Chat GPT & Other Generative AI Software
You can find relevant information on the use of Chat GPT and other generative AI writing software here. We have also provided sample statements down below for faculty to use in their syllabi.
This page will continue to be updated as we learn more about how best to support you and other faculty on campus.
What is ChatGPT, and how does it work?
ChatGPT (Generative Pre-Trained Transformer) is a free Artificial Intelligence (AI)
system released by Open AI that can be used to create art and music, as well as a
variety of language-based tasks, such as writing essays, debugging computer code,
translating between languages, explaining math problems, and many others. The system
has been ‘trained’ by analyzing an archive of billions of pages of text to allow it
to determine the statistically most likely response to a question or prompt. For educators,
ChatGPT has serious implications for faculty who request students to write research
or term papers. The ChatGPT software needs only a sentence or two (or maybe even just
a blurb) to produce multiple paragraphs of text related to the topic in a matter of
seconds. Using the sentence typed in by the student, the bot produces text by pulling
from reams of data on the internet to construct works with ample citations that are
not flagged when run through a plagiarism detector such as Turn It In. As such, it
is difficult for faculty to discern if students have cheated or been unethical in
the work they submit. Further information can be found on
What are Chat GPT's Limitations?
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ChatGPT’s response will vary. Slight differences in a student’s initial prompt or even using the same prompt at different times can produce different responses.
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Sometimes ChatGPT will produce responses that are factually incorrect or biased, and cite non-existent or incorrectly labeled sources.
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ChatGPT’s archive was compiled in 2021. While the archive will likely be updated in future releases, the archive does not contain information about recent developments.
Sample Syllabus Statements for AI in the Classroom
Generative AI has been advancing rapidly in recent years, with tools like ChatGPT, Bing AI, and Bard, that can produce realistic and coherent texts on various topics and tasks. Althoughgenerative AI can be a useful tool for learning and education, it should not be used to replace or undermine students’ original work and effort. Faculty may wish to allow students to use generative AI tools, provide specific parameters for its use, or prohibit its use for course assignments and assessments. It is important that faculty clearly communicate to students the acceptable use of generative AI in their course(s). Such communication should be included via a statement in the syllabus and/or Canvas course site in addition to verbally communicating the faculty’s position in class. Sample statements from OSU and other higher education institutions that can be included in course syllabi are included below.
For Faculty Who Do NOT Allow Generative AI Tools in the Learning Environment
Oklahoma State University: "Students are prohibited from using any generative AI tools such as ChatGPT, Bing
AI, or Bard when completing course assignments. Use of these tools, or other similar
generative AI tools, will not be tolerated and will be considered plagiarism and could
result in the student failing the course. Any incident detected will be addressed
through the university’s academic integrity procedures."
Other Institutions' Statements
Texas Tech University: "Since writing, analytical, and critical thinking skills are part of the learning
outcomes of this course, all writing assignments should be prepared by the student.
Developing strong competencies in this area will prepare you for a competitive workplace.
Therefore, AI-generated submissions are not permitted and will be treated as plagiarism."
University of Iowa: "This course assumes that work submitted by students—all process work, drafts, low
stakes writing, final versions, and all other submissions—will be generated by the
students themselves, working individually or in groups. This means that the following
would be considered violations of academic integrity: a student has another person/entity
do the writing of any substantive portion of an assignment for them, which includes
hiring a person or a company to write essays and drafts and/or other assignments,
research-based or otherwise, and using artificial intelligence affordances like ChatGPT."
For Faculty Who Allow Generative AI Tools to be Used in Some Circumstances or With Explicit Permission
Oklahoma State University: "Students may access and use generative AI tools, such as ChatGPT, Bing AI, or Bard, to assist them in their learning
of the course content. Appropriate uses may include generating ideas for writing assignments,
checking facts of a phenomenon, and assessing a paper for grammatical errors that
are written by the student. Such uses of the tool assist students in learning the
content and will therefore be permitted. However, students are prohibited from using generative AI tools to completely produce, reproduce, and/or manufacture paper and/or other
assignments without using any personal effort devoted to the learning process. Before using generative AI tools, students should check to ensure they do not conflict
with copyright laws or other’s proprietary information."
Other Institutions' Statements
Colorado University: "There are situations and contexts within this course where you will be asked to use
AI tools to explore how they can be used. Outside of those circumstances, you are
discouraged from using AI tools to generate content (text, video, audio, images) that
will end up in any student work (assignments, activities, responses, etc) that is
part of your evaluation in this course. Any student work submitted using AI tools
should clearly indicate what work is the student’s work and what part is generated
by the AI. In such cases, no more than 25% of the student work should be generated
by AI. If any part of this is confusing or uncertain, please reach out to me for a
conversation before submitting your work."
University of Minnesota: "Artificial intelligence (AI) language models, such as ChatGPT, may be used for [assignment
types A, B & C] with appropriate citation, but not for [assignment types D, E & F].
If you are in doubt as to whether you are using AI language models appropriately in
this course, I encourage you to discuss your situation with me. Examples of citing
AI language models are available at: libguides.umn.edu/chatgpt [or provide an alternative reference appropriate for your class]. You are responsible
for fact checking statements composed by AI language models."
For Faculty Who Allow Full Use of Generative AI Tools in the Learning Environment
Oklahoma State University: "Students may use generative AI tools such as ChatGPT, Bing AI, or Bard, to help them learn course content, complete course assignments,
or do other course-related tasks. Students are expected to provide attribution for
any text created using generative AI tools as appropriate."
Other Institutions' Statements
University of Massachusetts Amherst: "AI is encouraged with certain tasks and with attribution: You can choose to use AI
tools to help brainstorm assignments or projects or to revise existing work you have
written. When you submit your assignment, I expect you to clearly attribute what text
was generated by the AI tool (e.g., AI-generated text appears in a different colored
font, quoted directly in the text, or use an in-text parenthetical citation)."
University of Iowa: "Use of AI tools, including ChatGPT, is permitted in this course for students who
wish to use them. To be consistent with our scholarly values, students must cite any
AI-generated material that informed their work and use quotation marks or other appropriate
indicators of quoted material when appropriate. Students should indicate how AI tools
informed their process and the final product, including how you validated any AI-generated
citations, which may be invented by the AI. Assignment guidelines will provide additional
guidance as to how these tools might be part of your process for each assessment this
semester and how to provide transparency about their use in your work."
Managing Student Use of Generative AI
Concerned about students using generative AI in your course? You can include requirements in assignments that make it more difficult for students to use generative AI tools.
- Discuss value and relevance of assignments as they relate to skill development.
- Require students to incorporate in-class discussions, experiences, experiments, demonstrations, etc in writing assignments, online discussions, and other text-based assignments.
- Focus assignments and assessments on higher-order thinking skills. Have students analyze, critique, evaluate, and create.
- Require specific sources, time ranges, and extensive use citations
- Have students complete smaller assignments in class.
- Require students to submit subcomponents of assignment for review and evaluation.
- Have students use Tracking Changes while working on assignments and turn in both a marked up version and a clean version.
- Consider authentic assessments.
ITLE will be working to develop additional resources and helping support faculty and instructors regarding ChatGPT and other generative AI software.
Updated July 27, 2023