Faculty

Guiding the Conversation: CETL's Collaborative Approach to AI

As tools capable of producing a passable paper become commonplace, a critical question faces us: How do we adjust our assessment and teaching practices accordingly? Should we permit the use of AI, and if so, how do we engage students in discussions about its ethical and practical application in their learning, discipline and future careers?

The CETL, in partnership with e-LIS and OU Libraries, serves as the primary resource for the ethical and practical integration and interrogation of AI into Oakland University's teaching and learning environment. Our approach balances both the need for students to develop their own understanding independent of AI and develop strategies toward intentional adoption and pedagogically sound innovation.

Toward this effort, we provide the training, resources and consultative support to ensure OU faculty can successfully navigate this new era. For key resources, programs, and additional guides and professional development options, see CETL’s Teaching and AI webpage.

e-LIS Instructional Designers: Your Partners for Integrating AI, Enhancing Accessibility, and Boosting Course Interactivity

At e-LIS, our Instructional Design team helps faculty discover how artificial intelligence can enhance online courses. We can help introduce AI to those curious about trying new tools or thinking of integrating AI into online courses. Our team can help you test AI with new and existing assignments, use it to create grading rubrics, format quiz questions to import and explore creative ways to engage students. We also introduce faculty to the AI Assessment Scale, a framework that encourages the use of AI with specific limitations depending on the activity.

Plus, we can show you how AI can support accessibility by helping make course content accessible when manual fixes aren’t practical. For those who’d like to make their courses more interactive, the ID team can take existing course files and convert their content into interactive crossword puzzles, flashcards, knowledge check quizzes and more via H5P.

Content coming soon.

All members of Oakland University’s academic community are expected to practice and uphold standards of academic integrity. Academic integrity means representing oneself and one’s work honestly. For faculty, this means unauthorized GenAI-assisted submissions must be treated as a form of potential misrepresentation, similar to using unauthorized resources or unauthorized collaboration, unless explicitly permitted. As instructors, it is your responsibility to define the boundaries of acceptable GenAI use within your discipline and on a course or per-assignment basis. Clear syllabus language must specify how the use of GenAI tools, programs or computer-based information affects the standard of honest scholarship. By proactively instructing students on the expected levels of originality, attribution, and documentation when using GenAI, you uphold the core expectation that students claim credit only for work that is verifiably their own. Any confirmed, unauthorized use of GenAI should be reported as academic misconduct.

AI Content Detection

Copyleaks GenAI Detection Software

GenAI detection software products are unreliable and can produce regular false positive and negative results. The use of such software is not recommended as a primary method for detecting academic misconduct. Due to their inaccuracies and the rapid evolution of GenAI, these tools should not be the sole measure of academic misconduct. Instead of relying on detection software alone, instructors should focus on promoting transparency and critical engagement with GenAI tools in their courses. Faculty may request that students provide prompt logs or tool settings for verification of their work.

• Copyleaks FAQ

The responsible integration of AI into all university activities is grounded in our existing institutional governance structure. AI usage must align with established UTS Policies and Guidelines, including the specific OU Guidelines on Artificial Intelligence Usage, which ensure clear expectations for our community. The foundational principles of Policy 830 (Information Technology), Policy 860 (Data Management and Information Security), and Policy 890 (Use of University Information Technology Resources) serve as the binding framework for responsible AI usage at OU. These policies collectively safeguard university data, protect user privacy, and uphold the secure and appropriate application of technology, including AI tools, across all teaching, research and administrative functions.

At Oakland University, we recognize that GenAI tools such as ChatGPT, Claude, DALL·E, Perplexity, Grammarly and others are rapidly transforming the landscape of research, teaching and learning. These tools offer both opportunities and risks, and their responsible use is essential to upholding academic integrity, intellectual growth and the mission of the university.

Faculty members have discretion to set policies for GenAI use in their courses, with transparency and alignment to learning objectives. Faculty are likewise obliged to communicate those policies to students at the onset of the semester, preferably in the syllabus. Students are expected to understand and comply with the policies that faculty set in their courses, and unacknowledged or inappropriate use of GenAI may constitute academic misconduct.

Guiding Principles for GenAI Student and Faculty Use:

• Transparency: Disclose use of GenAI unless explicitly exempted.
• Attribution: Cite GenAI contributions, even if not traditional sources.
• Learning Goals First: GenAI use must support, not be a substitute for, learning.
• Privacy & Ethics: Sensitive or personal data or intellectual property must not be input into GenAI tools.
• Disciplinary Standards: Field-specific norms for GenAI are to be followed.

Instructor Requirements

• Adopt a GenAI policy for your course and include that policy in your syllabus. Examples that may be adopted are below.
• If a blanket policy is not suitable for the course, provide clear direction in the syllabus that students should adhere to the guidelines given with each activity, assignment or assessment.

Instructor Recommendations

• Explain your GenAI policy and rationale clearly.
• Encourage discussion about GenAI use and limits.
• Provide examples of appropriate vs. inappropriate uses.
• Integrate GenAI literacy into activities where appropriate.

