Customize Your GenAI Syllabus Statement

Faculty Considerations for Syllabus Statement Customization

To customize your syllabus statement, consider these points to help you frame the use of generative AI in your course context.

1.  Anticipate how generative AI will affect your course, including how you and students may use it.

  • Consider the importance of AI literacy for students, for both professional readiness and academic performance.
  • Become familiar with generative AI tools’ functionality, such as ChatGPT.
  • Review better use cases for generative AI integration within your academic discipline.

2.  Become familiar with the Guidelines for Responsible Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) at USF, including the risks associated with use and the limitations of generative AI output.

3.  Determine expected student permissions or limitations addressing the use of class lectures, materials, and recordings using generative AI tools.

4. Envision a general course policy for responsible GenAI use, allowing for adjustments at the assignment level. (The AI Assessment Scale (AIAS) provides a nuanced framework for integrating AI into educational assessments. USF Instructional Design is available to help you with this work.)

  • Through a lens of equity, determine your general expectations for students' use of GenAI tools, as well as possible consequences for their use outside your expectations.
    • Be aware that as embedded GenAI expands into a range of applications, it may not always be apparent to students when or if they are using GenAI functions.
    • Be aware that when GenAI output use is cited, it will not be clear how students have incorporated groups of GenAI output into their final work without an additional explanation of their process.
    • Be aware that prohibiting GenAI tools use or not providing clear expectations drives their use underground. This presents a significant equity issue, privileging students who have more sophisticated language abilities and/or are savvy GenAI tools users. These students will more likely ‘fly under the radar’ compared to students with less sophisticated language abilities (often language learners) and/or less familiarity with strategic GenAI tools use, who will more likely be identified and held accountable.
    • Be aware that in most cases, the use of GenAI tools will not be traceable in students’ written submissions. This situation can be mitigated by adapting assignments to manage GenAI use responsibly and accountably.
  • Consider asking students to co-develop the GenAI policy, engaging them to think critically about its use in the course.

5.  Consider recommendations for generative AI tools to fit your course.

  • Address the explicit and implicit bias [RS & InsideHigherEd] of generative AI platforms as educational resources, in terms of student access, cost, and source of content and output.  

6.  Review the three syllabus statement options and choose one to use for your syllabus.

  • Identify the purpose of your generative AI policy and how this information will be communicated to students, both through a syllabus statement and at intervals through the course. https://www.isophist.com/p/developing-your-genai-syllabus-policy
  • Customize your chosen syllabus statement to fit your course.
  • For students, be ready to clearly explain why you have chosen this generative AI policy and how it will be implemented through the course. Help students become aware of the limitations, bias, and risks associated with generative AI. As appropriate, consider ways that students can collaborate in course policy development, to address the responsible and ethical use of generative AI overall.