Questions and answers for academic colleagues about using AI in education.
Do we use AI in teaching?
Yes, we may use Generative AI based on our AI Position Statement guidelines for AI’s integration in education. The position statement communicates our approach and principles regarding AI use and the need to embrace AI through a curious, critical, and compassionate lens.
There are some exceptions where we do not use Generative AI such as marking students work.
Do we use AI detection software?
We do not use AI detection software because:
- These tools currently lack the accuracy required for the UAL to consider them reliable evidence and will lead to ‘false positives’ where students are falsely accused of using AI.
- Uploading the material to these platforms could lead to a breach of data security and copyright.
- The content submitted can be used as training data for other AI systems.
The decision not to use AI detection software was made by representatives of the Teaching, Learning and Employability Exchange in consultation with Digital & Technology and Deans of the Colleges. We will regularly reassess our strategy to accommodate technological advancements regarding these AI detection tools.
How do you ensure responsible and ethical use of AI?
Setting expectations with your students at the beginning of a unit or course regarding the use of AI in their studies is crucial for ensuring clarity and maintaining academic integrity.
Create a clear expectation of AI in advance of students commencing assessed work.
Define acceptable use
Specify which AI tools are allowed and for what purposes (example: research assistance, grammar checks, data analysis.
Prohibit misuse
Clearly state what constitutes misuse like submitting AI-generated content as their own work or using AI for cheating.
Incorporate discussion about our AI guidance in your course.
Dedicate time
At the start of the course, discuss UAL’s Student guide to generative AI and Student Guide to the Use of Machine Translation Tools. Add this guidance to assessment documents and Moodle courses in relevant sections.
Provide examples
Illustrate acceptable and unacceptable uses of AI in their coursework.
Promote ethical use.
Encourage evaluation
Encourage students to critically evaluate AI-generated content not only in aesthetic output but also in ethical concerns. These ethical issues could relate to:
- Privacy concerns
- Copyright issues
- Environmental issues
- Bias in AI algorithms
- Decoloniality and AI
- Future skills needed for employability
Offer resources and training.
Provide resources
Offer resources in class and on Moodle on how to use AI tools ethically and effectively.
Support and guidance
Let students know where they can seek help if they are unsure about the appropriate use of AI.
Encourage questions and open discussions
Allow students to express their concerns and curiosities. This can lead to a more engaged learning environment and better understanding of student perspectives.
Are there any data protection issues to be aware of when using AI in teaching?
Yes, be mindful of:
Privacy concerns:
Be careful not to enter sensitive, personal, confidential, or copyrighted information into AI tools. You should aim to understand where the data is hosted and that you may not be able to control who has access to the data in the AI tool.
Informed consent
Make sure students know how their data will be used and have agreed to it. This is key for following data protection rules like GDPR.
Bias and accuracy
Watch out for AI-generated info that might be inaccurate (hallucinations), biased, or unreliable.
Legal compliance
Ensure AI tools comply with data protection laws to avoid any legal issues, such as sensitive, personal, confidential, copyright or intellectual property.
What AI Tools do we use?
There are two generative AI tools integrated into our platforms.
Before you get started.
Please be aware of the following when using these tools:
- These tools have not been developed by UAL.
- UAL staff and students should sign into these tools using your credentials (email and password).
- These tools are not indicative of our longer term strategic commitment and they will be subject to review. They have been provided so that staff can experiment, play and test them in a relatively safe environment.
- If you intend to use these tools with your students, ensure that you comply with the UAL’s AI position statement , Student Guide to Generative AI and the Use of non-UAL digital learning platforms
Microsoft Copilot
AI tools that can create text and simulate conversations are called Large Language Models (LLMs). We have access to the Microsoft Copilot LLM which is powered by GPT-4 from OpenAI.
To access it:
- Open Microsoft Bing in your browser
- Choose "Sign in"
- Choose "Sign in with school or work credentials."
- Enter your UAL credentials.
- Choose the Copilot icon to launch.
Protected status:
Signing into Microsoft Copilot via Bing.com using your UAL credentials has a major advantage compared to accessing other AI text-based tools, as it will give you ‘protected status’. Protected status ensures that your chat history is not stored, and your data is not used for AI training, providing enhanced privacy and security.
You can lean more about Copilot through Microsoft's guidance.
Adobe Firefly
We have access to Adobe Firefly, a generative AI image creation tool.
To access Firefly:
- Open Adobe Firefly in your browser
- Sign in with your UAL credentials.
Why use Firefly?
Adobe Firefly's data is unique because it is trained on high-resolution Adobe Stock images and openly licensed and public domain content where copyright has expired. This approach ensures that the generated content is safe for commercial use and respects copyright laws. In contrast, many other AI image generation tools use vast datasets from various sources, which can sometimes raise ethical and legal concerns regarding copyright and ownership.
You can learn more from Adobe on how it sources data and uses what you create with it.
Using other AI tools.
If you want to use new AI software please contact the IT service desk with your requirements. We also recommend getting in touch with your local Digital Learning team for advice and support.
How is AI being used by students?
Recent research by Jisc on how university students are using AI in their studies reveals a complex landscape of adoption and perception.
- It enhances their learning experiences, notably in language acquisition, essay writing and academic research. Increasingly it also being used by dyslexic/neurodivergent/disabled students.
- They appreciate AI's role in reducing the workload on repetitive tasks, thereby allowing more time for critical thinking and creative processes.
- They are aware of AI’s limitations, ethical issues and potential to infringe on academic misconduct issues. Consequently, they would like firmer guidelines on what is acceptable use of AI in their studies.
What is acceptable use of AI by students?
It is not often a clear-cut issue. At the extremes, students’ acceptable and unacceptable practices are easier to define.
Example of unacceptable use
A student puts an essay question or a simple prompt into a Generative AI tool and then copies that output into their assignment. This is an unacceptable use of AI as the student has broken UAL’s academic misconduct policy.
Example of acceptable use
A student uses an AI tool to start their research and explore concepts but does not use the AI generated content directly in an assessed assignment. This is an acceptable use of AI.
Context matters
In between these two extremes, there are many different ways students are engaging and using AI. It really depends on the context as to how acceptable we consider this use to be.
Example of unacceptable use
You teach a pre-sessional English course and are assessing a student’s own unassisted ability to construct a grammatically correct sentence. You would not want students to use a grammar correcting tool for assessed work making this an unacceptable use. Similarly, if you are teaching language translation, using AI to translate text maybe unacceptable.
Example of acceptable use
You teach a Critical Theory unit and are decide it’s acceptable for students to use an AI tool to refine their language because you aren’t assessing the language itself, but the ideas expressed by the student.
Resources
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