AI in Academics

The FRC in collaboration with the UCCS OIT is conducting monthly AI trainings to further equip faculty in ethically based AI use. Offerings will include sessions on AI literacy, policy development and sustainment, acceptable tool use, and AI-integrated assessment and AI-resistant strategies.

AI Appy Hour | AI Tools at UCCS

9:30-10:30 am, Tuesday, September 16

The FRC AI in Academics series continues with a monthly focus on AI in teaching and learning. Join this session in Columbine 203 or online to discover what AI tools are acceptable for use on campus and how their key features can assist you in your instructional practice.

Register for this hyflex event.

If you have expertise in using a specific AI tool in teaching and learning and want to facilitate an AI Appy hour, please contact Angie Dodson in the FRC at adodson2@uccs.edu.

It may come as no surprise that some students today are taking advantage of the power of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to help them with their assignments. One popular tool is chatGPT, which can write papers and essays, even art, poems, and computer code. It can be challenging to detect the use of this when students submit their work.

In light of this concern, here are some resources to consider.:

• Web page: Artificial Intelligence at UCCS – UCCS Office of Information Technology
• Article: "The Impact of ChatGPT and AI on Higher Education: Navigating the Rapidly Changing Landscape" – Drs. Laurel N. Bidwell and Johanna Creswell Báez, College of Public Service, UCCS
• Article: "Update Your Course Syllabus for chatGPT" – Dr. Ryan Atkins, George Washington University
• Document: "Assessment reform for the age of artificial intelligence" – Australian Government, Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency
• Video: "Artificial Intelligence & Chatbots: 3 Myths" – Drs. Dorothea Olkowski and Joseph Kuzma, College of Letters, Arts & and Sciences, UCCS
• Web page: "Guidance for Artificial Intelligence Tools Use" – UIS Service Desk
• Template: Sample AI Expectations Communication
• Instructional plan: Establishing Ethical an Acceptable AI Use Policy with Students

Resources from Boulder

• Teaching & Learning in the Age of AI
• Teaching & Learning with AI Resource Repository
• AI Syllabus Statements
• Crowdsourced Syllabi Policies for AI Generative Tools Resource Repository

Caveat: Anything generated by AI can be considered to have been plagiarized

Given that anything generated by AI has been culled from the web and restated or recreated without attribution (and sometimes even with false attribution), that content could be considered as to have been plagiarized. Caution is urged with what you allow students to use from generative AI.

Acceptable and unacceptable uses of AI

[This syllabus statement is useful when you are allowing the use of AI tools for certain purposes, but not for others. Adjust this statement to reflect your particular parameters of acceptable use. The following is an example. (Adapted from Temple University's Center for the Advancement of Teaching.)]

The use of generative AI tools is permitted in this course for the following activities:

• Brainstorming and refining your ideas
• Fine tuning your research questions
• Finding information on your topic
• Drafting an outline to organize your thoughts
• Checking grammar and style

The use of generative AI tools is not permitted in this course for the following activities:

• Impersonating you in classroom contexts, such as by using the tool to compose discussion board replies or content that you put into a Teams or Zoom chat
• Completing group work that your group has assigned to you, unless it is mutually agreed upon that you may utilize the tool
• Writing a draft of a writing assignment
• Writing entire sentences, paragraphs, or papers to complete class assignments

For instructors who wish to embrace AI

The use of AI tools, including ChatGPT, is permitted in this course for students who wish to use them. You are responsible for the information you submit based on an AI query (for instance, that it does not violate intellectual property laws, or contain misinformation or unethical content). Your use of AI tools must be properly documented and cited, using quotation marks or other appropriate indicators of quoted material when appropriate, in order to stay within university policies on academic honesty.

For instructors who wish to allow limited use of AI

The use of AI tools, including ChatGPT, is permitted in this course for specific assignments only. When the use of the tool is allowed, it will be explicitly noted in the assignment directions. You are responsible for the information you submit based on an AI query (for instance, that it does not violate intellectual property laws, or contain misinformation or unethical content). Your use of AI tools must be properly documented and cited, using quotation marks or other appropriate indicators of quoted material when appropriate, in order to stay within university policies on academic honesty.

Citing generative AI content for specific referencing styles

• MLA
• APA
• Chicago

For instructors who wish to prohibit the use of AI

The Faculty Resource Center does not recommend this. Our students will likely be expected to use AI in the workplace when they graduate, and we should be teaching them how to use it responsibly and ethically. Also, there are currently no tools that can accurately detect AI writing. In fact, OpenAI recently discontinued its AI writing detector due to a "low rate of accuracy". All of the available tools today generate too many false positives that could lead to false allegations.

For a more holistic approach for discerning acceptable use of AI-generated assignments, contact the FRC for a consultation.

AI Use Description

• The activity/assignment/assessment is completed entirely without AI assistance in a controlled environment, ensuring that students rely solely on their existing knowledge, understanding, and skills.

Student AI Use Expectations

• You must not use AI at any point during the activity/assignment/ assessment.
• You must demonstrate your core skills and knowledge.

