Dr. P.'s Three Rules about Using AI 

 Aristotle outlined multiple paths to flourishing and happiness, all relating to the development of particular virtues.  They serve as a good guide for my expectations about student use of AI and my own.  While there are several, below I am going to highlight just a few.

#1.  Be truthful about your use of GAI tools.  Truthfulness is not about telling the truth in this sense.  It is about transparency.  I will let you know when I have used or intend to use AI in our classroom space.  I expect the same transparency when you use AI for your own work in our classroom.  This can include citing it in your papers, verbally telling me you have used it, or making a notation somewhere you in your assignment or assessment in someway that it has been used. 

#2.  Use it to help you, but not to replace you.  This is about Aristotle’s virtue of temperance and prudence.  Temperance is about self-regulation and prudence is about making good decisions.  It means recognizing the right ways and wrong ways to use GAI. GAI’s are biased, and they can cause a great amount of harm. I am dedicated to teaching you how to use it in our classes and in your profession, and driving you toward using AI in ethical ways. 

#3.  Have the courage to take chances.  This is a new world, one in which the possible uses for GAI are endless.  If you have a fun idea about how it might help you, I want you to go for it—as long as you remember the above two guidelines.  I also want you to make sure that you share it—our classroom space is designed for learning, and we learn from each other.  

Artificial Intelligence Guidelines

Generative Artificial intelligence (GAI) tools have become widely available for certain specific tasks and purposes. There are certain tasks for which AI may be appropriate and helpful. However, consider the following points.  These are technologies that can create content for you, such as essays, images, videos and sound.  

Tasks for my courses usually require critical reasoning skills that AI tools do not have. Effective communication requires a complex understanding of audience and purpose that AI is unable to discern.  For example, see this article about an AI-generated obituary.  The AI called the player "useless" instead of dead!  

If you do try using AI to support your first drafts, you still need to make these decisions about how well the AI-generated text is communicating the message to achieve its purpose. 

AI can invent false “data results” or unsupportable assertions, which is unacceptable for assignments in the course. 

Currently, AI paraphrasing capabilities produce unacceptable results, merely exchanging some synonyms for selected words, resulting in mosaic plagiarism. 

If you do use any AI tools, you accept the following risks and responsibilities: 

• Penn State’s G9: Academic Integrity policy prohibits all of the following in submitted assignments: false information, invented sources, misrepresenting work created by other individuals or technology as one’s own. 

• Your use of AI tools must be properly documented and cited in order to stay within university policies on academic honesty. See How do I cite generative AI?

Academic Integrity Information

Academic integrity is the pursuit of scholarly activity in an open, honest, and responsible manner. Academic integrity is a basic guiding principle for all academic activity at The Pennsylvania State University, and all members of the University community are expected to act in accordance with this principle. 

According to Penn State policy G-9: Academic Integrity, an academic integrity violation is “an intentional, unintentional, or attempted violation of course or assessment policies to gain an academic advantage or to advantage or disadvantage another student academically.” Unless your instructor tells you otherwise, you must complete all course work entirely on your own, using only sources that have been permitted by your instructor, and you may not assist other students with papers, quizzes, exams, or other assessments. If your instructor allows you to use ideas, images, or word phrases created by another person (e.g., from Course Hero or Chegg) or by generative technology, such as ChatGPT, you must identify their source. You may not submit false or fabricated information, use the same academic work for credit in multiple courses, or share instructional content. Students with questions about academic integrity should ask their instructor before submitting work. 

Students facing allegations of academic misconduct may not drop/withdraw from the affected course unless they are cleared of wrongdoing (see G-9: Academic Integrity). Attempted drops will be prevented or reversed, and students will be expected to complete course work and meet course deadlines. Students who are found responsible for academic integrity violations face academic outcomes, which can be severe, and put themselves at jeopardy for other outcomes which may include ineligibility for Dean’s List, pass/fail elections, and grade forgiveness. Students may also face consequences from their home/major program and/or The Schreyer Honors College. 

If you are found to present work that is not solely your own creation AS solely your own creation, you may face failing the assignment, the course, and/or even a referral for a permanent mark on your record to be designated by the Academic Integrity Violation Committee.   

Writing Expectations

As a student of Penn State University, you are held to a high standard.  The Code of Conduct that we agree to when becoming a part Penn State prompts you to asks us to do the following: 

• Act with integrity and honesty in accordance with the highest academic, professional, and ethical standards

• Respect and honor the dignity of each person, embrace civil discourse, and foster a diverse and inclusive community

• Act responsibly and are accountable for our decisions, actions, and their consequences

• Seek and create new knowledge and understanding, and foster creativity and innovation, for the benefit of our communities, society, and the environment

• Strive for excellence in all our endeavors as individuals, an institution, and a leader in higher education

• Work together for the betterment of our University, the communities we serve, and the world

Each of your assignments will be reviewed in person prior to the due date.  In addition, the assignment details will be posted on Canvas.  Ultimately, you are responsible for understanding assignment requirements.  If your work does not meet the basic assignment requirements, there will be no points awarded just for trying.  At any time prior to the due date for any assignment, you may meet with me personally or schedule with the SHARC  They have tutors and staff available to work with you on every part of the assignment process, including navigating assignment requirements, research, editing, and proofreading.  The Penn State Teaching and Learning with Technology also offers tech tutors, available to you for any type of help with tech needs you might have.  

If you do not have the technology needed to complete an assignment, you should immediately alert me.  Waiting until after the due date is not acceptable.  Penn State has many technological resources to help you overcome a plethora of technical challenges.  

Ensure that you proofread your paper multiple times. As students at Penn State, you should hold yourself to a high standard for polished, professional written (and oral) work. My goal is to help facilitate intellectual and professional growth in every one of you and as such, I will hold you to a high standard as well. Do not hand in sloppy and/or rushed work!!