Over the past few months AI has emerged as a powerful tool to enrich our teaching, as well as our students' learning and creativity. But as the saying goes, "With great power comes great responsibility" (and yes, I did just watch the latest Spider-Man movie).
As AI use continues to grow, it is important for educators to establish clear guidelines for AI usage in the classroom, in an effort to safeguard our students while empowering their learning journey.
Like any powerful tool, AI has potential benefits and pitfalls. Its use in the classroom can enhance personalized learning, facilitate instant feedback, and foster a culture of innovation. However, improper use can lead to misinformation, privacy issues, and a lack of critical thinking.
In this blog post we will explore how you can develop AI guidelines by answering 10 questions about your philosophy of AI in education. We will then see how we can use AI to help us craft our ideas into a set of well-defined, thoughtful guidelines for our students.
🧰 Resources
Additional resources for this topic can be found in the links below:
- Artificial Intelligence / Natural Misuse - bit.ly/curts-aimisuse
- Creating Student AI Guidelines - bit.ly/curts-aiguidelines
- AI Tools in Education - bit.ly/curts-ai
- Google AI in Education - bit.ly/curts-googleai
🤔 Questions
A good place to begin is a series of questions to help you determine how you want to address AI in your classroom. These questions will help you think through the issues related to AI in education and determine your philosophy.
You can work through these questions on your own for your specific classroom, or with a group of your colleagues if you are trying to develop a shared set of guidelines for your grade level, department, building, or district.
Feel free to add more questions as appropriate for your class. When done answering these questions you can use AI to help craft your responses into a set of guidelines for your class.
- What grade level(s) and subject(s) do you teach?
- What specific AI tools will you use in your classroom?
- What are your goals for using AI in the classroom?
- How do you view the role of AI in education? Should it supplement teaching, provide new experiences, assist in grading, etc.?
- What are your concerns about using AI in the classroom?
- What are your expectations for student use of AI in the classroom?
- How will you monitor student use of AI in the classroom to ensure that students use AI tools ethically and responsibly?
- Do you have any existing policies about technology usage in the classroom that should be taken into account?
- How will you address any potential problems that may arise from the use of AI in the classroom?
- How do you want to approach accessibility and inclusivity when it comes to AI?
- How do you plan to address data privacy issues and concerns with your students?
💡 Example Answers
Here are some possible examples of how these questions could be answered. These are not necessarily the best answers, or answers that would work for you, but just serve as samples to show what it could look like to work through the process.
- What grade level(s) and subject(s) do you teach?
Grade 8 Language Arts
- What specific AI tools will you use in your classroom?
I will want my students to use the Google AI tools including Bard and the AI features that Google is embedding into Docs, Slides, Gmail, Search, and more.
- What are your goals for using AI in the classroom?
I would like students to use AI to provide inspiration for their writing, suggestions for organization, feedback on their writing and work, instruction and explanation for content they need assistance with, and review practice for assessing their skills and knowledge.
- How do you view the role of AI in education? Should it supplement teaching, provide new experiences, assist in grading, etc.?
I believe that AI should supplement both the teaching and learning process, should extend what teachers and students are able to do, should provide assistance with grading, should help with brainstorming and organization, should serve as a tutor to help with questions and needs, should provide accommodations to support the needs of students such as simplifying content or providing summaries, and more.
- What are your concerns about using AI in the classroom?
I am concerned that students might copy directly from the AI output and claim the content as their own. I am concerned that students will have the AI do their work for them, rather than have the AI just provide support and assistance. I am concerned that students will believe everything that the AI generates, rather than evaluating and verifying the information. I am concerned that the students may use AI to generate content that can be used to harass other students. I am concerned that students may submit personally identifying information to an AI system.
- What are your expectations for student use of AI in the classroom?
I want my students to see the AI as my assistant in the class who is not there to give them the answers or do their work for them, but instead to provide the same sort of support, assistance, and explanation as I would, but personalized for each student. I expect that students will not use AI to cheat or harass, but they will use it to provide needed support, guidance, and feedback.
- How will you monitor student use of AI in the classroom to ensure that students use AI tools ethically and responsibly?
I want to require students to do any writing inside of Google Docs so that the Version History tool will track their work. This will allow them and me to verify that they actually did the writing themselves, and did not simply copy and paste the content from somewhere else.
Because I want to encourage students to use AI in a responsible manner, I want them to be transparent in how they use it. For any assignment on which they received any form of AI assistance, I want them to include a section at the very bottom with their work to disclose this information. We can call this the “AI Credits” section. Here they can simply disclose how they used AI for this assessment including brainstorming, outlining, feedback on their writing, and such. They can simply copy and paste the responses from the AI if that is most convenient.
