Statements of Expectations (Syllabus)

JUSTIFICATION

Adapted from Ethan Mollick

This statement’s underlying premise is that AI (Digital) Literacy is likely to become a required skill for employees in future workplaces.

This statement then opts to justify and explain integrated AI-tool use in this context.

STATEMENT OF EXPECTATION: AI Use Integrated into Course

My expectations for student use of AI Tools in Course X:

You are asked to use Generative AI tools in this course. AI use will, however, be dependent on assignment and assessment requirements. Please follow all assessment task-specific directions and guidance as provided. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to ask during office hours or after class.

Learning to use AI tools well will take time and practice, so be proactive and set aside some time to ‘play’ with the AI tools used in this class. Since AI Literacy is an emerging skill (for instructor and student), we will experiment together to discover how best to use them for our academic work and learning.

Familiarize yourself with their strengths and weaknesses. Since many of these tools are prone to fabrication (factual inaccuracies), don’t trust its outputs. Assume they may contain errors unless you either know the answer or can confirm it using another source. You will be responsible for any errors or omissions provided by the tool that you fail to identify and resolve.

Important: AI is a tool, but one that you need to transparently and honestly acknowledge using. In addition to standard reference and citation expectations (APA, MLA, etc.), please always include a reflective paragraph at the end of any assignment that uses AI. Explain what you used the AI for and what prompts you used to get the results. Failure to do so may be considered an act of cheating and a violation as outlined in the relevant sections of University of Alberta (September 2024) Student Academic Integrity Policy.

Words of advice: Be thoughtful about when and how you use AI tools for your learning. Don’t use them if it isn’t appropriate for the use case or circumstance. Don’t use them to shortcut the work you need to do to achieve your learning goals.

JUSTIFICATION

This example is based on a co-created (instructor and students) statement of expectations as outlined in the preceding section above.

Portions adapted from Kelly Matthews.

STATEMENT OF EXPECTATION: Community of Learners Agreement AI Use

On the first day of class, we will as a community co-create an agreement identifying expectations on the use of AI tools that ensures everyone: 1) understands the benefits and limitations of the tools, 2) is able to differentiate between appropriate and inappropriate uses, 3) has equal access to such tools, and 4) is clear on the University of Alberta’s relevant policies and procedures..

The Community of Learners agreement will align with the University of Alberta’s academic integrity policies and procedures (See relevant section on cheating in University of Alberta (September 2024) Student Academic Integrity Policy. As necessary, we will agree to revisit and reconsider aspects of the agreement throughout the course to ensure all members of the course’s Community of Learners continue to have the required shared understanding of the expectations for AI tool use in this class.

Important: Any and all use of AI and AI tools in assessment tasks must be transparently and honestly identified and referenced as directed. Follow-up reflection assignments explaining AI use must be completed and uploaded to eClass assignments within one (1) day of major assessment task completion.

JUSTIFICATION

These expectations specify when AI use is allowed / not- allowed, and highlight the importance of seeking prior approval. The instructor emphasizes a commitment to a learning community that values ethical and transparent AI use.

The instructor plans to discuss with students assessment AI use options.

The attribution expectations, as well as the reflection component, are couched so as to encourage process-based learning.

The instructor emphasizes responsible and ethical usage, while reserving the right to identify assessments and assignments that are designated AI no-go zones.

STATEMENT OF EXPECTATIONS: Instructor-Specified AI-Use

In this course, we commit to AI use guided by ethical and transparent principles. While students are allowed to use advanced automated tools (such as ChatGPT or Dall-E 2) for certain written assignments, it is crucial to adhere to the following guidelines:

Seek prior approval from the instructor for AI use in specific assignments.

(Alternatively, an instructor in a large course with many students could opt for different wording:

"In the syllabus, I have identified which assignments are "AI friendly" and which AI tools can be used in each AI friendly assignment.”)

When allowed, clearly attribute and cite any AI-generated content in your work, including prompts and AI outputs as part of your academic record. Include an additional reflection component in your assessments, discussing how AI tools contributed to your learning process.

IMPORTANT: Please note that AI use is strictly prohibited in assessments and assignments not approved by the instructor. Failure to abide by this guideline may be considered an act of cheating and a violation as outlined in the relevant sections of University of Alberta (September 2024) Student Academic Integrity Policy.

JUSTIFICATION

Although the instructor has no plans to integrate AI into the course and its assessment tasks, students are allowed to use AI because the instructor recognizes that AI can be used to support student learning.

