Digital Learning Blog

Gen AI for Academic Honesty

January 10, 2025  / Digital Learning  / Tags: elevate with AI, Digital Learning, Academic Honesty, Generative AI

Academic honesty is a cornerstone of scholarly integrity. With the increasing prevalence of generative AI (Gen AI), it is essential to provide students with opportunities and instruction on utilizing these tools effectively. Future workplaces will likely demand such skills. However, educators must also address academic dishonesty as they integrate and teach about Gen AI in their classrooms.

Engaging Students in Academic Integrity

Educators can foster discussions about plagiarism, proper citation practices, and the ethical use of Gen AI tools in writing. One effective strategy is to appeal to students' values. Start by asking students to list the key values they believe should guide behavior in your course. Then, explore how these values align with using Gen AI and other technological aids responsibly. Such reflective exercises can lay the groundwork for meaningful conversations about academic integrity.

To make these discussions more engaging, consider using interactive activities such as:

• Group Discussions: Divide students into small groups to debate ethical scenarios involving Gen AI.
• Role-Playing Exercises: Assign roles where students act as educators, students, or employers to navigate hypothetical academic integrity issues involving AI.
• Create an AI Policy with your Students: Research is showing this is one of the best ways to promote academic integrity. Consider one of the following activities.
  • Divide students into small groups. Assign each group a policy section (e.g., acceptable uses, consequences of misuse). Afterward, combine the sections into a single-class policy.
  • Set a timer for 30 minutes and have students work in teams to brainstorm policy rules and examples for responsible AI use. Each team presents their draft, and the class votes on or refines the best ideas to create a final version.
  • Share a collaborative tool (e.g., Jamboard, Miro) with sections of "Do's," "Don'ts," and "Questions." Students populate each section with ideas and discuss the entries as a class to create a final draft.
  • Provide students with examples of AI policies from other institutions or workplaces. Discuss strengths, weaknesses, and missing elements. Have the class adapt these policies to fit your course's needs.

Integrating Academic Integrity into the Curriculum

1. Model Ethical AI Use: Demonstrate how to use Gen AI as a classroom tool. Show students practical and ethical ways to incorporate it into their work. For example:
   • Teach students how to cite their use of Gen AI, and include a reflection component to Gen AI-approved assignments so students can show/share how they used AI and how it helped them. Consider having students share the link to their conversation with the Gen AI tool they used and ask them to evaluate the conversation/process.
   • Use Gen AI to generate brainstorming ideas for a research project and refine them collaboratively in class.
   • Demonstrate how AI tools can assist in editing drafts, emphasizing that the final work should reflect the student's voice and critical thinking.
2. Define Classroom Expectations: Clearly communicate your classroom policy on Gen AI use, referencing both your course-specific guidelines and the institution's academic honesty policies. Students need to understand what is acceptable and what constitutes a violation.
3. Engage Students with Clear Examples: Provide concrete examples of appropriate versus inappropriate uses of Gen AI at various stages of assignments, such as brainstorming, drafting, or final editing.
4. Incorporate Gen AI in Writing with Reflection on the Process: Have students compare the quality of AI-assisted draft versus their own work, focusing on the importance of personal input.

Safeguarding Academic Honesty

1. Establish Clear Policies: Create and share clear course policies regarding AI tools, plagiarism, and cheating. If your institution or department provides templates or resources, make them available to students.
   1. FGCU offers Generative AI guidelines for different styles of Gen AI policies
   2. The FGCU Gen AI Community Group offers policy examples tailored to specific departments.
2. Encourage Originality: Design assessments that require critical thinking, analysis, and personal reflection. These approaches make it harder for students to rely solely on AI-generated content.
3. Provide Timely Feedback: Offer constructive feedback promptly to reduce the temptation for students to resort to AI for last-minute assignments.
4. Promote Open Communication: Encourage students to ask questions about suing AI tools. Create safe space for them to seek clarification without fear of judgement.

A Path Forward

Gen AI offers exciting educational opportunities, but it also presents challenges to academic integrity. By engaging students in value-driven discussions, modeling ethical AI use, and establishing clear policies, educators can equip students with the skills and understanding they need for both academic and professional success.

For more AI resources join our Canvas FGCU Gen AI Community Group.

Have questions about Generative AI or want further assistance? Contact your Instructional Designer.

Resources:

 AI and The Future of Education: Disruptive Teaching and Learning Models 2024 Presentations by Kitson 2024

Bowen, J. A., & Watson, C. E. (2024). Teaching with AI: A practical guide to a new era of human learning. Johns Hopkins University Press.

This Blog post was written with the help of ChatGPT for revision and enhancement.

OpenAI. (2025). ChatGPT [Large language model]. https://chatgpt.com