Generative AI Syllabus Statement Examples
The rapid growth in the availability and capabilities of generative AI tools has significantly impacted the landscape of higher education, creating both new opportunities and important questions for teaching and learning. We recognize the potential these tools hold for supporting creativity, productivity, and innovation in academic work, while also acknowledging the pedagogical, ethical, and integrity-related challenges they introduce.
As faculty explore how generative AI may (or may not) fit within their courses, it is essential to establish clarity, responsibility, and care for student learning. We recognize that instructors will approach generative AI from different perspectives, shaped by disciplinary norms, prior experience, and their comfort with emerging technologies. There is no single “right” approach— only intentional ones grounded in pedagogical purpose and transparency.
Including a syllabus statement that communicates your course-level policy on the use of generative AI can help to set clear expectations, reduce confusion, and support shared understanding between instructors and students. The examples below (grouped by permission level) include a range of approaches and sample language developed and shared by colleagues across the university, reflecting diverse disciplinary contexts, teaching philosophies, and classroom goals. These samples are intended to be used, adapted, or combined to support your own course design and instructional priorities— and to serve as a starting point in helping you create a statement that reflects your own teaching goals and course context.
Please also see the Guidelines for Generative AI Statements in Course Syllabi.
Gen AI Use Not Permitted
- AI can be a useful and transformative tool, under the right circumstances. For this class? It will not be permitted, and submitting assignments or assessments where you have used Gen AI will be treated as a violation of academic integrity. I want to see the work that you can do-- the information that you gather through research, how you assimilate that information, how you disseminate that information to show me your working knowledge, and how you come up with innovative ideas based on that knowledge-base-- not the work of an artificial entity. When in doubt as to whether or not you can use Gen AI tools for any work in this course, ask me first.
- In this course, every element of class assignments must be fully prepared by the student. The use of generative AI tools for any part of your work will be treated as academic misconduct. If you have questions, please contact me.
- The use of AI to prepare assignments, class presentations, exam questions, or in any way complete the requirements of this course is prohibited. Use of AI will result in a 0 for the assignment.
- Use of generative AI is strictly prohibited in this course. Use of generative AI will result in an unsatisfactory grade for the course and dismissal from the remainder of the sessions. NIH policy prohibits the use of generative AI in grant preparation and grant review. We will follow this same policy. This is particularly important as you are working with the content that other students have generated. You cannot under any circumstances enter the work of another student into any AI platform. This is a violation of their intellectual property and a serious offense.
- No artificial intelligence software may be used in ANY assignment for this course. The only software that is allowed to be used is Microsoft Word or Google Docs.
Gen AI Use Highly Restricted
- Use of natural language models for this course is prohibited to the extent the artificial intelligence program is writing text for you on your assignments. Using AI for brainstorming is allowed, but ensure that any conclusions you reach based on prompts is filtered through the lens of the course material. As will be noted on assignments/cases, your ability to apply course material is what will earn you a grade in this course. Also ensure that everything is cited on your assignments, cases, and final project.
- This course is aimed for beginning coding and therefore you should not be using GEN AI in this class to complete assignments. This is not to say don’t use responsible AI or machine learning for creative technology projects. Think of AI like a calculator. When you first learn math you learn 2 + 2 = 4, you don’t learn to enter numbers into a calculator. That comes later when you have an understanding of the underlying concepts.
- Please approach this course from the perspective that AI is not to be used as a substitute for your own intellectual effort or to directly complete any of your assignments. However, I realize, as should you, that Artificial Intelligence (if we like it or not) is moving forward and moving into our daily lives. I am sure you have heard of ChatGPT and perhaps you have used it at some point already. We are unlikely to slow the progress of AI adoption as a business tool. AI tools like ChatGPT are going to be available to you in your (future) jobs. HOWEVER, it is that critical human beings continue to provide checks and balances on AI progress and that we use and continually develop our own analytical abilities to create responses to work and social challenges in ways that I believe only humans can. As with all technologies, AI can be easily abused and used for nefarious purposes. It is important for you to develop the skills and knowledge to work with AI responsibly and understand, at a deeper level, how to conduct and communicate research on your own. Thus, the use of ChatGPT or other AI is strictly prohibited for any assignments in this course, except with my consent. Any AI-generated answers will thus lack the kind of depth that will earn you a good grade. In addition, there are tools that VCU faculty can access that can detect AI-based plagiarism, so you should assume that I will catch anyone using AI to complete their work.
