The use of artificial intelligence (AI) by students is growing at a remarkable rate. Recent research from the Higher Education Policy Institute has found that over 90% of British university students are using AI in some form in their studies. This represents a significant increase of over two-thirds from last year, demonstrating AI’s rising prominence in the academic landscape.
This is due to more AI tools becoming readily available to everyone and their subsequent integration into daily lives, extending to students’ academic careers.
With many students now using AI in their studies and the technology becoming a staple component of learning, educational institutions need to ensure that a responsible AI framework is put in place to offer guidance to both educators and learners as they navigate this landscape.
From updating academic integrity policies to adapting the learning process and encouraging open discourse with students, there are several strategies that can help institutions to address the challenges presented by AI-generated writing and uphold academic integrity.
Developing an effective academic integrity policy
The first step educational institutions should take when establishing a responsible AI framework is to develop effective academic integrity policies and honour codes to address issues related to AI-generated content. Currently, there is a lack of clarity on policies, with 41% of teachers reporting that their school lacks a unified approach to AI and 17% saying they are unaware that any such policy exists.