Syllabus Policy for Using AI Tools in the Writing Classroom
The following is my policy being implemented into my courses at the University of Wisconsin — Green Bay, Spring semester, 2023. I welcome any productive discussion about how to refine this. Feel free to use this, make changes, etc. but kindly let me know how it went if you have the time.
Artificial Intelligence Tools and Your Writing Coursework
This is not a campus-wide policy and only applies to this course. This policy may change, with prior notice, to reflect developments in the technology and any usage that impacts the course curriculum and objectives.
Artificial intelligence will inevitably have a profound impact on every profession as well as most facets of daily life. One of the more popular AI-powered text generators, ChatGPT will radically impact the way we write and communicate. Using a prompt provided by the user, ChatGPT instantly scours billions of online data sources and combines its findings into a unique work that it anticipates will best address the prompt.
Just like our spellcheckers, citation assistants, Grammarly, and other tools, ChatGPT is not a substitute for human experience and may create issues if not used with caution. Mechanically speaking, the writing produced by these tools is often clear and well-executed. With regards to content, however, ChatGPT produces questionable and poor results. Some of the issues that have emerged include misinformation, nonexistent references, and a bias toward information produced by American sources.
These tools will likely be a significant part of your professional life by the time you graduate. They may also change the way you work here at UW-Green Bay. Therefore, I believe that it is my job to help you develop some best practices in using them. Based on the issues listed above, I encourage you to experiment with ChatGPT but require you to adhere to the following policies:
1. Do not under any circumstances submit assignments generated entirely by artificial intelligence. Duh.
2. If you use an AI-powered tool to generate, draft, create, or compose any portion of any assignment, you must submit a description of usage on a separate page. The description should include a copy of the generated text in its entirety and a professionally written summary that describes which tool was used and to what extent it was used.
Note: If you are enrolled in one of my courses, a template is provided for you in Canvas. I am also happy to share this with you — just email me!
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To reiterate, these tools are not accurate and often produce bland, dull, and poor content. If you choose to utilize them, it is your responsibility to revise the work so that your submission meets the requirements of the assignment.
In conclusion, I would like to emphasize that no technology (including writing) is a substitute for the authentic human experience. As an instructor who is excited by the potential of these technologies, I see value in AI as a service to our work. When you use any technology, however, you should be critical of its usage, carefully review the product, and never consider it to be a substitute for your invaluable perspective, experience, and creativity.
This policy only applies to courses taught by Kristopher Purzycki at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. Individuals who use ChatGPT or other AI-powered tools accept full responsibility for their usage.
January 18, 2023. Licensed under a Creative Commons License (CC BY 4.0).
Questions or concerns about this policy? Please don’t hesitate to contact me as I will likely be revising this policy as developments emerge.