- Do you have any existing policies about technology usage in the classroom that should be taken into account?
Students are not allowed to use technology to cheat, including plagiarism or simply getting the answers to questions. Students are not allowed to use technology to harass other students. Students must put technology away if requested by the teacher for any particular activity.
- How will you address any potential problems that may arise from the use of AI in the classroom?
Misuse of AI tools would be the same as misuse of technology in general. If a student plagiarizes with AI we would use the existing processes for addressing cheating in class.
- How do you want to approach accessibility and inclusivity when it comes to AI?
I want all students to be able to use AI for accessibility and accommodations, as all students need support in one way or another. If a student does not want or need to use AI that is ok, but I want AI to be an option to help any students who would benefit from it.
- How do you plan to address data privacy issues and concerns with your students?
Students are not to submit any personally identifying information to an AI system.
🤖 Generating the Guidelines
Now that we have answers to these questions, we can use AI to help us generate an organized set of guidelines for our class. Using your choice of generative AI tool, provide the following prompt along with a copy of all the questions and your answers.
Below are my answers to key questions about my philosophy of AI in education. Using the content from my answers, generate a document titled "Student AI Guidelines" to be given to my class of students that provides detailed guidelines on the appropriate use of AI in our class. Organize, arrange, and summarize the content as needed to create a clear and structured set of guidelines for the students.
✅ Example Guidelines
I tested this out with both ChatGPT and Google Bard. Below are the responses I received from each AI tool.
ChatGPT's Response:
Student AI Guidelines
Welcome to Grade 8 Language Arts! In our class, we will be using Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools to assist with learning. However, it is vital that these tools are used responsibly and appropriately. This document provides guidelines on how we will use AI in our classroom.
1. AI Tools in Use
We will be using Google AI tools, including Bard and the AI features embedded into Google Docs, Slides, Gmail, and Search. These tools will provide inspiration for writing, suggestions for organization, feedback on work, and content instruction when needed.
2. Goals for Using AI
The goal of using AI in our class is to extend our learning and teaching processes. AI will serve as an assistant to provide the same support, assistance, and explanation as your teacher, but personalized for each of you. It will also help with grading, brainstorming, organization, and even serve as a tutor for your questions and needs.
3. Role of AI in the Classroom
AI is not here to replace your hard work. It should not be used to do your work for you, but rather to support and assist you. It will provide accommodations to support learning needs, such as simplifying content or providing summaries.
4. Ethical Use of AI
There are several key points we need to remember in order to use AI ethically:
- Plagiarism: Do not copy directly from the AI output and claim the content as your own.
- Misinformation: Do not believe everything the AI generates. Always evaluate and verify the information.
- Harassment: AI should not be used to generate content that can be used to harass others.
- Personal Information: Do not submit personally identifying information to an AI system.
5. Monitoring AI Use
To ensure transparency in the use of AI, students must complete their work in Google Docs, where the Version History tool will track their work. This will allow us to verify that you did the writing yourselves.
For any assignment that received AI assistance, include an “AI Credits” section at the bottom of your work. Here, disclose how you used AI for the assignment. You can simply copy and paste the AI responses if that is most convenient.
6. Classroom Technology Policies
In our classroom, technology, including AI, must not be used to cheat or harass others. If asked, students must put technology away for specific activities. Misuse of AI tools will be treated the same as misuse of any technology.
7. Accessibility and Inclusivity
AI tools are available to all students to use for accessibility and accommodations. If a student does not wish to use AI, that's perfectly fine. We aim for AI to be an option to help any student who would benefit from it.
8. Data Privacy
Data privacy is a serious concern. You should not submit any personally identifying information to an AI system.
9. Addressing Potential Problems
If any problems arise from the use of AI, we will address them as we would any other classroom issue. For instance, if a student plagiarizes with AI, we will use our existing processes for addressing cheating in class.
By following these guidelines, we can ensure that AI serves as a helpful and ethical tool in our learning journey. If you have any questions or concerns, don't hesitate to bring them up. Happy learning!
Google Bard's Response:
Student AI Guidelines
Introduction
Artificial intelligence (AI) is a rapidly evolving technology that has the potential to revolutionize education. In this document, we will outline our philosophy of AI in education and provide detailed guidelines on the appropriate use of AI in our class.
Our Philosophy of AI in Education
We believe that AI can be a powerful tool for learning. It can be used to provide inspiration, suggestions, feedback, instruction, and explanation. AI can also be used to help students with tasks such as brainstorming, organizing, and editing their work.
However, we also believe that it is important to use AI responsibly. We want students to use AI to support their learning, not to replace it. We also want students to be aware of the potential risks of using AI, such as plagiarism and data privacy.
