Dear Colleagues,
As we prepare for the upcoming academic year, I am pleased to introduce the Executive Committee of UConn’s AI Council: Anna Mae Duane, Amit Savkar, Derek Aguiar, Arash Zaghi, and me as chair. The Executive Committee will work with the broader AI Council to help coordinate UConn’s university-wide AI efforts through AI for ImpaCT, including work related to teaching and learning, research and scholarship, academic programs, responsible AI, and infrastructure. A broader communication introducing the full AI Council and outlining our priorities and opportunities for engagement will be shared with the University community in the first few weeks of the semester.
In advance of that broader communication, there is one issue that is particularly timely as faculty finalize their courses and syllabi. In collaboration with Desmond McCaffrey from the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL) and Michael Morrell, Chair of the University Senate Executive Committee, we have put together the following recommendations and resources to help faculty communicate clearly with students about the use of artificial intelligence in their courses. These recommendations are not intended to establish a single University-wide course AI policy; rather, they are intended to help faculty make intentional choices about AI in relation to their course learning objectives and communicate those expectations clearly to students.
There is no single AI course policy that will be appropriate for every course, student, discipline, or assignment. However, a course policy should ideally help students understand:
· What uses of AI are permitted and what uses are not permitted, including whether expectations differ across assignments;
· Whether any uses of AI are required and, if so, for what purposes and how to access those tools as specified within a Course Materials section;
· What AI tools the course requires students to purchase and use;
· Whether and how the instructor will use AI in course design, instructional materials, feedback, assessment, communication, or other course activities.
Any use of AI should be thoughtfully connected to the course’s learning objectives. Faculty should consider where AI meaningfully enhances learning as well as where students are better served by completing work independently in order to achieve the intended learning outcomes. When AI is incorporated into a course, students should understand how its use supports what they are expected to learn. Similarly, when its use is restricted, explaining how those restrictions support the learning objectives can help students understand the purpose of the course AI policy.
We also encourage you to consider sharing how you as an instructor are, or are not, using AI in the design, implementation and assessment of course materials. It is, of course, entirely up to the instructor how AI is used to further the teaching objectives of the course. Best practices indicate that being transparent about the role of AI in all aspects of the course will build trust and avoid any possible misunderstandings. Clear communication can reduce uncertainty for students and help ensure that AI is used—or intentionally not used—in ways that support learning and academic integrity.
CETL has developed extensive resources to assist faculty. The Generative AI in Teaching and Learning page contains guidance for communicating expectations about generative AI use, instructional strategies, and opportunities for consultation, which is a great place to start. Additionally, on the Creating Your Syllabus page, faculty can find sample syllabus statements for generative AI use and full syllabus templates.
If you have any questions or need assistance, consultation services are available from CETL.
Thank you for considering how AI relates to your courses and their learning objectives, and your expectations for students.
Sincerely,
David
David Bergman
Professor of Operations and Information Management
Associate Dean for Faculty & Research, School of Business
Provost’s Special Advisor on AI
For more information, contact: CETL at CETL@uconn.edu