UCO adopts new AI policy to establish best practices for students
The VistaCJ Craig
Contributing Writer
The University of Central Oklahoma Artificial Intelligence Committee established a new AI policy on Wednesday that attempts to clear up confusion about the use of AI programs in a university setting as well as establishing guidelines for student use of AI.
Dr. Laura Dumin, the AI coordinator for UCO, said she hopes that these guidelines will help students understand what is and isn’t allowed while using AI programs.
“One thing that I have seen from people around the country dealing with this is that universities and instructors who don’t have any kinds of policies in place seem to have been seeing more cheating,” Dumin said. “We hope that this policy takes away some of the gray area and some of the confusion.”
The new guidelines highlight some of the improper uses of AI within a college setting, including using AI to complete assignments, using AI for assistance during exams, manipulating a program to bypass security measures and access classified information, and distributing AI-generated content as one’s own work. The guidelines also state that any use of AI to gain an unfair advantage in a classroom setting is strictly prohibited.
However, the use of AI is not totally banned on campus, as the committee has encouraged professors to use AI within their classrooms if they desire.
“We wanted to leave the policy open enough so that professors could do what worked for them in their classrooms and their assignments as far as use of AI or not allowing AI,” said Dumin.
UCO has also created a website for ChatGPT and other AI technology outlining different AI models, their uses, different resources for AI education, and the dangers of using AI in an academic setting. Students and teachers can find these resources on the UCO website.