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Learning & Teaching Innovation

Generative AI for learning and teaching

Guiding statement

UVic is committed to supporting our community to engage with GenAI in responsible, ethical and critical ways. We recognize that the appropriate use of GenAI will vary across disciplines, courses, learning outcomes and teaching contexts. As GenAI continues to develop technically, ethically and socially, so too will our understanding of its role in learning and teaching. Rather than prescribing a single approach, this guiding statement is intended to support ongoing conversations through current resources to inform decision-making across the University.

The guiding statement for learning and teaching is a practical guide that connect institutional principles with the use of a values-driven framework, ultimately leading to the adoption of the Indigenous 5Rs and better articulate the expectations, responsibilities and needs of different members of the university community.

UVic has developed high-level expectations and principles organized by the different roles of potential GenAI users: undergraduate students, graduate students, instructors and academic leaders.

To support these conversations, UVic has drawn on the 5Rs, an Indigenous pedagogical framework. This framework encourages us to consider our use of GenAI tools and how their use shapes our relationships, responsibilities and commitment to ethical and meaningful learning.

three people standing over book and thinking

5R Guiding principles

The 5R framework is built on:
  • relationship - strengthening trust and building relationality
  • respect - honouring diverse perspectives, expertise and knowledge sources
  • relevancy - keeping learning rooted in real contexts and communities
  • responsibility - shared accountability for thoughtful GenAI decisions
  • reciprocity - fostering two-way learning and sharing knowledge across communities

For further reading, please review Joanna Lake & Hayley Atkins' publication on the 5Rs pressbook.

Disclosure statement

This is a living document, intended to be reviewed and discussed regularly within the UVic community. Currently, it is guiding UVic community members' practices with GenAI tool use. We hope it can be adapted for UVic community use in other ways.

Support by role

Undergraduate student
Graduate student
Instructor
Academic leader

Further resources

AI guidelines for researchers and administrative staff

Acknowledgements

This work would not have been possible without the valuable contributions of:

The GenAI working group

  • Nancy Ami, Academic Integrity Manager, LTI
  • Shailoo Bedi, Executive Director, LTI
  • Christian Bock, Director of Curriculum and Teaching Support, LTI
  • Marcus Greenshields, Director of Digital Learning Environment & Support, UVic Systems
  • Bo Love, Program and Executive Support Assistant, LTI
  • Craig Scharien, Associate Director of Academic Technologies & Integration, LTI
  • Christine Walde, Fine Arts Librarian, UVic Libraries
  • Alexander Warrington, Instructional Development & Educational Strategy Manager, LTI

The GenAI advisory group

  • Trefor Bazett, Faculty, Mathematics and Statistics
  • Catherine Harding, Associate Dean Academic, Fine Arts
  • Nader Nasiri, Graduate Student
  • Jean-Paul Restoule, Faculty and Chair, Indigenous Education
  • Jin-Sun Yoon, School of Child and Youth Care
  • Ellis Young, Undergraduate Student
  • Faculty, Social Sciences
As well as the UVic GenAI Community of Practice.