Guidelines for Student Use of AI
The following are some guidelines for students to follow when using AI in our class:
- Use AI to support your learning, not to replace it. AI is a tool that can help you learn, but it is not a substitute for your own effort. You should still do the work required to learn the material.
- Be honest about your use of AI. If you use AI to help you with an assignment, be sure to cite your sources. Do not plagiarize the work of the AI.
- Be aware of the potential risks of using AI. AI is a powerful tool, and it can be used for both good and bad. Be aware of the potential risks of using AI, such as plagiarism and data privacy.
Monitoring Student Use of AI
We will monitor student use of AI to ensure that students are using AI tools ethically and responsibly. We will do this by:
- Requiring students to do any writing inside of Google Docs. This will allow us to track their work using the Version History tool.
- Requiring students to disclose their use of AI on any assignment that received any form of AI assistance. Students can do this by including an "AI Credits" section at the bottom of their work.
Existing Policies about Technology Usage
In addition to the guidelines above, students are also subject to the following existing policies about technology usage in the classroom:
- Students are not allowed to use technology to cheat. This includes plagiarism, getting the answers to questions, or harassing other students.
- Students must put technology away when requested by the teacher.
Addressing Potential Problems
If a student violates any of the guidelines above, we will address the problem in accordance with our existing policies. We will also work with the student to help them understand the importance of using AI responsibly.
Accessibility and Inclusivity
We want all students to be able to use AI for accessibility and accommodations. If a student does not want or need to use AI, that is okay. However, we want AI to be an option for any student who would benefit from it.
Data Privacy
We value the privacy of our students. Students are not to submit any personally identifying information to an AI system.
Conclusion
We believe that AI has the potential to be a powerful tool for learning. However, it is important to use AI responsibly. We hope that these guidelines will help students use AI in a way that is both beneficial and ethical.
🚀 Additional Options
As with any generative AI process, you will likely want to ask follow-up questions to refine the guidelines. You may think of additional content you wish to incorporate, or other questions you would like to answer.
For one example of going further, you can also work with generative AI to create a table for the end of your guidelines that helps students compare proper and improper use of AI. You can use a prompt such as:
For an additional way of providing clarity for students, let’s create a two-column table to add to the end of the guidelines that contrasts “Proper Use of AI” with “Improper Use of AI”. The column titled “Proper Use of AI” could include items such as “Brainstorm ideas for a writing assignment”, “Get feedback and suggestions for improvement on completed writing”, and so on. The column titled “Improper Use of AI” could include items such as “Copy and use content directly from AI”, “Use AI to get answers to assignment questions”, and so on. Generate at least 8 specific items for each column to give students clear examples of what is proper and improper use of AI based on the guidelines we have created.
In my case I tested this with ChatGPT and got a good response that I could work from and build on.
ChatGPT's Response:
⏰ Future Revisions
AI is already evolving at a rapid pace, and will certainly continue to do so. You will want to periodically revisit and revise any AI guidelines that you develop to address new use cases, benefits, and challenges.
In most cases you should simply be able to provide Bard or ChatGPT with your original set of guidelines and then give the new content you wish to incorporate.
☑️ More Example Guidelines
In addition to the examples above, I have been collecting examples of guidelines and policies from schools and organizations. You can access the latest collection in my resource document below:
Artificial Intelligence / Natural Misuse - bit.ly/curts-aimisuse
- Syllabi Policies for AI Generative Tools - Large collection from Lance Eaton
- Google Docs version - Resource link
- Google Sheets version - Resource link
- Sample Guidance on the Use of AI from TeachAI
- Overview - teachai.org/toolkit
- Webpage version - Resource link
- Google Docs version - Resource link
- Planning Guide for AI from Michigan Virtual - Resource link
- NEOLA examples
- Pleasant Local Schools - Marion, OH - Resource link
- Princeton City School District - Cincinnati, OH - Resource link
- University of Kentucky - Resource link
- Lawrence School - Sagamore Hills, OH - Resource link
- Plano ISD's Generative Artificial Intelligence Position and Guidance - Resource link
- All Saints’ Episcopal School A.I. Course Policies by Subject - Resource link
- Beverly Hills Unified School District Academic Honesty Policy - Resource link
- K-12 Generative AI Readiness Checklist - Resource link
🏁 Conclusion
Hopefully these questions and procedures will help you think through the issues related to using AI in your classroom, and develop a set of guidelines that encourage your students to get the most out of AI, while avoiding potential misuse.
I would love to hear your thoughts on this. What other questions should we add to the list? Please feel free to share your ideas, suggestions, and example guidelines that you have developed.
Post by Eric Curts
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