University at Buffalo (UB)
Empowering Instructors | Supporting Excellence
AI Guidance for Syllabi and Assignments
Generative AI Tools (e.g., ChatGPT)
Faculty are encouraged to add a statement regarding the use of Generative AI tools, such as ChatGPT. When communicating expectations, faculty should avoid using any vague language, include specific parameters or limits, and engage in class discussion around which (if any) Generative AI tools students can use. Faculty may find it useful to name the non-generative AI Tools (such as EndNote, spellcheckers, PowerPoint Designer, etc.) that students are free to use. Consider drawing from the following example when developing language for your syllabus:
Prohibition example
Utilizing generative AI tools (such as ChatGPT) in this class is strictly forbidden. Any use of generative AI tools in this class will be considered a violation of UB’s Academic Integrity policies. However, you are free to use AI tools that are not generative, such as spellcheckers and auto-annotation (e.g. EndNote), to assist in making your writing more professional. Please email me if you have any questions.
Limited use
If you intend to allow some use of generative AI tools, use the guiding principles from above: indicate the specific assignments where it is allowable (or not) and which specific tools are allowed.
Generative AI Tools (e.g., ChatGPT)
Students need a guiding statement regarding the use of Generative AI Tools such as ChatGPT in their classes. When communicating expectations, faculty should avoid using any vague language and need to include specific parameters or limits. Feel free to draw from the following examples:
Prohibition example
Utilizing generative AI tools (such as ChatGPT) in this class is strictly forbidden. Any use of generative AI tools in this class will be considered a violation of UB's Academic Integrity policies. However, you are free to use AI tools (that are not generative) such as spellcheckers and auto-annotation, to assist in making your writing more professional.
Limited Use example
In this class, using generative AI tools such as ChatGPT is not allowed during any tests, or for any help in generating both your final term paper and your online discussion comments. However, you are free to use generative AI tools such as ChatGPT when completing homework assignments. In addition, you are free to use AI tools (that are not generative) such as spellcheckers, formatting designers, and auto-annotation, etc. to assist in making your work more polished and professional.
Faculty Intellectual Property
Often, faculty include a lot of information in their syllabus about how students are or are not allowed to use generative AI in their course. However, because AI agents can navigate into your UB Learns course, you are advised to include a statement regarding what students can or cannot do with your intellectual property: PowerPoints, lecture notes, images, handouts, assignments, and so forth.
- Sample syllabus statement: “Course materials, such as lecture notes, slides, and exams, are protected by copyright, and students are prohibited from reproducing or distributing them without the professor’s explicit written consent. Students may use the materials for their own educational use, but unauthorized distribution, including uploading materials to a generative AI tool like ChatGPT or Google’s Notebook LM, is a violation of copyright and the university’s academic integrity policy.”
Transparency
Faculty are encouraged to be mindful of how their own use of Generative AI tools sometimes sends mixed messages to students. Being open and transparent about your own use of Generative AI builds trust with your students and establishes you as an authority on using these tools.
Additional Syllabus Statements
If faculty are looking to review other professors’ generative AI syllabus statements, we recommend the following two resources:
Led by an interdisciplinary team of professors from world-renowned universities, the Sentient Syllabus Project releases materials licensed under the Creative Commons. Faculty are welcome to copy what language they find helpful and use these statements in their own syllabi.
Sample statement:
- To pass this course: AI generated submissions cannot achieve a passing grade. This is necessary to ensure you are competent to surpass generative AI in the future – whether in academia, research, the workplace, or other domains of society. If this cannot be achieved, if you are not able to maintain control of the rules, you are entering an unwinnable competition. To provide a baseline that is specific for the course, we will produce, analyze, and provide AI-generated sample solutions. Your task will be to surpass them.
Created by Lance Eaton, this Google Sheet contains nearly 200 crowd-sourced syllabus statements, organized by discipline. To access the repository, navigate to the Google Sheet link and click on the “Policies” tab at the bottom. Each statement’s rights for reuse are clearly indicated.