- I have designed the larger assignments (exams, Capstone project) in ways that require you to draw on your own life experiences and goals, so the specific answers will not be available on the internet, which AI tools use to generate their content. Any AI-generated answers will thus lack the kind of depth that’ll earn you a good grade. This being said, there will be some opportunities in this course to become familiar with ChatGPT, primarily when you complete certain research activities during our “lab” class periods, but please approach this course from the perspective that AI is not to be used.
- We recognize that AI is rapidly being incorporated into all areas of science and medicine. As with any new technology, there will be learning by experience, both positive and negative. Faculty also realize that students learn in different ways and may utilize AI in ways that are novel. What is important, however, is that we hold ourselves to the same ideals in terms of honesty and integrity and that we do not use AI to provide unfair advantages over our peers. A training program is meant to provide you with the tools to be a successful, competent genetic counselor. A reliance on AI may hinder the critical thinking process. As such, the use of AI is prohibited for the midterm and final exams, in-class quizzes, and stock paragraph writing assignments. You are a professional with integrity-- before using AI of any type in schoolwork, ask yourself: Does it feel unethical? For what purpose do you feel you need to use AI? Is AI enhancing your understanding of a topic or is it replacing the work it takes to understand a topic? When in doubt about whether to use, ASK. If AI use is suspected for any of the assignments in which it is prohibited, a student may be at risk of investigation of an honor code violation.
- Use of ChatGPT (or other similar tools or software that generate suggested text) is not permitted in this class for any assignments. This course assumes that work submitted by students – all process work, drafts, brainstorming artifacts, notes, exam taking, extra credit, essay option or other works – will be generated by the students themselves. The only exception to this prohibition will be the use of grammar and spell checks that are normally included with your word processing software. Use of AI tools in this course is considered a violation of the VCU’s Academic Integrity policies: https://conduct.students.vcu.edu/vcu-honor-system/academic-misconduct-/. Violations could result in failure of the assignment or failure of the course.
- AI can be a useful and transformative tool, under the right circumstances. For this class? There may be a few opportunities where using AI is permitted— I will make it very clear if/when this is the case. In all other circumstances, the use of Gen AI is not permitted, and submitting assignments where you have used AI will be treated as a violation of academic integrity. I want to see the work that you can do— the information that you gather through research, how you assimilate that information, how you disseminate that information to show me your working knowledge, and how you come up with innovative ideas based on that knowledge-base— not the work of an artificial entity.
- A central goal for this course is to help you develop your voice and build your confidence as a communicator. While AI technologies (such as Bard, Bing, and ChatGPT) might seem to be helpful tools to generate text or images quickly for your assignments, they have been shown to generate content that is biased and inaccurate or that misses the requirements for a complete. Furthermore, submitting assignments that are actually the product of AI text generators will not advance your own development as a writer and a thinker. Because the purpose of this course is to build your skills as a communicator, and because we value academic integrity at VCU, I strongly discourage you from using AI for our assignments. If you choose to use AI, you must cite it in your text (feel free to discuss how to do so with me). Uncited use of AI-generated materials will be treated as plagiarism. We will discuss the ethics and pragmatic uses of AI in class. I will occasionally invite you to try using AI technologies so that we can explore them together; additionally, if you think that using an AI tool in a specific way might be useful for an assignment, please feel free to reach out to discuss it with me–in this way, we can work together to consider best approaches to AI use for our purposes. If you are using Grammarly (or similar) as part of your revision process, you should comment and reflect on its impact on your writing as part of your writer’s memo.
