Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Academic Integrity (version original) Guide Ask Us

Welcome!

This guide is designed to empower you with the knowledge and resources needed to navigate the integration of AI into your studies responsibly. As technology continues to evolve, it's essential to understand how to ethically incorporate AI tools into your studies while upholding principles of academic integrity. This guide aims to provide clarity on when and how to use AI responsibly, ensuring that you enhance your learning experience without compromising your integrity.

Learning Objectives:

Understand the concept of academic integrity and its importance in maintaining ethical standards within the academic community.

Explore the guidelines for academic integrity set UNB, including what constitutes cheating and its consequences.

Examine the role of AI in learning, distinguishing between appropriate and inappropriate uses.

What is academic integrity?

Based on International Center for Academic Integrity and Donald McCabe, academic integrity represents the moral value and ethical standard upheld within academia. It is the commitment to honesty, trustworthiness, fairness, respect, and responsibility in all scholarly activities. It includes upholding ethical standards and principles in the pursuit of knowledge, research, learning, and academic achievements. It promotes the ethical conduct of individuals within the academic community, fostering an environment of trust and excellence in scholarship and education.

Why academic integrity is important?

Academic integrity is crucial because it ensures fairness, trust, and genuine learning in educational settings. The emphasis on honesty and ethical standards makes sure that individuals can succeed based on their own efforts and abilities. Maintaining integrity builds trust among students, educators, and institutions, preserving the credibility of academic institutions. It also cultivates personal development by encouraging ethical decision-making and reinforcing the value of honesty in all aspects of life.

Academic integrity at UNB

At the UNB, academic integrity stands as a cornerstone of our institution. We take breaches of honesty seriously and expect every student to understand what is considered as plagiarism and its consequences.

Plagiarism encompasses various actions such as quoting without acknowledgment, adopting others' work as one's own, or submitting work created by someone else. The consequence for plagiarism depends on whether it was intentional or a result of misunderstanding.

If the plagiarism was caused by a genuine misunderstanding, students may have the chance to rectify the situation by resubmitting their work, though penalties may still apply. Deliberate plagiarism cases are escalated to the appropriate  committee for further examination.

Penalties for deliberate plagiarism are significant. First-time offenders risk notations on their transcripts, reworking assignments, failing grades, and additional sanctions. Repeat offenses will face harsher penalties, potentially leading to expulsion from the university.

It's crucial for everyone in our community to uphold the highest standards of academic honesty. To learn more about the policy, please visit Academic Offence at UNB and watch these videos on academic integrity at UNB and how to conduct your work with integrity.

With the advancement of generative artificial intelligence (AI), such as language models like GPT-3 and GPT-4, the landscape of academic integrity is evolving. While these AI models offer tremendous potential for learning, writing assistance, and creative exploration, they also present challenges in maintaining academic honesty and authenticity.

Generative AI systems have the capability to produce human-like text based on input prompts. This presents both opportunities and risks in academic settings. On one hand, these models can help students generate ideas and understand concepts, even draft academic papers. On the other hand, there is a risk of misuse, such as plagiarism, where students may use generated content without proper attribution.

When it comes to whether you can use any AI tool to complete your assignment, the rule of thumb is to read the assignment instructions thoroughly and clarify your understanding of your instructor's expectations. If you're uncertain about using AI tools, ask for clarification from your instructor before beginning the project.

The decision to use AI tools also depends on the purpose of the assignment and the skills being tested. For instance, if an assignment assesses your ability to solve mathematical problems, using AI calculators or software that automatically solves equations may not be allowed. This is because the assignment aims to evaluate your proficiency in solving mathematical problems manually, understanding of concepts. In contrast, if the assignment focusses on data analysis or statistical interpretation, using AI tools to process and analyze large datasets may be allowed and even encouraged, as long as it aligns with the learning objectives of the assignment. Therefore, the decision to use AI tools should consider the specific skills and competencies being evaluated in the assignment.

