., 2019). 

Privacy: Not all AI tools offer protected versions that safeguard data. In most cases, it is safe to assume that information shared with AI tools may not be private and there is a risk that data can be exposed. It is important to consider this as well as speak to your students about this privacy issue when using AI tools (Jobin et al., 2019). 

Intellectual Property: Since AI tools learn from what is available on the internet, there have been challenges with copyright and intellectual property. Users in creative fields such as artists, writers, and publishers have challenged AI developers in court since their copywritten material is often used to train AI programs often without permission (Metz, 2023).

Unethical Labor Practices: In many cases, research suggests that there are reports of unsafe and unfit labor conditions that human workers who provide feedback to train AI models face on a daily basis. (Crawford & Joler, 2018)

Carbon Footprint:As AI tools continue to evolve, they will require the use of more energy compared to traditional Google searches and other online tasks that we are used to. This can impact emissions in a negative way and make the task of lowering emissions for companies that are planning to use AI often a significant challenge (Strubell et al., 2019).

While there are many different approaches to address unauthorized AI usage in the classroom, we often recommend embracing AI as well as rethinking and redesigning assessments to reduce the chances of AI misuse. 

The following are some approaches to minimize unauthorized AI usage:

• Discuss the limitations and biases of AI with your students, especially in relation to the course and discipline of study (Bender et al., 2021).
• Discuss the importance of acquiring the skills that the course is offering and the implications of failing to do so.
• Design assignments that allow students to demonstrate their understanding through creativity and personal experiences
• Consider redesigning writing prompts and assignments that exploit the shortcomings of AI tools
• Modify rubrics and grading strategies to penalize the “common faults” of AI-generated writing by emphasizing process over product, incorporating criteria that assess depth of analysis and originality of ideas, and including opportunities for personal reflection and real-world application.
• Break larger assignments into smaller, lower stakes assignments to reduce student anxiety around the assessment as well as the opportunity to address suspected AI usage early.
• Consider allowing students to demonstrate their understanding in different ways using diverse media such as videos, podcasts, and more.
• Develop assignments where students are not only assessed on what is produced but the process as well.
• Discuss the assignment's objective and explain why it is essential for students to engage in a specific manner to achieve the learning goal.

To learn more about how to redesign your assessments to minimize unauthorized AI usage, consider attending our Generative AI in Higher Education: A Deep Dive Into Assessment Redesign workshop session!

AI tools can be helpful to instructors in many ways. The following are some of the way that AI tools can be used to inform and improve instruction:

Develop Learning Objectives: AI tools can help in the development of new learning objectives or to rework existing learning objectives. AI tools can also provide feedback on how to align learning objectives to course learning goals (Luckin et al., 2016).

Develop Multiple Choice Questions: AI tools can help in the development of multiple choice questions or to provide feedback on existing multiple choice questions. They can also generate answer choices and distractor choices for these questions. 

Brainstorm Lesson Plan Ideas: AI tools can help instructors develop lesson plans as well as brainstorm ideas for lesson plan enhancement such as developing engaging lesson hooks, discussion topics, providing real world examples, and more. They can also provide feedback on how to improve existing lesson plans (Luckin et al., 2016).

Creating Rubrics: AI tools can draft rubrics for a course assignment based on details provided such as assignment directions and learning objectives. They can also provide feedback on existing rubrics and suggest how they can improve. Some tools such as Microsoft CoPilot will even export rubrics to Excel / Sheets formats for further editing.

Class Activities: AI tools can help to suggest ways to enhance class activities such as provide options for gamification, suggest scenarios, serve as a role play partner, act as peer-reviewer, develop multimedia aligned to the lesson, and more. 

To learn more about how to use AI tools to improve your workflow and enhance your instruction, consider attending our Generative AI Boot Camp workshop session!

It is important to discuss your policies on AI usage in a clear and unambiguous manner. Including an AI statement in your course syllabus and reviewing this with students at the start of the course helps to begin the AI discussion. It can also be helpful to outline which assignments allow for the use of AI tools and which assignments do not permit the usage of AI tools (Selwyn, 2019).

The following document, created by Lance Eaton, Senior Associate Director of AI in Teaching and Learning at Northeastern University, offers examples of AI syllabus statements tailored to different levels of allowance across a variety of academic disciplines. This resource can serve as a valuable guide when crafting your own AI syllabus statements for your courses. When establishing your policy, it’s crucial to communicate this decision with your students and, as mentioned earlier, include reminders about AI usage in your assignment instructions as well.

Syllabi Policies for AI Tools

In addition, our Graduate School has developed a policy regarding the usage of Generative AI which can be found on the Graduate School Bulletin.

For more information on developing syllabus statements and communication expectations, please visit our Course Syllabus: Language and Policies page. 

Much like us, students have varying experience, knowledge, and opinions of AI tools. Some students are exploring these tools for the first time and others are using AI tools for various purposes including editing and revision of writing, coding, math, citations, and even everyday uses such as cooking, shopping, and more. This is an important consideration to make when developing AI guidelines for your courses.

The following are some recommendations for discussing AI with your students:

• Explain how your AI policies align with your learning goals and course objectives
• Outline your AI usage expectations for the course as well as individual assignments
• Discuss AI usage with your students and ask about their experiences using AI
• Discuss the importance of academic integrity 
• Explore AI in the classroom together (eg., have students ask AI questions and then critique the output for accuracy and credibility)
• Revisit these talking points and conversations regarding AI throughout the semester as needed

Properly citing AI tools has become more of a common practice as AI tools continue to develop further and evolve. Since many students are at different levels of familiarity with using AI tools, providing instructions on how to do this in your syllabus as well as on assignments where it would be necessary can be helpful for students.

