General guidelines
The use of artificial intelligence is, in principle, permitted and its use must always be disclosed. Consider Arene’s traffic-light model (pdf) when using and applying AI: Arene’s traffic-light model (pdf).
The use of artificial intelligence can complement and support teaching and learning, but it does not directly replace a teacher’s instruction, guidance, or other learning materials.
Students should be informed about the principles and potential harms of AI use. AI can be discussed, for example, at the beginning of studies, in study guidance, in thesis seminars, and in method modules.
Privacy, data protection and the terms of use of AI services must be taken care of. Using AI may sometimes require disclosing personal information, such as a name or an email address. The use of AI tools must not compromise the data protection or privacy of staff or students. When using AI, the university of applied sciences’ data protection practices must be followed.
The use of recording AIs during virtual teaching events, meetings and other gatherings is, in principle, prohibited (so-called meeting bots). However, a meeting participant may negotiate with the meeting organizer and the participants well in advance about the use of a recording AI. The handling of meeting materials and recordings is subject to Laurea’s normal data protection practices, i.e., they may be processed with AI and other applications defined as secure (for example, the Microsoft product family and Zoom).
The source must always be cited, even when the text has been produced using AI. Check the citation format in Laurea’s citation guidelines. AI cannot be used directly as an expert source, and the correctness of sources provided by AI-generated texts must be verified.
Copyright must be respected, and students, teachers and other members of the Laurea community must ensure that they have the right to use and share AI-generated content or that they have the rights, from a copyright perspective, to process content using AI.
AI must be used ethically. AI must not be used in an offensive manner or in ways that violate applicable laws, rules or regulations.
Individual theses may deviate from these recommendations for justified reasons. Exceptions and their grounds must be clearly communicated to students.
Guidelines for students
Students must follow the instructions given by the course teacher regarding AI use and the AI usage method announced on the course, based on Arene’s traffic-light model.
AI-based language models can be used for text editing. Using a language model for language and text editing is justified, for example, to produce grammatically correct or structurally fluent text. A language model can be used to reformat existing text or to generate ideas for text to be written by the student.
The student must state how and what AI has been used if they have used it in an assignment or thesis.
The student is always responsible for the content of the text they submit. Various AI applications can write text that appears very expert-like but may contain factual errors. AI should never be used to produce the final assignment or thesis text, and such AI-generated text or images must not be presented as the student’s own work. In cases of misconduct, Laurea’s degree regulations will apply.
If a teacher suspects fraudulent use of AI (A performance may be determined to be fraudulently produced if it is with sufficient probability produced by AI or if the use of AI has not been disclosed or referenced correctly), they may arrange an alternative way for the student to demonstrate competence on the course, in which AI cannot be used. If the student refuses the alternative demonstration of competence, Laurea’s degree regulation procedures for misconduct will be followed.
Avoid claims without sources. AI may provide information that has not been verified, so students should ensure that the information given by AI is reliable and can be justified, for example, by referring to an appropriate expert source.
It is recommended to learn to utilize the AI tools provided by the university.
Taking AI use into account in teaching planning
Teachers must communicate and inform about AI use on their courses, e.g. based on Arene’s traffic-light model for AI use. You may add your own clarifications to the communication and guidance.
When planning assignments and assessments, teachers must ensure that a course cannot be completed solely by using AI or a language model. For example, assignments can be tied closely to the learning materials used or to a less well-known case, an applied example, or a workplace assignment. It is good practice to test assignments by inputting them into a language model and seeing whether it can produce an acceptable answer.
In task instructions, it is advisable to emphasize the student’s own understanding and competence building: do, build, choose, analyze, reflect.
Students can be asked to interpret images or create graphical representations.
Students can be instructed to add personal examples to their analyses.
Students can be asked to document the work they have done during the learning process and to reflect on their own learning throughout the process.
Teaching critical thinking is essential. It is important to consider that AI is not always correct and, in complex situations and matters, it may not always take into account all relevant factors.
Competence should be made visible. Teachers can use “explain in your own words” video exams and group exams and make use of on-campus presence to demonstrate competence.
The assignment can include a future-oriented perspective.
Proper citation of all used sources in texts or presentations must be required in accordance with Laurea’s citation guidelines.
The teacher should be aware of the rapid development pace of AI technologies.
If the teacher has a sufficiently probable suspicion of fraudulent use of AI or the AI use has not been disclosed or referenced correctly, they should be prepared to arrange an alternative method to verify competence in which AI cannot be used. If the student refuses the alternative demonstration of competence, Laurea’s degree regulation procedures for misconduct will be followed.
Citation guidelines for AI utilization
The use of AI must be clearly indicated in the text whenever it has been used to produce or modify texts and images. In addition, it must be stated how it was used, for example in reading information sources and in data analysis.
When AI is used to edit language and to improve fluency, this should be stated in the introduction of the text, for example: “This report has used ChatGPT to edit the language and improve fluency.”
In addition, it should also be noted at the end of the text’s reference list. For example:
“ChatGPT (or another AI program) has been used to edit the language of this text.”
More detailed citation instructions related to AI can be found in Laurea’s citation guidelines (pdf).