Explain how AI can help students learn

When speaking with students, it is important to convey that learning not only involves gaining knowledge and understanding of the subject matter, but also developing the academic skills needed to successfully apply those skills in their future studies and careers. We ask you to encourage students to enrol on the AI for Learning Canvas course (which is a student version of this course) to help them develop their digital literacies and consider how AI can support them in their learning.

Explain academic integrity and misconduct

Students often tell us that they do not fully understand the difference between plagiarism, contract cheating, collusion, and misuse of artificial intelligence. We must therefore explain this difference to them, and reinforce wherever possible the importance of academic integrity:

The University Academic Misconduct Procedure defines contract cheating as purchasing or attempting to purchase assessed work created by another person which you then submit as your own work. The business model of these sites is based on encouraging students to commit academic misconduct, as 'essay mills' are designed to create work for students to submit as their own. Plagiarism on the other hand is the unacknowledged use of ideas or works from another source, presented as your own. This may be intentional or accidental, caused by poor information management practices and insufficient referencing. Collusion is working with others to produce a piece of work that you submit for individual assessment.
Artificial intelligence does not seek to maliciously create content for the purpose of misconduct. Outputs are simply generated in response to a user's prompt. Therefore, it is the use of AI that matters. The human element of the prompt and, in turn, how the output is used, is where misconduct may occur. It is the intention and academic practice that underpins the use of AI that determines if it is misconduct. Unacknowledged use of content created by Generative AI is a form of plagiarism, and use of AI tools to extensively edit work may be described as a form of collusion - where students have worked with AI to produce their assignment.
It is a students’ responsibility to ensure that they engage with Generative AI ethically and responsibly, but it is our responsibility to ensure that expectations for learning activities and assessments have been clearly stated. When submitting work, students are responsible for following the assessment brief, including thinking about how they use tools that edit their final submission. When considering the level of input AI tools may have had in that work, it can be helpful to direct students to the guidance around proofreading below, questioning whether the use of an AI tool to edit work would mean that the final product is not really a demonstration of their own learning.

Resources to share with your students

A jar sitting on a table with a graduation gap sitting on top.

Good Academic Practice

Resources on the Academic Skills Kit to help students understand different types of academic misconduct including plagiarism, copyright and referencing.

A photographic image of a laptop with graphics over layed representing AI technology.

AI and Academic Integrity

Student-facing advice about the importance of academic integrity and tips for open and transparent use of AI including acknowledgement.

Orange pen sitting on top of a piece of paper with errors underlined and annotated.

Working with a proofreader

Guidance on what changes are appropriate for someone (or something) to make to student work.