A lot of other instructors and educational institutions have already developed some great language that you can use as a model and incorporate into your own syllabi and curriculum for college-level courses. Here are some boilerplates and ideas that you might draw on for your own classes.
Suggestions for Programming Syllabi
In my Department, Campus, and District, there is no standard policy at this point regarding AI use in the classroom. It is up to each teacher to determine how best to use it for their classes, or not. As many in my Department teach programming classes, I combed through the above materials to provide some various options for language that might be used depending on each teacher's preferences to create a boilerplate.
One interesting observation is that a lot of folks are using 25% generated content as a benchmark that is acceptable. I'm not sure how they arrived at that (or how you could actually enforce that). I don't think setting a percentage is realistic.
From Syllabi Policies for AI Generative Tools
Item 60: ENGR 1100 - Fundamentals of Computation, Kate Goodman, University of Colorado Denver
Special Note on AI: Utilizing ChatGPT or other AI tools is becoming more common. While I would prefer you not use these tools and instead commit to the productive struggle that is learning, I recognize that these tools are not going away. Rather than ban them, we will treat them similarly to other resources you use. This means you MUST follow the four points above. 1. Give notice that you used the AI tool, which one you used and how you used it in the comments of your code. 2. Rigorously test and alter the program to suit the assignment and your understanding. 3. You must understand any code you submit and be prepared to explain it to me. And 4. all comments should be your own words. Sample code with the appropriate credit statement will be shown in class.
Item 64: MEA: 3290: Applied Media Analytics, Brian Walsh, Rights: Public Domain, Elon University
I encourage you to use AI-related technologies in this class, such as Chat GPT. But I would like it recognized as a tool.For research, AI use is encouraged: use it to come up with ideas for your project or try to find data sets online. You can even try uploading a data set and asking for some basic insights.For coding, you are welcome to treat AI as a tutor, asking it how to program something, or what’s wrong with your code. I find that AI provides code examples, and completely lacks context. Therefore, if you do not understand the syntax of the programming language you are using, AI will be of little help.For written content, please write a draft of your project before using AI to help improve it.
This one is kind of long, but it does have a great discussion of the dangers and pitfalls of using ChatGPT and other "AI" tools, particularly in the area of personal data security. In a roundabout way it addresses the issues of Gaslighting, Hallucination (it can completely fabricate non-existent citations, because it thinks it needs one and this would be "reasonable" based on the modelling), Bias, and Data Poisoning that can occur in these tools.
Item 73: Introduction to Professional Writing, Lance Cummings, Rights: Public Domain, University of North Carolina Wilmington
Hey everyone! I take a unique approach to writing and content creation compared to some other professors. To me, writing happens in a network between people and technology (not just you sitting in front of a computer typing away). AI is now part of this network, whether we want it to be or not.My view is that AI will impact us no matter what. But we also have the power to shape how AI develops if we engage with it thoughtfully. This class gives you a safe space to creatively experiment with AI without shame, fear, or guilt.⭐ I want to be clear: You will not be penalized just for using AI in this course. Unless I say otherwise for a specific assignment, feel free to try out AI writing assistants and generate content with these tools.I'll share prompts and activities to guide your AI exploration. These are optional - use what's helpful to you! AI is not always the right or best choice for a given writing activity. We'll also discuss our experiences openly as a class to promote mindful AI integration.While experimenting freely, keep these points in mind:
- AI can demonstrate biases and inaccuracies at times. Always validate the content before accepting it.
- Be cautious with data privacy. Don't input anything too personal or private. You can't control where it ends up. If you wouldn’t post it on the internet, don’t give it to an AI.
- Recognize the limitations. AI doesn't truly comprehend facts or meaning yet. It makes guesses, which means it can confidently provide false information.
AI content may initially seem impressive, but usually is not as good as you think it is. I call these AI goggles. Take care whenever using AI-generated text.⭐ Also keep in mind that my AI-forward policy only applies to this class. Other professors likely have different rules. Using AI without permission could violate academic integrity policies. So always check the specific guidelines for each class first!Let's explore AI as a creative tool to augment our skills, not replace them. I'm excited to see what we can discover together! Let me know if you ever have any other questions.
From The Sentient Syllabus Project
Computer Code. In principle you may submit AI-generated code, or code that is based on or derived from AI-generated code, as long as this use is properly documented in the comments: you need to include the prompt and the significant parts of the response. AI tools may help you avoid syntax errors, but there is no guarantee that the generated code is correct. It is your responsibility to identify errors in program logic through comprehensive, documented testing. Moreover, generated code, even if syntactically correct, may have significant scope for improvement, in particular regarding separation of concerns and avoiding repetitions. The submission itself must meet our standards of attribution and validation.Attribution. All ideas that are not originally one's own have a source and that source must be attributed. Please be aware that generative AI tends to invent sources. You have a two-fold obligation. (1) you need to document the process, and (2) you need to find and attribute the original source of the idea, identify the location within the source, and provide a working link to the location. If you quote the AI itself, label it as “synthesized communication” and reference it like the conventions for a “personal communication”. Note that such a “synthesized communication" is not a valid source for facts, only for the conversation itself.Facticity. Besides inventing sources, generative AI may invent facts as well. Verification is your responsibility: submitting factually wrong material is an academic offence, and whether the source of the error is you or the AI makes no difference. You need to check the facts, the quotes, the arguments, the logic, and document what you did to validate your material.
And, if you are choosing to embrace the possible use of AI by students, this is also useful:
Documenting AI use. Throughout this term, you will maintain a journal that documents significant interactions with AI tools, for course credit. Document your prompts, the AI’s responses, and how the response was used. You should include the documentation that you may have appended to other submitted work, but also exploratory use of the tools, and reflections on your experience. If you have a lengthy conversation with the AI, you may use an ellipsis “[...]” to truncate its response, but you must include your own prompts in full, without any omission. Through such documentation and reflection, you will contribute to a knowledge base of best practice and help others learn from your experiences.
AI generated image by Bing/Copilot Designer, Phot.ai, and Fotor.com
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