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MTSM Policy on the use of artificial intelligence (AI)

Institutional policy

All output produced by generative AI tools is considered to be third-party content. As with any content taken from the internet or other media, students must acknowledge the use of this content when it is quoted, paraphrased, or otherwise incorporated in their work. Students are prohibited from submitting content generated by an AI platform as their own. Failure to disclose content taken from generative AI tools will be treated as a violation of the Academic Integrity Policy.

Acceptable use

Proofreading and editing tools that utilize AI are permissible when used for specific editing suggestions. Students may not have an AI tool rephrase entire sentences or paragraphs of their writing. Doing so constitutes submitting work that is not the student’s own and violates the Academic Integrity Policy.

AI platforms may be used for brainstorming ideas on a topic or generating initial resources for research. However, students should remember that the output of these platforms can be limited, false, or misleading. Further independent research and brainstorming will be necessary.

Students must not input any personal or institutional information that is sensitive or confidential into AI platforms. Additionally, students may not input any course material (including prompts, lectures and notes, pdfs, etc.) into AI platforms without the instructor’s express permission.

Course policy

Instructors are permitted to define how students utilize AI tools in their course or on specific assignments. If this policy differs from the institutional policy, the details must be stated in writing on the syllabus or assignment instructions. Otherwise, it is assumed that the institutional policy is in effect for the course and all course assignments.

Process for suspected AI misuse

If an instructor suspects that a student has not disclosed the use of AI and has submitted AI- generated work as his/her own, the instructor will follow the Process for Dealing with Academic Dishonesty and confer with the student.

Reasonable suspicion of AI misuse can include, but is not limited to, the following:

  • High probability of AI-generated content identified through an AI detector
  • Substantial differences observed in the style or content of the student’s writing
  • Substantial overlap between student-submitted work and the typical AI-generated output for the assignment

If AI misuse is suspected, the instructor has the right to require the student to redo the assignment or to complete an alternative assessment. Depending on the scope and evidence of AI misuse, the instructor may issue a failing grade on the assignment, in accordance with the institutional Academic Integrity Policy.

Students are strongly encouraged to account for their work-in-progress by retaining drafts or saving the revision history of electronic documents. Doing so can help establish proper authorship and address academic integrity concerns.