An appeal to integrity from Bowen and Watson (2024, 126)

"Teamwork and its acknowledgment are highly valued in most careers, while taking credit for the work of others is equally loathed. Justice and your personal reputation only grow when you share credit. Integrity begins by disclosing what help, tools, techniques, and technology you used: films, books, articles, and company reports all include acknowledgments of how the work was created. New technology is asking new questions about what should be disclosed. For now, you are being asked to over-disclose as a way to further our discussions on this vital topic."

The following questions and guidelines are adopted from Bowen, José Antonio and C. Edward Watson,Teaching with AI: A Practical Guide to a New Era of Human Learning. Baltimore: John Hopkins University Press, 2024. 

Why: While academic integrity and appreciation for scholarship are part of a University's DNA, students are less likely to appreciate these principles. This is especially true with AI since many outside academia embrace its use for writing. In addition, students may not understand how thinking and writing processes contribute to the learning process. For these reasons, if faculty want students to avoid AI for classroom discussions and writing projects, they must explain why (132-34).

Class policies: The authors recommend co-creating policies with students to reinforce the importance of learning and academic integrity and educate students about AI (134)

Integrity and assignment acknowledgments: It is also helpful and most likely enlightening to identify precisely how AI can be used on a class assignment. Can students use AI to start their research, suggest an outline, write a draft, correct a draft, etc.?  This is also the time to acknowledge other forms of AI that have been used without being identified as AI, like spell check, Microsoft Editor, Grammarly, and other software (136-37).

A template: Bowen and Watson (2024, 139-40) suggest AI policies should address the following issues:  

• How is AI being used in the field? 
• When is AI prohibited or permitted? Why?
• Can AI be used for brainstorming? 
• How can AI enhance or inhibit learning in this class? 
• Do students need to submit their prompts if using AI?
• How is AI to be credited?
• A warning about the limits of AI
• Transparency about use of AI detectors
• Clear rules about accountability for AI work