Syllabus Statements | Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) | Seneca Polytechnic

When setting expectations for Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) use in your courses, it’s crucial to be explicit about your intentions. Whether you choose to allow students to incorporate GenAI into their work or not, you need to clearly communicate your expectations to your learners. You can use or adapt the example syllabus statements provided below to convey how GenAI may or may not be used in your course. Feel free to tailor these statements to your specific assignments or course path:

Unrestricted Use of GenAI

• In this course, you are allowed to use Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) in any manner. Any use of GenAI must be accompanied by a disclosure at the end of an assignment explaining (1) what you used GenAI for; (2) the specific tool(s) you used; and (3) what prompts you used to get the results.
• Students are encouraged to make use of technology, including Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) tools to contribute to their understanding of course materials. Students are expected to produce any submitted work but GenAI could be used as a study tutor to help them to understand the material. 
• Students may use artificial intelligence tools, including Generative AI, in this course as learning aids or to help produce assignments. However, students are ultimately accountable for the work they submit to be assessed and assigned grades. 
• Students must submit, as an appendix with their assignments, any content produced by an artificial intelligence tool, and the prompt used to generate the content. Any content produced by an artificial intelligence tool must be cited appropriately. Consult the appropriate standard citation formats for information on citing GenAI, e.g.:
  • MLA: https://library.senecapolytechnic.ca/mla/artificialintelligence
  • APA: https://library.senecapolytechnic.ca/apa/artificialintelligence
• Students may choose to use generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools as they work through the assignments in this course carefully. This use must be documented in an appendix for each assignment. The documentation should include what tool(s) was/were used, how the tool(s) was/were used, and how the result(s) from the GenAI was/were incorporated into the submitted work. 

Restricted Use of GenAI Tools

• Students may use generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools for creating an outline for an assignment, but the final submitted assignment must be original work produced by the individual student alone.
• Students may not use artificial intelligence tools for taking tests, writing research papers, creating computer code, or completing major course assignments. However, these tools may be useful when gathering information from across sources and assimilating it for understanding.
• Students may not use artificial intelligence tools for taking tests in this course, but students may use generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools for other assignments.
• Students may use the following, and only these, Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) tools in completing their assignments for this course: 
  • Students may use generative AI in this course in accordance with the guidelines outlined for each assessment, and so long as the use of generative AI is referenced and cited following citation instructions given in the critical path. Use of generative AI outside assessment guidelines or without citation will constitute academic dishonesty/ misconduct. It is the student’s responsibility to be clear on the limitations for use for each assessment and to be clear on the expectations for citation and reference and to do so appropriately. 
  • Students may use generative AI for [editing / translating / outlining / brainstorming / revising] work throughout the course so long as the use of generative AI is referenced and cited following citation instructions given in the critical path. Use of generative AI outside the stated use of [editing / translating / outlining / brainstorming / revising] work without citation will constitute academic dishonesty/ misconduct. It is the student’s responsibility to be clear on the limitations for use and to be clear on the expectations for citation and reference and to do so appropriately.
  • Students may freely use generative AI in this course so long as the use of generative AI is referenced and cited following citation instructions given in the critical path. Use of generative AI outside assessment guidelines or without citation will constitute academic dishonesty/ misconduct. It is the student’s responsibility to be clear on the expectations for citation and reference and to do so appropriately.
  • In this course, you are allowed to use Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) on assignments only for the purposes specified in assignment prompts. Any use of GenAI should be accompanied by a disclosure at the end of an assignment explaining (1) what you used GenAI for; (2) the specific tool(s) you used; and (3) what prompts you used to get the results. Any use of GenAI beyond where permitted will be viewed as a potential academic integrity violation.

Prohibiting the Use of GenAI Tools

• You are prohibited from using Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) to produce any materials or content related to this course. Any use of GenAI will be viewed as a potential academic integrity violation.
• The use of generative artificial intelligence tools (GenAI) or apps for assignments in this course, including tools like Copilot, ChatGPT and other AI writing or coding assistants, is prohibited.
• The knowing use of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools, including Copilot, ChatGPT and other AI writing and coding assistants, for the completion of, or to support the completion of, an examination, term test, assignment, or any other form of academic assessment, may be considered as academic misconduct in this course.
• Students may not copy or paraphrase from any generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) applications, including Copilot, ChatGPT and other AI writing and coding assistants, for the purpose of completing assignments in this course.
• The use of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools and apps is strictly prohibited in all course assignments unless explicitly stated otherwise by the instructor in this course. This includes Copilot and ChatGPT and other AI writing and coding assistants. Use of GenAI in this course may be considered use of an unauthorized aid, which is a form of cheating.
  
  

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