The following sample statements should be taken as starting points to craft your own policy. The Provost’s Office at BC has not issued a policy regarding the use of AI in coursework. When adding an AI-specific policy to a syllabus, consider how to personalize the policy depending on the norms of each department and course, along with BC’s institutional policies and protocols.
It is important to note that while you may suggest to students that using GenAI to complete assignments will be considered plagiarism, it is very difficult to prove given that GenAI will produce unique responses to every prompt.
Sample #1 (Discourage Use of AI)
Artificial Intelligence (AI) Tool Usage: AI tools can generate text, images, and other media very quickly. Since a central goal of this course is to help you become independent and critical thinkers, you are discouraged from using AI tools to create text, video, audio, or images that end up in your work (assignments, activities, responses, etc).
If any part of this is confusing or uncertain, please reach out to me for a conversation before submitting your work.
Note: This statement assumes the syllabus has an academic integrity policy and/or statement about how plagiarized work will be treated.
Sample #2 (Treat AI-generated text as a source)
Artificial Intelligence (AI) Tool Usage: AI tools can generate text, images, and other media very quickly. Since a central goal of this course is to help you become independent and critical thinkers, you are discouraged from using AI tools to create text, video, audio, or images that end up in your work (assignments, activities, responses, etc).
If any AI-generated content is used for your assignments, you must clearly indicate what work is yours and what part is generated by the AI. In such cases, no more than 10% of the student work should be generated by AI. Any AI-generated work not cited and/or used for more than 10% of your assignment will receive ____.
If any part of this is confusing or uncertain, please reach out to me for a conversation before submitting your work.
Note: This statement assumes that students are told which citation styles to use for secondary sources. The instructor would indicate the penalty for not following the policy.
Additional Resources
As of January 15, 2024, a regularly-updated list of existing policies for the use of AI tools at various institutions is available online. BC faculty choosing to adapt these policies for their own syllabi may need to edit them in light of BC institutional policies and protocols, as well as departmental and course context.
For more on this topic, see our resource on Artificial Intelligence in Teaching & Learning.