Artificial Intelligence and Academic Integrity
Using artificial intelligence (AI) in an assignment is NOT misconduct unless one or more of the following are true:
- it has been specifically prohibited in the assignment brief
- it is specifically prohibited in the module or course handbook for all parts of the module or course
- the AI generated content is not referenced correctly as per the below guidance to students:
You must describe how the information or material was generated, including the prompts you used; what the output was and how the output was changed by you. You should use the following style of wording, depending on the nature of use:
- The following prompts were input into <AI system>: <List prompt(s)>
- The output obtained was: <Paste the output generated by the AI system>
- The output was changed by me in the following ways: <explain the actions taken>
You should keep your drafts as evidence of the way in which you have made use of AI in the production of your assignment.
- the AI generated content is passed off as being the student’s own authentic work (this is contract cheating)
- the AI generated content is [or includes] hallucinatory material passed off as real material (this is probably falsification of data or falsification of references)
The SHU Regulations on the use of AI state:
The University regulations permit students to use AI unless:
- Their tutors/assignment rubric explicitly forbids the use of AI
- The students are using AI to create work which they then pass off as their own, without acknowledgement, and to gain an advantage.
The Academic Integrity Steering Group (AISG) also has some support, guidance and links to helpful resources for staff and have complied a collection of AI sector resources that you may find useful.
