Thinking about GenAI?

The use of ChatGPT or other generative AI tools does not automatically equate to academic misconduct at UBC. At this time, whether the use of AI tools in courses is or is not allowed is a course or program-level decision. Individual instructors should clarify expectations with their students early in the term, such as on the syllabus. If instructors have questions about any Department orf program level policies on artificial intelligence tools, they should reach out to their Department or program. Further information is available on generative AI syllabus language.  

• If using ChatGPT and/or generative AI tools on coursework has been prohibited by the instructor, then using these tools to complete assignments would be considered  academic misconduct.   
• If using ChatGPT and/or generative AI tools has been permitted by the instructor, then instructors should make sure to convey the limitations of use and how it should be acknowledged and use should stay within those bounds.    
• If the use of ChatGPT and/or generative AI tools has not been discussed or specified by the instructor, then it could be considered as prohibited as an example of the “use or facilitation of unauthorized means to complete an examination or coursework” and more specifically as “accessing websites or other online resources not specifically permitted by the instructor or examiner” (Discipline for Academic Misconduct, Vancouver and Okanagan 3.1.b.iv), and potentially plagiarism (3.1.e). Students should discuss this with their instructor if it is not addressed on the syllabus. 

Students should not assume that all available technologies are permitted. If students are not sure about whether AI tools are allowed, as with any tool, they must ask their instructor for clarity and guidance.       

UBC’s Academic Calendar provides guidance on what is considered academic misconduct (Academic Misconduct by UBC Students, Vancouver and Okanagan). Academic misconduct is any conduct by which a student gains or attempts to gain an unfair academic advantage or benefit, thereby compromising the integrity of the academic process. Artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT are not expressly named in the academic misconduct regulation but their use could be considered an attempt to gain an unfair academic advantage, as well constituting unauthorized means to complete an assignment or assessment, the accessing of a website that is not permitted, or other, depending on the specific case.     

It is important for instructors to address academic integrity throughout the semester. Create opportunities to discuss expectations around academic integrity ahead of assignments and exams and throughout the term. Refer to academicintegrity.ubc.ca for tools to teach academic integrity and respond to academic misconduct. 
 

Students may use GenAI in work submitted for courses or other academic requirements only if expressly permitted within their courses or programs. They may choose to use GenAI to support their learning in other ways, within the bounds of legal and university policies and requirements, and the guidelines below.   

Students should discuss this with their instructor if it is not addressed on the syllabus.
 

The use of applications to detect AI-generated content is strongly discouraged at this time, due to concerns about effectiveness, accuracy, bias, privacy, and intellectual property.    
 
Despite a number of AI writing detectors being available, recent research has found that all fail to perform accurately enough, and accuracy is further reduced when simple obfuscation techniques are used.

If instructors still choose to use AI detectors, they should be aware and understand their limitations and issues they can raise. None of the detectors has undergone a UBC Privacy Impact Assessment, and as such there may be privacy and security concerns with submitting student work to them, particularly without student knowledge or consent. Instructors should not use these tools to evaluate any student work that contains the name of the student or any other personal information of the student or third parties. If student work may be submitted through one or more AI detectors, instructors should be transparent with students and let them know at the beginning of the term, such as in the syllabus.   

Finally, it is recommended that AI detection tools not be used as the sole factor in decision-making around an allegation of academic misconduct. If an instructor suspects that an assignment or assessment has been completed with unauthorized use of AI tools, they should proceed as they would for any other potential allegation of academic misconduct. An overview of the academic misconduct process for instructors is available on the academic integrity website. 

No, currently Turnitin’s new AI-detection functionality is not available for use in any UBC course. UBC has reaffirmed their decision to not enable Turnitin’s new AI-detection feature. 

On April 4 2023, Turnitin activated a new and separate feature that attempts to identify AI-generated text . The LT Hub Leadership group, with the support of the Provosts at both UBC Vancouver and UBC Okanagan, made the decision not to enable this feature at that time (April 2023) and has recently reaffirmed their decision (August 2023) for the following reasons:  
 

Effectiveness of the feature is still unclear  

• Testing for accuracy in the AI-detection feature is in early stages. 
• Testing for potential bias in the feature continues to be in early stages. 
• Ability of the feature to keep up with rapidly evolving AI is unknown. 

It is not possible to double-check or review the results  

• Instructors cannot double-check the feature results.  
• Results from the feature are not available for students to review.  

You can read more about UBC’s decision to not enable Turnitin’s new AI-detection feature on UBC’s Learning Technology Hub website.  

UBC is continuing to wait before deploying any AI-detection features, including the one by Turnitin, as more information is needed about the feature’s effectiveness, accuracy and bias mitigation, and about the ability to employ an AI detector as a robust component of talking to students about suspected academic misconduct. The use of other AI detection tools is also not recommended, due to similar issues as those noted above, as well as privacy and security concerns; to date, no AI detection tool has undergone a UBC Privacy Impact Assessment process.   

Instructors who suspect that a student has used generative artificial intelligence tools contrary to expectations should follow the standard academic misconduct process.  If an instructor has a suspicion based on the student’s work, they should follow the procedure as they would for any misconduct allegation. Instructors should not rely on AI detectors to form the basis of an allegation of academic misconduct .

If students have concerns about any allegations of academic misconduct against them, they can reach out to the Office of the Ombudsperson for Students, AMS Advocacy or SUO Advocacy.

There has been much conversation about how generative AI should be cited if its use is permitted in assignments and academic publications. The American Psychological Association (APA), Modern Language Association (MLA) and the Chicago Manual of Style have all provided recommendations in this area. Further information on this topic can be found in the Generative AI and ChatGPT LibGuide from the UBC Library.