Gen AI Use is Permitted with Conditions
- ChatGPT and other tools of artificial intelligence can be helpful aids during the learning process, but like any tool, should be used critically and ethically. If you decide to consult AI, you should clearly indicate on assignments when and how you used the tools, the prompts you used to generate output, how you fact-checked the output, and the revision process you employed to generate your final work. See this APA blog post for more information on using and citing these tools. Failure to properly cite AI will be treated as plagiarism, see the academic integrity policy.
- To ensure all students have an equal opportunity to succeed and to preserve the integrity of the course, students are not permitted to submit text that is generated by artificial intelligence (AI) systems such as ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, Claude, Google Gemini, or any other automated assistance for any classwork or assessments. This includes using AI to generate answers to assignments, exams, or projects, or using AI to complete any other course-related tasks. Using AI in this way undermines your ability to develop critical thinking, writing, or research skills that are essential for this course and your academic success. Students may use AI as part of their research and preparation for discussion posts and research projects, or as a text editor, but text that is submitted must be written by the student. For example, students may use AI to generate images, ideas, questions, or summaries that they then revise, expand, or cite properly. Your use of generative AI tools must be properly documented and cited for any work submitted in this course: (a) an explanation of how the AI tools were used (e.g. to generate ideas, turns of phrase, elements of text, long stretches of text, lines of argument, pieces of evidence, maps of the conceptual territory, illustrations of key concepts, etc.); (b) an account of why AI tools were used (e.g. to save time, to surmount writer’s block, to stimulate thinking, to handle mounting stress, to clarify prose, to translate text, to experiment for fun, etc.). Students shall not use AI tools during examinations (quizzes and midterm exam).
- Generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI) is an emergent and disruptive innovation that is having a profound impact on how we learn and work. As future health care professionals, you will be working in an environment that is rapidly evolving to best take advantage of this novel technology. While benefits exist, we must consider the legal, ethical, and equity implications behind the utilization of Gen AI supported applications in higher education and healthcare. Gen AI use is permitted in the following situations:
- 1. Edit or revise assignments (grammar and style) using any genAI application with proper citation 2. Translate course materials from text to speech or speech to text using any genAI application with proper citation 3. Generate an outline for research using any genAI application with proper citation.
Any uses of Gen AI applications not noted above should be discussed with the instructor prior to their use in the class. Gen AI technologies are evolving rapidly. As such, we must acknowledge that this policy may need to be revisited during the semester as conditions change. In that event, you will once again be involved in the conversation to ensure that we collectively move forward with a shared understanding of Gen AI use in this course. Lastly, I encourage you to be proactive in regards to your use of and questions regarding Gen AI use. Failure to do so may result in a violation of the VCU Honor System policyLinks to an external site., whether intentional or not. My goal is to create an environment where that is less likely to happen. If you have a question about this policy or an intended use of Gen AI technologies, please reach out to me before submitting your work. I welcome your thoughts and questions and we learn to work with this technology together.
- Responsible AI Use in Creative Learning: This course recognizes AI literacy as a critical workplace skill. You will learn to craft effective prompts, critically evaluate AI outputs, and integrate AI-generated ideas with your own creative thinking. When submitting work, clearly distinguish between your original contributions and AI-assisted elements. This distinction isn't about restricting AI use but developing your discernment in knowing when human creativity, judgment, and ethical considerations should take precedence. Submitting AI-generated content as your own work without proper attribution constitutes academic dishonesty. Your growth in navigating this human-AI partnership will be considered in assessment alongside traditional creative outputs.
- One issue we will explore in theory and practice in this course is the rise of artificial intelligence, especially generative AI. As such, we will engage in class work and assessments in which we will use and build generative AI tools. In order to explore the ethical issues raised by generative AI, I believe we must use them. As such, you are permitted to use any AI tools (including all Generative AI) for exploration, research, completion of assignments, and the generation of images and videos. If you do, however, you are expected to cite and/or refer to the use of these tools. You are responsible for demonstrating your own ideas and distinguishing them from material generated by AI tools, and I may ask you to demonstrate the distinction in particular instances of your work.
