Gen AI & the Classroom

AI and the Classroom: Policy & Practice

Explore York’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) policies and resources that support course design. AI can help instructors with more quickly prototyping some of the more time intensive pieces of course design like designing rubrics, creating different versions of assessments and ideating teaching approaches. The pages below also share important considerations when using AI tools, including information security, privacy, academic honesty, and other factors.

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Key Idea

Prototyping with AI can help move forward elements of course design from draft to final, inspiring new ideas and leaving more time for instructors to keep their focus on key aspects of the process.

Shot of a programmer working on a computer code at night

AI Policies and Guidelines

The Academic Integrity and Generative Artificial Intelligence Technology (PDF) document from York University Senate Academic Standards, Curriculum and Pedagogy Committee shares the following guidance:

To promote clear and consistent practices, students across York are not authorized to use text-, image-, code-, or video-generating AI tools when completing their academic work unless explicitly permitted by a specific instructor in a particular course. Otherwise, using AI tools to aid in academic work (in whole or part) that is submitted for credit constitutes one or more breaches under York’s Academic Conduct Policy.

According to York’s Academic Conduct Policy and Procedures (effective September 1, 2024):

Using AI tools (e.g., text-, image-, code-, or video-generating AI) without proper citation or documentation may be considered a breach of cheating.
However, even with citation, if an instructor does not permit the use of these tools on any part of an assessment, then using them could be considered to be a breach of cheating as well (see Section 5.2a, i and ii).

Additionally, the policy outlines the following responsibilities for students:

When using AI tools, it's important for students to follow their instructors' guidelines and actively seek clarification if they are unsure about the proper use of these tools (section 6.2c).

Source: AI Technology & Academic Honesty

Use of Gen AI technologies in University administrative or operational activities should align with the principles of ethical use, transparency, accountability, sustainability, security, and privacy, as outlined in the Principles and Guidelines for Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (PDF).

Resource to explore: Artificial Intelligence Initiative

Pause & Reflect

The following questions invite instructors to pause and reflect on their current practices and explore opportunities related to Gen AI and course design:

How are disciplines changing with the rapid development of AI tools and technologies?
How might instructors leverage AI tools to ethically and responsibly support course design?
Could using AI tools help support some more timing-consuming aspects of course design or redesign?