How to Write an AI Policy for Your Class
Updated
Knowing how to write an AI policy for your class saves arguments later. Students do better when they know exactly which uses of AI tools are fine, which must be disclosed and which are not allowed, and how concerns will be handled. This guide walks through the parts of a clear class policy, including where AI detectors fit.
Limitations: Every result is a probability that can be wrong, not proof of how something was written. How results can be wrong →
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How to Write an AI Policy for Your Class, Step by Step
- Start from your school's policy: your class rules should fit inside it, not contradict it.
- Define allowed uses: for example brainstorming, explaining a concept or checking grammar.
- Define restricted uses: for example generating submitted text, or answering take-home tests.
- Set disclosure rules: how students say which tools they used and for what.
- Vary by assignment: some tasks can allow AI, others can't; say so on each assignment.
How Concerns Will Be Handled
Explain the process before it is needed: a conversation with the student, a look at drafts or version history, and a chance to explain their work. Say that a detector score on its own won't be treated as proof.
Students who know they'll be heard are more likely to keep drafts and disclose honestly.
Where AI Detectors Fit
If you use a detector, say so in the policy, and say how. Detectors return probabilities that can be wrong, need longer texts (this site's needs 300 words) and have been shown to flag non-native English writers more often. Use them, if at all, to decide where to look closer.
Assignments that ask for personal experience, in-class drafts or reflections on the writing process give better evidence than any tool.
Keep It Short and Revisit It
A one-page policy that students actually read beats a long one they don't. Revisit it each term as tools change, and invite students to ask questions about grey areas.
Frequently asked questions
That's your choice within your school's rules. Many teachers allow some uses, like brainstorming, and restrict others, like generated submissions.
A short note on each assignment saying which tool was used and for what is a simple, common approach.
Yes, if you use them, along with the fact that a score alone won't be treated as proof.
Follow your stated process: talk to the student, look at drafts, and let them explain their work before drawing conclusions.
Sources
- GPT detectors are biased against non-native English writers (Liang, Yuksekgonul, Mao, Wu, Zou) (arXiv 2304.02819, read on )