GenAI and the Academic Integrity Policy

All students are held to the University’s Academic Integrity Policy (Campus Policy 7050). As a community we expect ethical use of Generative AI (GenAI) in your academic work. Below is a practical application of GenAI as it relates to the Academic Integrity Policy.

    Cheating involves the possession, communication, or use of information, materials, notes, study aids, or other devices not authorized by the instructor in an academic exercise, or communication with another person during such exercise for the purpose of obtaining or providing unauthorized information or materials. “Authorization” is legitimate only if given by the faculty member responsible for the evaluation of the student’s work.

    • Prompting Generative AI (GenAI) to complete a task, that has been assigned to you by a faculty member, is likely cheating. 
    • By asking GenAI to do your work, your faculty member is unable to evaluate your learning.
    • Like using a calculator during an exam, unless you have expressed permission from your faculty member, assume you DO NOT have permission to use GenAI.

    Plagiarism is the use of another person’s distinctive ideas or words without acknowledgment. The incorporation of another person’s work into one’s own requires appropriate identification, regardless of the means of appropriation.

    • Submitting work completed by GenAI without giving this source credit is plagiarism.
    • Making slights edits and changes to a GenAI output is considered “mosaic plagiarism”.  
    • Most GenAI models are providing information from other sources. You are responsible to find, ensure they are valid, and cite the original sources as well.

    Citing GenAI

    MLA Citation for ChatGPT is: “Your prompt text” prompt. ChatGPT, Version, OpenAI, Date accessed, URL.

    APA Citation for ChatGPT is: OpenAI. (2023) ChatGPT (May 3 version)[Large language model]. URL.

    Fabrication is inventing or counterfeiting information, such as creating results not obtained in a study or laboratory experiment.

    • Submitting work that is factually inaccurate from GenAI could be seen as a fabrication of information.  
    • GenAI is known to produce “hallucinated” sources and results.
      • Using GenAI to forge documents may also be a violation of the Student Code of Conduct.
    • Remember, you are responsible to determine the validity of all sources that you use in academic tasks.

    Falsification is deliberately altering or changing results to suit one’s needs in an experiment, creative work or other academic or creative exercise.

    • Instructing GenAI to alter, change, or skew results may be considered falsification.
    • You are responsible to uphold ethical standards while a student.

AI Assessment Scale

It is your responsibility to check with your faculty about AI use in their course.

Be aware this may vary for each assignment.

Type of GenAI Use

Description of GenAI Use

No AI

The task is completed independently without any GenAI assistance.

Plan with AI

GenAI may be used for pre-task activities such as brainstorming, outlining, or initial research.

Collaborate with AI

GenAI is used to help complete the task, like idea generation, creating a draft, providing feedback, and grammar edits.

Create with AI

GenAI is used to complete an elements of the task.

GenAI Checklist

To better ensure your work is your own, you should be able to confidently answer “yes” to the following statements.

  1. I have been permitted, by my faculty member, to use GenAI on this assignment.
  2. I understand the way in which I am permitted to use GenAI on this assignment.
  3. I am using my own thoughts, words, and tone of voice.
  4. I have checked sources, and properly cited any facts, statistics, or quotes to the original author.
  5. I have analyzed the GenAI output and identified false, biased, and inaccurate information.
  6. I have documented how I used GenAI and have cited it properly.
  7. I have not used confidential, protected, or copyrighted information.
  8. I can explain all my findings and demonstrate full understanding of the assignment without the aid of GenAI.
  9. I can prove what sources I used and how I verified the information. 

If “perfection is the enemy of progress” then doing it yourself imperfectly is the truest testament of learning.