Artificial intelligence (AI) systems are powerful tools that promise to revolutionize research, teaching and learning. In all three areas and in the future of work, there exist creative and forward-thinking opportunities for the use of AI. Many University of Guelph faculty, instructors, staff and students are currently looking at ethical uses of AI, including research through U of G’s Centre for Advancing Responsible and Ethical Artificial Intelligence (CARE-AI).  

At the same time, the development of increasingly sophisticated AI systems such as ChatGPT poses potential threats to academic integrity. Unauthorized student use of AI systems undermines student learning, the achievement of learning outcomes and violates the University’s academic misconduct policies.

The University is committed to ensuring that the use of AI in teaching and learning complies with existing policies and regulations that govern academic and scholarly integrity. We continue to engage the University community, including students, as we work to refine academic integrity policies and their intersection with AI tools. We affirm the following:

  1. Students’ work must reflect their unique intellectual capacity and demonstrate the application of critical thinking and problem solving. Unauthorized use of AI to complete assessments violates the fundamental intellectual purposes of the University and does not demonstrate student achievement of course learning outcomes.
  2. Submission of materials completed by AI, without permission of the instructor, constitutes an offence under the University’s academic misconduct policies, either as a form of plagiarism or the use of unauthorized aids. 
  3. Acceptable use of AI should be determined by the course instructor and may vary across disciplines, programs and types of assessments. In setting out course requirements and assessment criteria, the instructor should specify allowable uses of AI, if any, through the course outline and/or the learning management system (e.g., CourseLink). Clarity about the acceptable use of AI is critical for students and instructors. Students are responsible for appropriately referencing how and to what extent they have used AI in assessments in keeping with University and course requirements.

Faculty and instructors are encouraged to continue to develop modes of assessment that foster academic integrity and assess learning outcomes. Where appropriate, this may include building into assessments requirements that students explain and provide evidence of the research and thought processes used in completing the assignment.

Ongoing information and education sessions on artificial intelligence and academic integrity will be available across the University.

Relevant academic integrity policies:

Undergraduate Calendar
Associate Diploma Calendar
Guelph-Humber Calendar
Graduate Calendar