The following FAQ's provide guidance about the appropriate uses of Generative AI tools at The Chicago School.
This guidance may be revised as additional benefits and risks of this technology emerge, as the technology develops further, or as new kinds of Generative AI tools become available. Because this technology is new, our understanding of its implications for learning is still evolving.
The use of Generative Ai tools is determined by the instructor of each of your courses, because different courses have different learning goals. If you are not sure whether a particular way of using these Generative AI tools is permissible, ask your instructor.
If your instructor has permitted the use of a Generative AI tool, they will share guidance and information regarding its appropriate use and citation. This can include indicating the tool used, how you used it, the prompts you used, and when appropriate, your efforts to fact-check the results.
If your instructor does not permit the use of these tools, using them is considered academic misconduct. Presenting work produced by Generative AI as one’s own or using Generative AI for coursework in ways not permitted by the course instructor may be violations of The Chicago School's Academic Ethics, Integrity, and Responsibility Policy,
Also keep in mind: these tools draw on information published on the internet without regard to its accuracy, and their output may include misleading, biased, or false content. They sometimes deliver inaccurate responses, attribute content to the wrong source, and even invent “sources” that don’t exist. You should always critically assess the responses generated by the tools and check factual claims against reliable sources.
Yes. Many Generative AI tools, like ChatGPT, may save your entire conversation, including every prompt you enter, to be used for training the system. You should not enter sensitive, personal, or proprietary information into any Generative Ai system. In addition, Generative AI tools save the information used to create an account, such as the user’s name, phone number, email, and (for accounts requiring a fee) payment method.
The Chicago School’s Microsoft 365 licensing agreement provides current students, faculty, and staff protected access to Microsoft Copilot. This enterprise version of Copilot does NOT does not remember the history of what you have previously asked and any data that you submit is not available to Microsoft and is not used to train the model.
Note: Using personal credentials will only grant access to the public version of Copilot, which does not offer enhanced data privacy features of The Chicago School’s Enterprise version. To ensure these security and privacy protections are enabled, you need to access Copilot with your Chicago School credentials.
First, make sure use of Generative AI is permitted by your instructor.
If permitted:
When in doubt, acknowledge your use of the tool.
The American Psychological Association (APA) provided guidance on citing ChatGPT on April 7, 2023, one the APA Blog website: How to Cite ChatGPT
Sample Reference Entry:
Citation Format: OpenAI. (2023). ChatGPT (Mar 14 version) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com/chat Parenthetical citation: (OpenAI, 2023) Narrative citation: OpenAI (2023)
For more information see: Citing ChatGPT
Yes. Generative AI can be used in ways that contribute to learning without providing direct assistance on assignments.
For example, these tools can explain concepts at different levels of complexity You can use a prompt like “quiz me on brain anatomy”, and the tool will deliver a series of questions; you can then answer those questions and the tool will give you feedback on your responses. You can provide your own explanation of a theory, for example, and submit it to the tool for critique. You can also use the tools to create virtual flash cards and other study aids.
Remember that these tools can deliver inaccurate responses, so you should check their responses against reliable sources such as the course textbook or peer-reviewed articles.
For more on how AI can assist with studying, see Generative AI as a study tool
Some of Grammarly's features use Generative artificial intelligence (AI). If you use Grammarly's Generative AI features, this must be acknowledged in your work, even if you are using the software to support a disability or language need. A failure to acknowledge any use of Generative AI may be considered academic dishonesty.
Grammary's AI features are indicated by the pencil and lightbulb icons. These can also be labelled as "rewrite with Grammarly" and "Improve it". On the Grammarly website, these are also accessed through the "Generative AI" button.
If you are concerned that you may use the Generative AI features accidentally, Grammarly allows you to turn off/disable these features. To turn off Grammarly's Generative AI features:
The decision on whether students can use generative AI tools rests with the instructor. Instructors are cautioned to be clear to students about the expectations regarding the use of generative AI tools.
Use of Ai comes with a number of ethical considerations, including:
For more information on each of these ethical considerations, see The Chicago School's page on Ethical Considerations & Criticisms
Instructors at the Chicago School may use AI detection tools, such as Turnitin. Instructors also are aware that AI detectors are not be 100% reliable in detecting use of Generative AI
No, probably not. Paraphrasing means putting something you understand into your own words. The source material is then also cited, allowing the reader compare their understanding of the source material with your understanding as expressed by your paraphrase. To do your own paraphrasing is also an important learning check. If you find it difficult to paraphrase something, you may not understand it as fully as needed. For specific direction on how to use Generative AI in a specific class, talk to your instructor.