Citing AI Content: Any AI-generated content that is quoted, paraphrased, or otherwise incorporated into a student’s work should be cited including AI-generated images, media, and other visual content. Some AI tools also make their interactions shareable, which can be included as a link or URL. Currently both MLA Style Center: How do I Cite Generative AI in MLA Style? and  APA Style: How to Cite ChatGPT provide further guidance on how to cite generative AI in MLA and APA formats (MLA Style Center, 2023; APA Style, 2023). 

Acknowledgment of AI Assistance: If students are using AI tools to assist them with different learning activities such as research and composition, it is important that they know where and how to document this usage. This could be in the form of an acknowledgment section, methods section, notes section, or another format that has been previously discussed with the students.

Review AI-Generated Content: In many cases, AI tools can develop biased, illogical, or false information and even can generate sources that do not exist. This can be due to where the AI tool is pulling information from, the wording of the prompt that was submitted, and/or other reasons. It is important that anyone who makes use of AI tools to generate content reviews its output for accuracy.

As the use of artificial intelligence tools in academic writing continues to grow, faculty should take a proactive and fair approach when evaluating AI-flagged student work. One important precaution instructors can take is to explicitly require students (as prat of the course syllabus) to keep a time-stamped copy of all their drafts, in either Google Docs or Word or whatever format the student is using to construct the document. This is for the student's protection and could serve as "proof" that their document was not entirely AI-generated.

To further ensure fairness and accuracy in evaluating  AI-flagged papers, faculty can follow the Next Steps for AI-Flagged Paper Flowchart. This guide was created in collaboration with the Stony Brook University Academic Integrity Judiciary Committee. Best practices include carefully reviewing AI detection reports, cross-referencing flagged content with course guidelines, engaging students in discussion about their writing process, and documenting findings thoroughly. It can help faculty make informed decisions that uphold academic integrity while supporting student learning. 

As part of an AI^3 Seed Grant for a faculty development and student support program focused on maintaining the integrity of writing-to-learn assignments while fostering innovation in the age of AI, Dr. Shyam Sharma, Principal Investigator from the Program in Writing and Rhetoric, Dr. Rose Tirotta-Esposito, Co-Principal Investigator and Director of the Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching, and Co-Principal Investigator Dr. Christine Fena from the University Libraries, collaborated with faculty, students, and CELT staff to create these modules to help students build writing-to-learn skills alongside critical AI literacy. 

This course empowers college students to develop critical AI literacy while enhancing their writing skills. Students will learn how to ethically and responsibly integrate AI tools into their academic writing, fostering a deeper understanding of AI's role in education. Through interactive lessons and practical exercises, participants will explore strategies to use AI as a supportive tool rather than a replacement for critical thinking. By the end of the course, students will be equipped to navigate the challenges and opportunities of AI in academic contexts, ensuring their writing remains authentic and impactful.

If you would like to request the set of student modules to integrate into Brightspace and link to your gradebook, please fill out the Student Module Request form. After completing this form you will receive a ZIP file with the Articulate Rise student modules and instructions for Brightspace integration. CELT is also available for consultations.  

You can also share the set of student modules directly by sharing: Fostering Writing-to-Learn Skills with Critical AI Literacy for Students 

Definition of Artificial Intelligence and Generative AI
OpenAI. (2022, November 30). Introducing ChatGPT. OpenAI. Retrieved fromhttps://openai.com/blog/chatgpt

Russell, S., & Norvig, P. (2021). Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach (4th ed.). Pearson Education.

AI Capabilities in Learning and Teaching
Luckin, R. (2018). Machine Learning and Human Intelligence: The Future of Education for the 21st Century. UCL Press.

Bender, E. M., Gebru, T., McMillan-Major, A., & Shmitchell, S. (2021). On the dangers of stochastic parrots: Can language models be too big?. Proceedings of the 2021 ACM Conference on Fairness, Accountability, and Transparency (pp. 610–623). ACM. https://doi.org/10.1145/3442188.3445922

Liang, W., Yuksekgonul, M., Mao, Y., Wu, E., Zou, J.. GPT detectors are biased against non-native English writers. Patterns, 2023; 100779 DOI: 10.1016/j.patter.2023.100779

Ethical Concerns and Risks of AI
Jobin, A., Ienca, M., & Vayena, E. (2019). The global landscape of AI ethics guidelines. Nature Machine Intelligence, 1(9), 389–399. https://doi.org/10.1038/s42256-019-0088-2

Gebru, T., et al. (2020). Algorithmic Justice League: Addressing bias in AI. Retrieved fromhttps://www.ajl.org

AI in Education and Career Skills
Luckin, R., Holmes, W., Griffiths, M., & Forcier, L. B. (2016). Intelligence Unleashed: An Argument for AI in Education. Pearson Education.

Equity, Accessibility, and Carbon Footprint Concerns
Crawford, K., & Joler, V. (2018). Anatomy of an AI System. AI Now Institute.
Strubell, E., Ganesh, A., & McCallum, A. (2019). Energy and policy considerations for deep learning in NLP. arXiv preprint arXiv:1906.02243.

Syllabus Policies and Pedagogical Guidance
Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI). (2023). Guidelines for the use of AI in educational settings. Retrieved fromhttps://aaai.org


Citing Generative AI Tools (MLA and APA Guidance)
MLA Style Center. (2023). How do I cite generative AI in MLA Style? Retrieved fromhttps://style.mla.org
American Psychological Association (APA). (2023). How to cite ChatGPT. Retrieved fromhttps://apastyle.apa.org

Addressing AI in Student Conversations
Selwyn, N. (2019). Should Robots Replace Teachers? AI and the Future of Education. Polity Press.

Research on AI-Generated Content Verification
Metz, C. (2023). AI detects its own mistakes – or does it? The New York Times.