Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) tools have sparked discussion and debate in the field of education since the release of tools like ChatGPT in late 2022.
GenAI offers exciting new opportunities to enhance your learning as a student. Acceptable and appropriate GenAI use includes use that is approved by your instructor and use that helps you achieve the required learning outcomes of your courses and program.
There are also some ways of using GenAI that may take away from your learning and may result in an Academic Integrity Breach. It is important to understand how to use this technology ethically and responsibly so that it can enhance rather than take away from your learning goals.
Information about GenAI tools and strategies to support your learning and enhance academic integrity during your studies are outlined below.
Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) is a type of artificial intelligence technology that can generate new unique content such as new text, images, video, or audio.
GenAI learns patterns from a massive collection of data and then predicts meaning from questions and instructions (“prompts”) that are provided by human users, to then generate novel responses (“GenAI content” or “output”). GenAI tools produce a wide variety of content that can appear very similar to content created by humans, often within a matter of seconds.
GenAI is now everywhere, and continues to be developed and enhanced at a rapid pace.
There are several considerations for using GenAI responsibly, when completing academic work.
Using GenAI responsibly involves knowing your instructors’ expectations for use, and acknowledging your GenAI use whenever you incorporate its output into your academic work.
The content that GenAI generates must also be checked for accuracy, validity and appropriateness due to the tools’ risks and limitations.
Here are some specific considerations to keep in mind when using GenAI output
The content that a GenAI tool produces is based on the information from the internet that it was trained on. This information (also sometimes called data) is not fully checked for inaccuracies or other issues before being used to train the GenAI tools. Therefore, GenAI may produce content that sounds credible but is in fact, inaccurate or false. It may also produce content that perpetuates biases or stereotypes regarding race, gender, ability and more. Such content has the potential to cause harm to others.
You are responsible for the accuracy and appropriateness of the GenAI content you choose to use.
If you are approved to use GenAI, it is important to review the GenAI output for content that may be inaccurate or problematic, before accepting it.
GenAI may produce content containing the work of another creator without acknowledgement. This is because the data that GenAI is trained on may include others’ creative or professional works, used without their consent. This presents a risk for copyright or intellectual property right infringement, as well as a risk of Academic Integrity Breach (such as plagiarism).
Sharing or uploading someone else's documents or content with a GenAI tool may be considered an infringement of copyright or intellectual property rights.
If you are approved to use GenAI, it is important to review the GenAI output for content belonging to others, and to ensure appropriate acknowledgement of the content owners. Protect copyright and intellectual property rights by only sharing others’ work with GenAI tools if you have their expressed permission to do so, and in compliance with policy A10 – Intellectual Property and Copyright.
GenAI tools collect significant amounts of user data and pose a privacy risk. Review the GenAI tools’ Terms of Use, including how your personal information and data is collected, stored and used by the tools. Do not enter personal details or confidential information into GenAI tools.
If you are approved to use GenAI, ensure that you understand the risks to privacy that are involved with GenAI use.
Assignments and tests are opportunities for you to develop and demonstrate your own knowledge, skills and abilities. Ensuring appropriate and responsible GenAI use is essential to support your learning and skill development.
Protect your learning and ensure that your GenAI use is aligned with the expectations of your course, and with policy A17 – Academic Integrity.
The A17 Academic Integrity Policy and Procedures identify specific types of GenAI use that would be considered an Academic Integrity Breach. These include:
What is considered ok, and not ok regarding use of GenAI technology depends on many factors. What is acceptable in one context or course, may not be acceptable in another. It can depend on the subject matter or discipline of the course, how and why GenAI has been used and the resulting impact of GenAI use on your learning.
Refer to your course information about expected GenAI use and ask your instructor if you’re not sure about something. Your instructor can tell you if GenAI use is approved in your course and in what ways.
Students at RRC Polytech are supported in engaging with GenAI to help them achieve the required learning outcomes in their courses and program.
Knowing how to use GenAI appropriately as a student will support your learning and maintain academic integrity.
The following flowchart provides general guidance on when it may or may not be safe to use a GenAI tool like ChatGPT.
This flowchart does not replace the assignment requirements of your course that are related to GenAI use.
There may be different expectations for when and when not to use GenAI tools, depending on the course and program, so always check with the course instructor first.
Instructors are responsible for communicating the acceptable and unacceptable uses of GenAI tools to their students. Students are responsible for submitting assignments that show their own knowledge, skills, and abilities.
If there is a concern that GenAI has been used in a way that is not aligned with the course expectations, your instructor will invite you for a supportive Exploratory Meeting to better understand how you completed your academic work.
Use of GenAI tools that compromises academic integrity will be addressed following the A17 Academic Integrity Policy and Procedures.
Students may be able to use GenAI to support their learning in several ways:
Any GenAI use for academic work should be approved by the course instructor and aligned with RRC Polytech policies.
Always protect your learning and ensure that your GenAI use is aligned with the expectations of your course, and with policy A17 – Academic Integrity.
Check with your instructor to ensure you know the expectations for using GenAI in your course. Depending on the course or program, there may be different expectations for GenAI use.
If you are permitted to use GenAI, your instructor or course outline will provide guidance on how to acknowledge the use of these tools during the completion of an assignment. Some possible examples include:
The Academic Writing and Citation Guide on ChatGPT and other GenAI provides information on potential methods for acknowledging the use of GenAI. Check with your instructor first about which method is approved for your course if GenAI use is acceptable.
This Q & A was inspired by resources from the University of Toronto and University of British Columbia.
