As the fall semester got underway, students may have noticed an updated section in their syllabi outlining their professor’s class policy on using generative artificial intelligence (AI).

Governors State University instructors were asked to clearly articulate information to students about the new policy approved by the Faculty Senate. Some professors might forbid using AI in their classrooms, while others allow students to use it on all or some assignments.

Students using AI must cite it as a source as they do for any other ideas they do not generate. The guidelines on the approved use of AI are formally known as Policy 94.

At the Aug. 19 Committee of the Whole meeting, Dr. Stephen Wagner explained to the GovState Board of Trustees that the Digital Learning Master Plan put forward by the Faculty Senate “will serve as a guide for leveraging digital technologies, including AI, to enhance teaching and learning improve student engagement, and ensure academic integrity and excellence.”

“From the very beginning, it was acknowledged that we need to use this evolving technology to achieve our mission,” Wagner said. “But we also recognize that there were issues with academic honesty.”

According to information available through the GovState library, the “policy on AI empowers instructors to determine how, if at all, the use of generative AI is permitted in any particular course.” Students are encouraged to “always check with their instructor before using any AI tool while completing assignments or other academic work.”

The web page outlines the ethical use of AI, including information about “AI hallucinations” and how to cite AI in multiple scholarly formats.