A.I. The use of Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) at EHU

 

AI (Artificial Intelligence) in education is a new technological advancement that universities, including Edge Hill, are becoming more and more aware of. The use of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) including large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT or Google Bard are increasingly being used in the education sector.

 

Whilst there will undoubtedly be benefits from using A.I. we feel it necessary to raise awareness about why using A.I. incorrectly could present a risk to your studies and could result in you being removed from your course and even from your chosen profession.

Detailed EHU Information and guidance about A.I can be found here.

 

You will see the following information and guidance:

Ethical use of AI

Academic integrity is concerned with the ethical code that applies to the standards by which the academic community at Edge Hill University operates. It represents the values of honesty, fairness, trust, responsibility, and respect for others. Academic integrity plays an essential role in your intellectual and professional development and your successful transition to graduate employment and future careers.

In relation to assignments, you are required to abide by University regulations (see link below), and not seek an advantage over other students by unfair and/or unacceptable methods that include cheating, collusion and plagiarism. Importantly, while it is possible to access one or more of a range of services provided by a third party, which also includes material produced by an individual or Artificial Intelligence (AI), such input is not permitted for submitted assessment unless used appropriately in relation to the expectations below.

Essentially, when you submit your assignment, you are confirming that the work is your own unless collaboration (such as group work) has been specifically authorised.

So, it is really important to know what is fair or ethical use of AI, and what is unfair or unethical use.

 

Fair and Ethical Use of A.I. as a tool.

· Exploring initial ideas/keywords for a topic

· Helping to gain an understating of complex ideas/concepts.

· Helping to locate sources.

· Drafting ideas and planning or structuring

· To generate ideas for graphics, images, and visuals.

· Gaining feedback on your work before submission (grammar checking tools, for example) to refine your style.

· As a revision aid.

 

Unfair and Unethical Use if A.I. as a tool.

· Presenting AI-generated content as your own work

· Using AI to generate your assignment or parts of it without any acknowledgement of sources or personal input.

· Using AI to deceive – making claims to knowledge and understanding that are not your own.

· Improper referencing – using AI to generate references/bibliographies when you have not engaged with them yourself.

· Asking AI to re-write your work.

 

Using AI as a tool: If you have used an AI tool to help you explore your topic, then you may find that it makes references to individual authors/theorists/practitioners or specialist terminology. If this is the case, then it is essential that you try to trace (and read) the original reference and cite this in your work. This ensures that what is in your work is accurate, and it means that you have conducted your own research rather than rely solely on AI, which would be an example of unfair use.

Using AI as a source: Occasionally you may use AI tools to generate content that you then choose to use unmodified/unedited in your work. This would be considered quoting. You may also choose to paraphrase content generated by the AI tool; in which case you have used it as a source. In both cases you should reference in the same way that you would reference similar material from any other type of source. However, you must always ensure that your voice is present. You should not rely on AI generated quotations or paraphrasing as this is poor academic practice and may be malpractice.

If you use A.I. incorrectly it could lead to concerns and could potentially result in an Academic Malpractice Investigation, which in turn could lead to a number of sanctions including sections of your assignment being removed from assessment, being failed on the affected assignment or even being removed from your studies.

 

If you are unsure whether you are using A.I. correctly, do not take the risk, always consult with your subject tutor.

 

Further guidance on Malpractice

Further information and guidance on Referencing and Academic Integrity

 

If you find that you are invited to a Malpractice Investigation Meeting or Panel, you should contact us to book an appointment here https://ehsuadvice.simplybook.it/v2/#book . One of our advisers will be able to provide advice and guidance about the malpractice procedure and to possibly attend any meeting with you (depending on adviser availability)