When you can use gen AI in assignments
Be careful how you use Generative Artificial Intelligence in Assignments!
Before you use Gen AI in any assignment, check the instructions, and ask your lecturer –
• what is allowed
• what is not allowed
• what is expected.
Generative Artificial Intelligence (Gen AI) can be part of your learning at Unitec if you carefully follow instructions and permissions given by your teacher. Important: you are not permitted to use AI to “write your assignment” and then submit it as your original work. Evidence of this can be considered plagiarism, because it’s like like getting another person to write your assignment for you, even a friend or family member.
Understand the expectations
Be careful to:
1. Read about how to show Academic Integrity in your assignments.
2. Check Unitec’s rules about using Gen AI in assignments on page 3 of AC 2.8 Academic Integrity Procedure. Briefly, these are:
· Using Gen AI may be allowed in formal submitted assignment work - if this is explicitly stated in the instructions.
· Gen AI use must not be used in formal submitted assignment work if it has not been explicitly allowed in the instructions.
· Evidence for your assessment may include discussion of your assignment with your teacher.
Inappropriate use of Gen AI in any assessment submission that goes against these expectations may result in an academic misconduct investigation.
3. Check what is allowed in each course, and in all your assignments. Ask your teacher if you are not sure or it is not clear about Gen AI in assignments.
4. Check how to acknowledge your use of AI. If you are allowed to use Gen AI as part of your learning and assessment, you are expected to:
a. Reference AI in your references list. Check Unitec Library’s guidelines on how to format a reference to AI, such as Chat GPT using APA style. You can also make an appointment with a Learning Advisor or with a Subject Librarian on the Unitec Library website to get guidance on how to do the referencing.
b. Under your References List, write a declaration about what AI tools you used and how you used them. Your course materials should have examples of how to do this. If you are not sure, ask your teacher. You can see examples of how to declare your use of AI such as at Melbourne University. Most guidelines for AI Declarations ask students to for 4 things:
- the specific AI tools you used (including translation, editing or proofreading tools)
- what you used the AI tools or technologies for the assessment
- the prompts you gave to the AI tool/s
- an explanation of how the outputs from the AI were used in your work.
At Unitec we want you to succeed as you! We’re interested in your ideas and what you have learned. So, your teacher may want to discuss with you in person how you created your assignment when they are assessing your work. This could be to clarify how AI may have helped you in the assignment, or to make sure you have declared and referenced it correctly, or other aspects.
Take great care to follow Unitec’s expectations about how to use AI tools ethically and effectively!