- Using Large Language Models and Other Forms of Artificial Intelligence - This course is technology-forward; we want you to understand and be able to use newly emerging tools ethically, efficiently, and in ways that support your learning. Below, we provide recommendations and outline the rules for how you may use AI tools for this course.
- Best uses of AI platforms to support learning: 1. Virtual assistant. Many AI platforms can offer advice for study schedules design, task management (e.g., breaking down large tasks into smaller ones), and work/study strategies you may not have heard of (e.g., the Pomodoro Technique) that may improve your efficiency. 2. Creating new problem sets and quizzes to test your knowledge. 3. Note summarization and organization. Some AI platforms are able to condense pages of notes and readings into outlines, concept maps, and streamlined notes. Keep in mind that this tool does not understand course priorities. You should use it to enrich your own notes and concept maps--not as a way to avoid having to do the work yourself. Remember--coding is a skill. Whether we are talking about coding, scientific writing, weight lifting, or piano playing, skills require practice. You cannot outsource your practice to someone or something else and still hope to make satisfactory progress. 4. Virtual tutor. Many AI platforms can help find new study/learning resources, provide explanations that may clarify explanations from your textbook and instructors, and offer advice for improving the flow and clarity of both scientific writing and code.
- Rules for graded assignments: You may use ChatGPT, Bard/Gemini, Llama, Midjourney, Grammarly, and any other AI-based tool for any assignment unless the assignment instructions expressly forbids it. If you use an AI tool, you must 1) disclose that you used it and 2) provide the exact prompt(s) and output the AI platform generated as a supplement to their assignment. Failure to provide this information may result in receiving no credit for a particular question or assignment and may qualify as an Honor violation (i.e., plagiarism). Students who are unsure about the permissibility of an AI tool or about where to put the AI prompts and output should ask clarifying questions to the course directors BEFORE an assignment due date.
- Two important reminders: 1. AI platforms can--and do--make mistakes. Chat-GPT, for example, will invent fictitious code chunks and present them with total confidence. Students must critically evaluate all information produced by AI platforms and be proactive in meeting with the course teaching team to ask questions and get clarifications. 2. Do not assume that all courses have the same policies regarding AI use. You are responsible for ensuring that your AI use and submitted work comply with the policy for that class.
Gen AI Use Left to Student Discretion
- Suggested Writing Resources and Use of Artificial Intelligence: This is a writing-intensive course. The VCU Writing Center has a library of online resources and offers appointments (including virtual consultations) to help with all stages of writing. Even if you consider yourself to be a strong writer already, I encourage you to consider these services.
You might be wondering about, or considering using, artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT to help you with the writing in this course. I strongly discourage you from using these tools, especially during early drafts of your writing. Your job in this class is not to turn in an excellent research proposal. Rather, your job in this class is to gain knowledge and skills necessary to create an excellent research proposal. That latter task is harder, but it is the one that is important for you to grow professionally and to apply what you learn from this course to advance the field of genetic counseling far into the future. If you choose to use an artificial intelligence tool for work in this course, you must acknowledge and describe how that tool contributed to your writing per American Psychological Association recommendations.
- I have read and thought a LOT about artificial intelligence. It’s related to what I study and think about in multiple ways. Based on what I know now (and I continue to learn) here is how I feel about the use of generative AI for this course:
This is a course in an Ed.D. program. If you want to outsource your writing to a piece of software, and you can still sleep comfortably at night, you do you, boo. And, here is what I believe about the use of generative AI in this course (borrowed from [an academic colleague]). I can’t stop you, and I’m not a cop, so I won’t be using detection software. But these tools extrude highly mediocre and bland and often very wrong content. None of you are mediocre, and you deserve better. So, there you have it; somewhere across those two statements is my policy on generative AI. For more, see VCU’s guidelines for faculty and students on artificial intelligence.