Creating a Comprehensive Approach to GenAI Adoption in Your Courses

A syllabus statement, when paired with acceptable GenAI use guidelines, provides clarity by establishing a common language and framework for both faculty and students. This combination goes beyond a simple “yes/no” policy. In some cases, a course-level statement may make the most sense. Others may prefer the flexibility provided by a GenAI assessment scale, which allows you to set specific acceptable GenAI use parameters for individual assignments. The following examples guide both course-level and assessment-level GenAI integration approaches to consider.

Course Level Policy Examples:

Prohibited Use (Strict Policy)

• Submitting GenAI-generated work as one’s own without proper citation or permission
• Using GenAI to complete exams, quizzes or assignments intended to assess individual understanding
• Writing entire sentences, paragraphs or papers
• Misleading others about the origin of the content

Sample Syllabus Statements

Use of GenAI tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Claude, DALL·E, Grammarly) beyond _____ is not permitted for any assignment or activity in this course. All submitted work must be your own and reflect your original thinking and writing. Any use of GenAI for work submitted in this course will be treated as academic misconduct unless explicitly authorized in writing.

Limited Use (GenAI as a Learning Tool)

• Using GenAI as a study aid or brainstorming partner
• Exploring GenAI output for critique, comparison or analysis in course activities
• Drafting an outline to organize thoughts
• Checking for grammar, punctuation and style

Sample Syllabus Statements

You may use GenAI tools for outlining, organizing and exploring ideas if you clearly acknowledge and cite the tool’s contributions in your submitted work. All final drafts must reflect your original analysis, synthesis and voice. Use of GenAI to generate full or partial drafts is not permitted.

Suggested citation format:

ChatGPT. (version). Response to prompt “[insert prompt].” OpenAI. https://chat.openai.com

Integrated Use (GenAI as a Writing Assistant)

• Improving clarity, grammar, tone and academic style
• Formatting references or suggesting relevant sources (always with verification)
• Fix grammar issues, improve readability and simplify jargon
• Adjusting tone to make writing more formal, conversational, assertive, etc.

Sample Syllabus Statements

GenAI tools may be used as writing aids (e.g., for revising prose, improving grammar or modeling structure), but you must retain critical ownership of your ideas. Any AI-generated content used in final submissions must be cited or described in a brief "Process Note."

Process Note example:

I used ChatGPT to suggest alternative transitions between paragraphs in my third draft. I chose to revise based on its suggestion for greater coherence, but rewrote the material in my own words.

Encouraged Use with Critical Engagement (GenAI Literacy Focus)

Sample Syllabus Statements

In this course, GenAI is a tool for critical inquiry. You are encouraged to use GenAI to analyze, question and extend your understanding of course content. Assignments may require you to reflect on your AI use, critique outputs or compare AI-generated material to scholarly work. Always disclose and reflect on your use of AI in your submissions.

Assessment Level GenAI Integration

As GenAI reshapes higher education, tools like Leon Furze’s Assessment-Level AI Integration Scale, shown below, help faculty make intentional choices about when and how GenAI should be used in assignments. These frameworks clarify expectations for students. By situating each assessment on the scale, from GenAI-free to fully GenAI-integrated, faculty can ensure that GenAI strengthens rather than undermines teaching and learning based on discipline-specific standards.

AI Level	Overview
No AI	The assessment is completed entirely without AI assistance in a controlled environment, ensuring that students rely solely on their existing knowledge, understanding, and skills Sample Statement: You must not use AI at any point during the assessment. You must demonstrate your core skills and knowledge.
AI Planning	AI may be used for pre-task activities such as brainstorming, outlining and initial research. This level focuses on the effective use of AI for planning, synthesis and ideation, but assessments should emphasize the ability to develop and refine these ideas independently. Sample Statement: You may use AI for planning, idea development and research. Your final submission should show how you have developed and refined these ideas.
AI Collaboration	AI may be used to help complete the task, including idea generation, drafting, feedback and refinement. Students should critically evaluate and modify the AI-suggested outputs, demonstrating their understanding. Sample Statement: You may use AI to assist with specific tasks such as drafting text, refining and evaluating your work. You must critically evaluate and modify any AI-generated content you use.
Full AI	AI may be used to complete any elements of the task, with students directing AI to achieve the assessment goals. Assessments at this level may also require engagement with AI to achieve goals and solve problems. Sample Statement: You may use AI extensively throughout your work, either as you wish or as specifically directed in your assessment. Focus on directing AI to achieve your goals while demonstrating your critical thinking.
AI Exploration	AI is used creatively to enhance problem-solving, generate novel insights, or develop innovative solutions to solve problems. Students and educators co-design assessments to explore unique AI applications with the field of study. Sample Statement: You should use AI creatively to solve the task, potentially co-designing new approaches with your instructor.

 

Perkins, Furze, Roe and MacVaugh (2024). The AI Assessment Scale