AI guidelines
How and when to use AI?
The application of AI will be different between disciplines and contexts. It is important that you seek advice and support from your module tutor before using AI in your studies.
Through conversation and consultation with students and staff, ethical, practical, and technical considerations can be explored, whilst ensuring the application is transparent and permitted.
It is recommended to think about the value that using AI will add to your educational experience and where it could hinder it.
When AI is chosen to be used within teaching you will be provided with recommendations for the different approaches you can be expected to use.
This is likely to include:
- What tools you can use.
- Specific guidance for using the selected tool(s).
- Any limitations/ challenges that may be placed on using the tools.
- How to acknowledge use of the tool as specified by the University guidance.
- Whether you need to reflect upon or describe their use of the tool within their submission.
Academic Integrity
With the rise of AI comes the increased possibility of collusion or misconduct in reference to academic offences. However, AI as a tool can be used effectively within assessments to help support or enhance the offering and should not be discounted. There are two key parts that need to be considered when looking at academic integrity:
- Originality statements
- AI acknowledgement
As part of the University’s guidance around academic offences we have an originality statement which is visible to students as part of guidance around assessment submissions. The originality statement was made in collaboration with the College Directors of Academic Quality and Standards, as well as in alignment with the regulations set out by the University. The statement highlights that the submission is the student’s:
“own work, without input from either commercial or non-commercial writers or editors or advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence services.” (reference originality statement)
If you are permitted the use of AI as a supportive element within an assessment, it is important to be aware of the acceptable limits and acknowledgments required.
If AI tools have been permitted the following will be part of your originality statement. This is usually found within the assessment folder within Blackboard Ultra under ‘Academic Offences & Originality Report’. If you are within Canvas, this can be found within the assessment instructions.
“…own work, without input from either commercial or non-commercial writers or editors or advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence services unless explicitly allowed and referenced.”
If AI tools have been built into your assessment you will be provided with clear instructions and guidance on expectations, and you must provide acknowledgement appropriately. The University library has created a guide on examples of how to acknowledge the use of AI:
University of Lincoln Library | Study skills: Artificial Intelligence | Web
GDPR and Fair Use
When using AI services, it is important that you carefully consider how the service manages personal data. Are you inadvertently providing personal data (yours, or someone else’s) to the service?
It is important that both students and staff are aware of the difference between the data used to train the language model and the data submitted to the model as part of the prompt.
There are further serious privacy concerns that may arise when submitting personally identifiable information as part of using services like ChatGPT.
Anonymisation of any data submitted and removal of business identifiable information is a minimum, but if you are unsure, support and guidance can be obtained for the ICO team through emailing compliance@lincoln.ac.uk.
When accessing AI technologies, the accessibility level of those services needs to be considered. The University wants to ensure equitable and fair use when incorporating AI tools to ensure all students can succeed. To support this goal, the University is recommending that only AI tools, which all students have the same level of access are chosen. This is due to some tools providing ‘paid-for’ advanced versions of the system which may unfairly advantage students from certain economic backgrounds. Therefore, no AI tools that require payment to access will be permitted to use as part of any assessment and are discouraged for academic use outside of assessments.