Sample Syllabus Guidance for AI Use

This page will help provide you with sample syllabus guidance for AI use.

Mercer University does not have a single, university-wide syllabus statement regarding AI use. No AI statements appear in the University Syllabus Statements link in Canvas. However, the Center for Teaching and Learning provides sample statement language for faculty consideration.  Remember that all syllabus statements must be consistent with university and department policy on assessing student work. The most important consideration for including an AI use statement in your syllabus is to be explicitly clear about your expectations.

Honor Code

While there is no official AI syllabus statement published by the University, the University Honor Code includes the following statement:

  • Cheating includes using artificial intelligence (AI) tools without authorization by the faculty.

Faculty members or colleges/schools are encouraged to compose their own syllabus statements for AI based on their own positions on AI use. Consider these factors as you draft your syllabus statement:

  • Use: How and how often will students be permitted to use AI-based tools in this course? What steps should students take to demonstrate or document their use of AI?
  • Why: Why was this policy selected for this course? What do students need to understand about the relationship between your approach to teaching and learning and the use of AI?
  • Consequences: How will you respond if students do not comply with these expectations?
  • Questions: How should a student reach out if they have questions about this policy?
  • Privacy: You may want to consider reminding your students to exercise caution when interacting with AI applications to avoid unintentionally sharing intellectual property, copyrighted materials, or confidential data.

(These factors were adapted from the University of Washington)

AI-Enhanced Apps

You may want to consider that many common work applications, like Google Docs and Grammarly, are now AI-enhanced. If this concerns you, consider using language that explicitly states that use of these AI-enhanced applications is allowed, allowed with access to revision history (Google Docs), or are not allowed. While the University uses Turnitin for AI detection, AI applications are becoming increasingly skilled at writing like a human and detection presents ongoing challenges in the academic community.

Sample Guidance for AI Syllabus Statements

Your course AI policies most likely range from prohibiting AI use to allowing some use to possibly even allowing unrestricted use. The sample syllabus language below is organized according to these broad categories. Use this sample language to compose your own syllabus statement for your courses.

Strictly Prohibit AI Use

Caution: You may want to consider that if you attempt to strictly prohibit AI use, you will face detection challenges.

Sample Statement One

“The use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools, including but not limited to large language models, text generators, and automated writing assistants, is strictly prohibited in this course. All submitted work must be entirely your own. Any use of AI tools will be considered a violation of academic integrity policies and will be treated as plagiarism as defined by the University Honor Code.”

Sample Statement Two

“This course assumes that work submitted by students – all process work, drafts, brainstorming artifacts, final works – will be generated by the students themselves, working individually or in groups as directed by class assignment instructions. This policy indicates the following constitute violations of academic honesty: a student has another person/entity do the work of any substantive portion of a graded assignment for them, which includes purchasing work from a company, hiring a person or company to complete an assignment or exam, and/or using generative AI tools (such as ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Copilot, or another tool). In this course, every element of class assignments must be fully prepared by the student.  Using generative AI tools for any part of your submitted work will be treated as plagiarism as defined by the University Honor Code. If you have questions, please contact me.”  (adapted from the University of Vermont)

Allow AI Use with Some Restrictions

AI Limited to Specific Tools: “In this course, the use of AI is restricted to the following approved tools: [list specific tools, like Grammarly for proofreading, Zotero for citation management]. The use of any other AI tools, particularly for content generation, is not permitted and will be treated as plagiarism as defined by the University Honor Code. If you’re unsure about a tool, please consult with the instructor before use.”

AI Allowed for Preparatory Work Only: “You may use AI tools for preliminary research, brainstorming, and outlining. However, all final submitted work must be your own original creation. The use of AI for producing any part of your final assignments is not allowed and will be treated as plagiarism as defined by the University Honor Code. Be prepared to discuss your preparatory process if asked.”

AI Allowed with Mandatory Disclosure: “The use of AI tools is permitted in this course, provided that you fully disclose their use. For each assignment, include a statement detailing which AI tools were used, for what purpose, and to what extent. Failure to disclose AI use will be considered a breach of academic integrity and will be treated as plagiarism as defined by the University Honor Code.”

AI Permitted for Designated Assignments: “AI tools are allowed for the following assignments: [list specific assignments]. For all other assignments, AI use is prohibited. When AI is permitted, you must cite the specific tool used and describe how it contributed to your work. Unauthorized use of AI for non-designated assignments will be treated as plagiarism as defined by the University Honor Code.”

AI Allowed with Instructor Pre-Approval: “If you wish to use AI tools for any aspect of your coursework, you must first obtain written permission from the instructor. Requests will be considered on a case-by-case basis. If approved, you will receive specific guidelines for use and required attribution. Unapproved use of AI tools will be treated as plagiarism as defined by the University Honor Code.”

Allow AI Use with No Restrictions

AI Fully Integrated and Encouraged: “This course actively incorporates AI tools into the learning process. You are encouraged to use AI for research, writing assistance, problem-solving, and creative tasks. We will discuss effective and ethical use of AI in class. For each assignment, you’ll be expected to critically evaluate AI-generated content and demonstrate how you’ve built upon or refined it. Specific AI-related tasks will be included in assignment instructions.”

AI Unrestricted but Disclosed: “You may use AI tools freely in this course, but you must always disclose their use. At the end of each assignment, include a disclosure paragraph explaining which AI tools you used, how you used them, and how you verified and built upon the AI-generated content. Undisclosed use of AI will be treated as plagiarism as defined by the University Honor Code.”

Citing Generative AI Use

You may want to consider asking students to cite the use of generative AI in their work according to a specific style guide. Use the links below for AI citation in MLA, APA, and Chicago style.

Generative AI Terms of Use Policy

You may want to consider including a Terms of Use policy rather than a statement. A Terms of Use Policy can be more specific and provide more clarity to students. Below is a sample from the University of Maine at Augusta.

AI Terms of Use Policy

“Generative AI refers to a category of artificial intelligence that has the ability to generate new and original content, such as text, images, or music, based on patterns and data it has learned. Generative AI tools (e.g. DALL-E, Midjourney, ChatGPT, and Gemini) are software applications that leverage this technology to create unique outputs.

In this class, the use of generative AI tools is permissible for the following educational purposes:

  • Outlining or planning
  • Concept or argument comprehension
  • Brainstorming or idea exploration

The use of generative AI tools is prohibited for the following activities:

  • Generating content either partially or completely (such as coding, writing, discussion posts, peer reviews, graphics, powerpoints, videos, etc.) and submitting it as your own original content
  • Aggregating research and citations
  • Solving problems or equations
  • Rewriting or editing your work
  • Answering quiz or exam questions

Prohibited use of generative AI as stated above will be treated as plagiarism as defined by the University Honor Code and will result in a failing grade or deducted points off of an assignment. If you are unsure if you are able to use generative AI to perform a specific task not mentioned above, or need further clarification on these terms, please contact me for guidance.”

(adapted from the University of Maine at Augusta)

If you have questions or wish to discuss your syllabus statements, please contact Susan Codone at codone_s@mercer.edu.