Ethical AI Use: What ECU Students Need to Know
ECU's Academic Integrity Policy Regarding AI Use
Unauthorized use of generative AI tools to complete assignments is a violation of ECU’s Academic Integrity policy. Course-level penalties range from being required to redo an assignment to failing the entire course. University-level penalties range from a required education program to suspension from ECU.
AI Detection
Instructors use several different methods to detect unauthorized AI use, including:
- Detection software.
- Identifying unusual word choice or language patterns.
- Comparison to a student’s previous work.
- Comparison to assignment instructions—AI often veers off from the assignment.
- Checking facts and sources in the document—AI makes errors and invents facts!
- Checking for a student’s understanding of words and concepts.
Ethical Use of AI
Faculty have varying positions on AI use, with good reason. Even if an instructor allows AI use for a project in one class, that same teacher may forbid it in another class. To ensure they are abiding by ECU’s Academic Integrity policy, students should:
- Know the AI policy for each individual course and follow it. If there is no specific AI statement on the syllabus, assume that AI is not allowed
- Ask for the instructor’s specific permission BEFORE using an AI tool for an assignment.
- Do not assume that permission for AI use in one assignment applies to any other assignment in the course.
- IF permission has been granted, track and cite all uses of AI tools. That means noting the tool’s web address and recording every prompt entered in the process of completing the assignment. If original work is produced before using the tool, save a copy of the original and a copy of the AI-generated document for comparison.
