Syllabus and Policies for Generative AI
TLC Guide
Arizona State University seeks to balance the potential of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools to support learning with the need for academic integrity, rigor, and transparency. Students are already engaging with generative AI, and instructional uses of these tools continue to evolve rapidly across disciplines and course formats. Because each course has unique goals and values, it is essential that instructors clearly communicate expectations for student use of generative AI in the syllabus and, when appropriate, in assignment instructions. This resource provides student-facing considerations and sample syllabus language to help faculty set clear, ethical, and appropriate expectations.
Table of Contents
- Generative AI Use Considerations for Students
- Sample Syllabi Statements for Use of Generative AI
- Additional Resources
Generative AI Use Considerations for Students
Instructors may wish to share some or all of the following considerations with students.
Understanding the Limits of Generative AI
Be aware that ChatGPT and generative AI technologies have limits.
- Be intentional about when AI use is appropriate. Do not use AI if it does not align with the assignment’s purpose.
- Low-effort prompts often lead to low-quality results. Effective use requires thoughtful prompting and revision.
- Generative AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini) have limitations and can produce inaccurate or misleading information. Do not assume outputs are correct. Students are responsible for verifying facts, data, and sources using reliable references.
- Students are responsible for properly citing and acknowledging any use of generative AI. Include a brief disclosure describing how AI was used and what prompts were used. Failure to do so may violate academic integrity policies.
Privacy and Data Considerations
The information you enter in prompts is retained by some generative AI programs.
- The information entered into prompts may be retained by some generative AI tools and service providers.
- Do not include personal, sensitive, or confidential information in AI prompts.
- Be aware that you are logged in using your ASU-affiliated account and follow all ASU technology use guidelines and information security expectations.
- Adhere to all FERPA laws and expectations related to student privacy.
- Do not disclose proprietary code, research data, or other information sensitive to ASU research or operations.
- Students, staff, and faculty are strongly encouraged to use ChatGPT Edu, which is available to ASU students at no cost through a university agreement. ChatGPT Edu is designed for educational use and ensures that student data is stored securely and is not used to train OpenAI’s models.
Sample Syllabi Statements for Use of Generative AI
Sample syllabi statements for three distinct approaches are provided below:
- Generative AI Use is Generally Permitted Within Guidelines
- Generative AI Use is Circumstantially Permitted With Explicit Permission Only
- No Generative AI Use Permitted
Generative AI Use is Generally Permitted Within Guidelines
ASU Provost Recommended Language
Use of AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini, etc.) is generally welcome [encouraged/required] in this class. Examples of ways that AI tools can be used include [brainstorming, drafting, editing, and revising assignments]. You must inform the instructor when you have used an AI tool. This site provides examples of how to properly cite any use of generative AI. Any submitted course assignment that does not explicitly articulate how generative AI was used will be assumed to have been created entirely without its use. Using AI tools to generate content without proper acknowledgement will be considered a violation of the ASU Academic Integrity Policy, and students may be subject to sanctions for non-allowable use. If you have any questions about what is permitted, please contact the instructor to discuss before submitting your work.
Generative AI Use is Circumstantially Permitted With Explicit Permission Only
ASU Provost Recommended Language
Certain assignments in this course permit or expect the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) powered tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini, etc.). The instructor will provide specific instructions on how to utilize generative AI tools for these assignments, as well as how to include appropriate attribution. Use of generative AI tools in any other context within this course will be considered a violation of the ASU Academic Integrity Policy, and students may be subject to sanctions for non-allowable use. If you have any questions about what is permitted, please contact the instructor to discuss before submitting your work.
NOTE: The instructor should clearly specify in the syllabus and/or the assignment prompts the allowable generative AI use for each assignment.
No Generative AI Use Permitted
ASU Provost Recommended Language
This course assumes that work submitted for a grade by students, including all drafts, brainstorming, and final projects, will be created without the use of generative AI. The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot, etc.) for generating student-attributed content is not permitted in this class. This includes the use of generative AI tools in reports/assignments, discussion board posts, portfolios, presentations, and related assignments. The use of these generative AI tools on assignments will be considered a violation of the ASU Academic Integrity Policy, and students may be subject to sanctions for non-allowable use in this course.
Considerations
The instructor should consider whether grammar/style-checking software (e.g., Grammarly) is allowable. If the course includes group projects, the instructor should inform students how to respond if a group member is explicitly using generative AI.
Additional Resources
Arizona State University’s Office of the Provost has created a specialized website to provide the ASU community with resources that help address both the challenges and opportunities posed by generative AI inside and outside the classroom. Additional resources are currently in development by this office.
Resources from the Provost
- ASU Provost: Teaching and learning with generative AI
- ASU Provost: Generative AI FAQs
- ASU Provost: Generative AI Recommended Resources
- Enroll in Teaching and Learning with Generative AI self-paced Canvas Course
- ASU Library Guides: Citing Generative AI Models