It's crucial to recognize that AI cannot replace human effort or complete tasks on your behalf. When using AI tools, it's important to acknowledge that you are delegating tasks to a machine rather than completing them yourself.

AI tools, such as ChatGPT, are language models. The output is based on pretrained data, not your original work. If using a tool like this, you must properly cite it to avoid plagiarism.

AI's reliability is questionable; it may give misleading responses when confronted with unfamiliar tasks or fabulate inaccurate information. It is important to verify the output of AI tools, which can be challenging since students may lack subject-specific knowledge.

AI lacks consciousness, critical thinking, and human understanding. If a language model based AI tool is used for critically analyzing research output or writing, it performs inadequately because it does not think or reason; rather, its output relies on the probability of words being associated with each other.

AI-generated content does not sound like human writing, which reflects personality and nuance.

The flowchart below, uses ChatGPT as an example, serves as a practical guide to navigate the decision of whether to use AI tools in academic settings. It illustrates a decision-making process and effectively demonstrates the careful consideration required before integrating AI into your academic work, emphasizing the balance between technological convenience and academic integrity.

The flowchart is designed to guide you through the process of deciding whether ChatGPT is an appropriate tool for your academic work. The decision-making starts with the question of whether the truth of the output matters. If it doesn't, as in the case of creative writing or fiction, ChatGPT is safe to use, though it's necessary to check with your instructor. If truth is important, the next consideration is whether there is an expectation to complete the work independently. If yes, using ChatGPT is considered unsafe due to potential violations of academic integrity and the possibility of generating flawed or biased content. If working independently is not a requirement, you need to assess whether you have the expertise to verify the accuracy of ChatGPT's output. Without the expertise to ensure accuracy, using ChatGPT is again marked as unsafe. However, if you can verify the accuracy and is also willing to take full responsibility for any inaccuracies that may occur, using ChatGPT becomes a possibility. In this case, it is essential to confirm with your instructor and to verify the output for accuracy and credibility, ensuring proper citations are made where necessary. 

Lastly, I'd like to emphasize that learning involves overcoming challenges; AI tools should enhance this process rather than replacing it. I encourage you to watch this video on adopting the correct approach to use AI tools in academic settings

In conclusion, the rise of generative AI presents both opportunities and challenges in the context of academic integrity. While these technologies offer new possibilities for research and creativity, they also require careful consideration and responsible use to ensure academic honesty and authenticity.

Now that you've learned how to navigate the use of ChatGPT for your academic work, it's time to put your knowledge to practice! Head over to the interactive game from University of Waterloo library to see if you can apply these guidelines effectively. It will reinforce best practices when leveraging AI as a learning tool.

Let's get started!

ChatGPT and Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI): The Assignment Dilemma

Cope, B., Kalantzis, M., & Searsmith, D. (2021). Artificial intelligence for education: Knowledge and its assessment in AI-enabled learning ecologies. Educational Philosophy and Theory, 53(12), 1229–1245. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131857.2020.1728732

Cotton, D. R. E., Cotton, P. A., & Shipway, J. R. (2024). Chatting and cheating: Ensuring academic integrity in the era of ChatGPT. Innovations in Education and Teaching International, 61(2), 228–239. https://doi.org/10.1080/14703297.2023.2190148

OpenAI. (2024). ChatGPT (April version) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com/chat

UNESCO (2023). ChatGPT and artificial intelligence in higher education: Quick start guide

UNESCO (2023). Guidance for generative AI in education and research

This guide is inspired and adopted from the following resources:

Victoria Fedden. (2023). Artificial Intelligence: 7 Things College Students Need to Know Before Using AI

Midwestern State University Artificial Intelligence (AI): Tools and Resources

University at Albany Generative AI and Academic Integrity

University of Taxes Artificial Intelligence (AI)

University of Waterloo ChatGPT and Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI): The Assignment Dilemma

University of Waterloo ChatGPT and Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI)

University of Waterloo (n.d). 5 things students need to know before using GenAI