Associated AI-Resistant Strategies

• Conduct such activities in class or using Respondus and Lock-down browser.
• Make the activity/assignment/assessment one that can be completed with peers or open resources (physical notes, textbook, other supplemental material).
• Have students produce a physical artifact and explain it orally or through a personal reflection.
• Anchor the activity/assignment/assessment in a local entity context that requires details AI may not have access to.
• Focus on assessing the process by asking students to outline the steps they take, explain and justify their decision-making process, and reflect on how the completing the activity/assignment/assessment enhanced their knowledge, skills, or experience.
• Include adherence to the AI scale level as a part of the grading rubric.

AI Use Description

• AI may be used for pre-task activities such as brainstorming, outlining and initial research.
• This level focuses on the effective use of AI for planning, synthesis, and ideation, but assessments should emphasize the ability to develop and refine these ideas independently.

Student AI Use Expectations

• You may use AI for planning, idea development, and research.
• Your final submission should show how you have developed and refined these ideas.

Associated AI-Resistant Strategies

• Define and provide access to the OIT permitted AI tool(s) students are permitted to use for the activity/assignment.
• Work with students to develop an ethics-based use policy.
• Demonstrate and have students practice using the permitted tools in the way they are being asked to use them.
• Have students capture their use of the AI tool through screenshots, process steps, and/or a summary. This should include an explanation of how they upheld the ethics-based use policy.
• Include adherence to the AI scale level as a part of the grading rubric.

AI Use Description

• AI may be used to help complete the task, including idea generation, drafting, feedback, and refinement.
• Students should critically evaluate and modify the AI suggested outputs, demonstrating their understanding.

Student AI Use Expectations

• You may use AI to assist with specific tasks such as drafting text, refining, and evaluating your work.
• You must critically evaluate and modify any AI-generated content you use.

Associated AI-Resistant Strategies

• Define and provide access to the OIT permitted AI tool(s) students are permitted to use for the activity/assignment.
• Work with students to develop an ethics-based use policy.
• Demonstrate and have students practice using the permitted tools in the way they are being asked to use them.
• Have students capture their use of the AI tool through screenshots, process steps, and/or a summary.
  • This should include an explanation of how they upheld the ethics-based use policy.
  • This should also include an explanation of how they upheld the ethics-based use policy and how they critically evaluated and modified the AI-generated content.
• Include adherence to the AI scale level as a part of the grading rubric.

AI Use Description

• AI may be used to complete any elements of the task, with students directing AI to achieve the assessment goals.
• Assessments at this level may also require engagement with AI to achieve goals and solve problems.

Student AI Use Expectation

• You may use AI extensively throughout your work either as you wish, or as specifically directed in your assessment.
• Focus on directing AI to achieve your goals while demonstrating your critical thinking.

Associated AI-Resistant Strategies

• Define and provide access to the OIT permitted AI tool(s) students are permitted to use for the activity/assignment.
• Work with students to develop an ethics-based use policy.
• Demonstrate and have students practice using the permitted tools in the way they are being asked to use them.
• Have students capture their use of the AI tool through screenshots, process steps, and/or a summary.
  • This should include an explanation of how they upheld the ethics-based use policy.
  • This should also include an explanation of how they worked collaboratively with AI.
• Include adherence to the AI scale level as a part of the grading rubric.

AI Use Description

• AI is used creatively to enhance problem-solving, generate novel ideas, or develop innovative problems.
• Students and educators co-design assessments to explore unique AI applications within the field of study.

Student AI Use Expectation

• You should use AI creatively to solve the task, potentially co-designing new approaches with your instructor.

Associated AI-Resistant Strategies

• Define and provide access to the OIT permitted AI tool(s) students are permitted to use for the activity/assignment.
• Work with students to develop an ethics-based use policy.
• Demonstrate and have students practice using the permitted tools in the way they are being asked to use them.
• Have students capture their use of the AI tool through screenshots, process steps, and/or a summary.
  • This should include an explanation of how they upheld the ethics-based use policy.
  • This should include a reflection about the impact the collaboration made on the final product.
• Include adherence to the AI scale level as a part of the grading rubric.

Perkins, Furze, Roe & MacVaugh (2024). The AI Assessment Scale​ CC –Creative Commons license, BY – Attribution, NC – Non-commercial​ Purposes, SA – use the same license if you remix of this work is published as OER.

Remixed by Angie Dodson, FRC Faculty Development Coordinator.

References

Alkouk, W. A., & Khlaif, Z. N. (2024). AI-resistant assessments in higher education: Practical insights from faculty training workshops. Frontiers in Education, 9. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2024.1499495 ​

Furze, L. (2024, August 28). Updating the AI assessment scale. leonfurze.com. https://leonfurze.com/2024/08/28/updating-the-ai-assessment-scale/​

Furze, L., Perkins, M., Roe, J., & MacVaugh, J. (2024). The AI Assessment Scale (AIAS) in​ action: A pilot implementation of GenAI-supported assessment. Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 40(4), 38–55. https://doi.org/10.14742/ajet.9434​

Tucker, C. (2024, October 1). Five tips for designing AI-Resistant Tasks. The Balance. https://catlintucker.com/2024/10/ai-resistant-tasks/