The instructor emphasizes a commitment to a supportive learning community that values responsible, ethical, and transparent AI use by outlining clear attribution and citation expectations (and by explaining any reflection component: “What did the student learn through using generative AI?”) for students who elect to use AI to complete assigned course work and assessments. The instructor’s statement also explicitly references the new Student Academic Integrity Code.

In alignment with a course’s learning outcomes, the instructor reserves the right to designate specific assessment tasks as AI use no-go zones.

STATEMENT OF EXPECTATIONS: Student Choice

In this course, there are no plans to integrate Generative AI into course assessments and assignments. However, we acknowledge that students may use AI tools in various ways to support their own learning.* If you use generative AI to support your assessment task (assignments, presentations, tests, exams, and so on) work, we require that you clearly attribute and cite any AI-generated content in your work. For information on how to cite generative AI, please visit the U of A Library’s How to Cite Generative AI. Remember, you should always review AI outputs for accuracy and potentially harmful contents to the best of your ability.

The instructor reserves the right to prohibit the use of AI for specific assessment tasks when AI use is not in alignment with course learning outcomes/objectives. Failure to abide by the provided guidelines may be considered an act of cheating and a violation as outlined in the relevant sections of University of Alberta (September 2024) Student Academic Integrity Policy.

*Please visit the University of Alberta Library’s Using Generative AI for helpful information and suggestions about how you can use AI in ethical and creative ways.

JUSTIFICATION

This instructor has reservations about allowing AI use in students' academic work.

They are apprehensive about the ethical implications of students sharing their data with AI tools. Additionally, the instructor worries about disparities in access to these tools, which could lead to an inequitable learning experience. Lastly, they are concerned that AI usage might contribute to academic integrity issues.

STATEMENT OF EXPECTATIONS: No AI Use Allowed

(This statement is in keeping with template criteria provided above. It ensures that the course's expectations and guidelines are clear, and it provides a rationale for the prohibition of AI use.)

In this course, our primary focus is to cultivate an equitable, inclusive, and accessible learning community that emphasizes individual critical thinking and problem-solving skills. To ensure a fair and consistent learning experience for all students, the use of advanced AI tools such as ChatGPT or Dall-E 2 is strictly prohibited for all academic (written/coding/creative/etc.) work, assignments, and assessments in this course. Each student is expected to complete all tasks without substantive assistance from others, including AI tools.

Any use of AI tool in your academic work may result in academic penalties and be considered an act of cheating and a violation as outlined in the relevant sections of University of Alberta (September 2024) Student Academic Integrity Policy.

JUSTIFICATION

This instructor wants to give students learning experiences that provide multiple opportunities for them to learn, develop, and demonstrate the authentic skills and knowledge sets that best represent the given repertoire of tools applicable to their specific discipline. With respect to AI, this instructor is concerned that early access to and use of AI-tools in course programming may hinder students from fully developing the requisite capabilities.

The accompanying expectations then outline why AI use is not-allowed in course work and assessments. The instructor explains and stresses the importance of skill-building and ability-building through development opportunities in the context of required learning for the course and discipline while emphasizing a commitment to a learning community that values and understands why AI use is not allowed.

STATEMENT OF EXPECTATIONS: No AI Use Allowed II

(This statement is in keeping with template criteria provided above. It ensures that the course's expectations and guidelines are clear, and it provides a rationale for the prohibition of AI use.)

In this course, our primary focus is to cultivate an equitable, inclusive, and accessible learning community that emphasizes individual critical, creative, and affective thinking as well as disciplinary problem-solving skills. While it is reasonable to assume AI-use might accelerate some aspects of coursework, the determination has been made to not use such tools. In order to achieve the identified course learning outcomes, students must be given learning opportunities and tasks which enable students to develop and demonstrate their skills and knowledge across course and discipline specific projects, assignments, and assessments.

To ensure a just and consistent learning experience for all students, the use of advanced AI-tools such as ChatGPT or Dall-E 2 is strictly prohibited for all academic (written/coding/creative/etc.) work, assignments, and assessments in this course. Each student is expected to complete all tasks without substantive assistance from others, including AI-tools. 

IMPORTANT: Please note that AI use is strictly prohibited in course work, assignments, and assessments. Failure to abide by this guideline may be considered an act of cheating and a violation as outlined in the relevant sections of University of Alberta (September 2024) Student Academic Integrity Policy.