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Learning & Teaching Innovation

GenAI for instructors

As an instructor, you are encouraged to make principled, context-specific decisions about non-use or use of generative AI (GenAI) that respect your disciplinary knowledge systems, sustain trusting relationships with students and keep learning grounded in relevant local and professional contexts.

You carry responsibility to model critical and ethical approaches to GenAI, set clear expectations and boundaries in your courses and support reciprocal learning spaces where students can openly explore GenAI’s opportunities and limitations.

Dos

As an instructor:
  • talk with students about ethical GenAI use in their courses, including benefits, risks and limits
  • set clear expectations and boundaries for when, how and if GenAI may be used in specific activities and assessments and how to disclose
  • explain how GenAI hinders or supports your learning outcomes
  • anchor GenAI use in your discipline’s norms, methods and local context so activities remain meaningful, situated and relevant
  • if using GenAI, model critical and ethical practices, showing students how to question outputs, protect data and uphold academic integrity
  • enhance trust and cultivate reciprocal learning experiences where students can discuss GenAI openly, share insights and co-create responsible practices 

Principles applied

Respect

Model your decision-making about GenAI that reflects your professional values, builds trust with students and colleagues, honours multiple perspectives with clear attribution to original knowledge keepers and acknowledges the environmental costs of technology choices.

Relationships

Strengthen relationships by talking with students about GenAI, designing activities that build trust and connection and inviting ongoing conversation about GenAI’s role in learning.

Relevancy

Design learning experiences that connect authentically to place, community and disciplinary practice, and, where appropriate, include guidance for students on GenAI tool use.

Responsibility

Fulfil your responsibility by setting clear GenAI boundaries, articulating long-term impacts on student learning and teaching students how to engage critically and ethically with these tools.

Reciprocity

Enable reciprocity by creating assignments and conversations where you and your students exchange insights about GenAI, learning from one another and extending value beyond grades. 

Sample syllabus statements

Please be advised that in this course you are not authorized to use any form of generative AI. In order to successfully complete course activities, generative AI is not required nor welcomed. Students should not make any use of generative AI tools such as ChatGPT, Grammarly, among others that use AI for content generation and editing. As the University of Victoria states on its Academic Integrity Policy “Academic integrity requires commitment to the values of honesty, trust, fairness, respect, and responsibility.” Therefore, I expect you to comply with the course syllabus and I encourage you to enhance your academic experience in this course by refraining from use generative AI.

In this course, you are limitedly authorized to make the use of generative AI such as ChatGPT. Below are the specific assignments and activities that you can work together with generative AI. In order to not violate academic integrity, you must cite ChatGPT or any other tool properly using one of the following styles: APA style, Chicago [insert any other style accepted by instructor]. Additionally, you must add as an appendix all the prompts and questions used within the generative AI to create content as an appendix. For all the other activities in this course, please refrain from using any generative AI. Please note that you can opt for not using generative AI at all to successfully complete all the courses requirements.

[list assignments and/or activities that students can use GenAI if they wish]

In this course I welcome the use of generative AI for assignments completion and during activities in the classroom. Therefore, you are authorized to use generative AI tools such as ChatGPT. Please note that you can opt for not using generative AI at all as well to complete all the courses assignments successfully. In the case you opt to use generative AI, you must provide proper citation of the tools you used and describe how you used it (for initial research, preparing outline, editing etc).

Although the course allows the use of generative AI, please be aware of the following flaws when using the tools:

  • Generative AI does not fact check
  • Generative AI may provide bias and inaccurate answers
  • Generative AI hallucinates and may provide false or/and made up information
  • Generative AI does not critically analyze content
*Please note: when allowing students to use GenAI for a course, be aware that some AI applications may cause student concern about cost, security, equity and privacy. Students should not be required to use a technology that is not part of the UVic learning technology ecosystem. Consider offering students a choice to opt-out by offering alternative options.

Further resources

External resources