Policies
Artificial Intelligence
We are in an era of generative artificial intelligence (AI) development, marked by the release of tools such as Gemini, ChatGPT, Claude, Grok, and Copilot, among many others. While these tools can be powerful aids for learning, their use in this course is subject to strict guidelines to ensure academic integrity and meaningful engagement with the material.
My Philosophy
Generative AI is a powerful tool with immense potential when used ethically and critically. It enables individuals to produce outcomes that exceed their traditional skill sets, which can be particularly beneficial for completing specific tasks. If the primary value of an activity is to generate an output as fast as possible, then AI can be beneficial.
However, the purpose of education, especially in a university setting, is fundamentally different. Our goal is not just to produce a final product; it is to equip you with the critical thinking skills and foundational knowledge necessary for you to achieve your ambitions. Your degree is not merely a golden ticket. Your degree is a rigorous endorsement by the university and your professors that you possess the capabilities and understanding described by your major. Learning here is an active process of acquiring tools and developing your intellect, not passively attending classes to receive a credential.
It’s also important to consider the real-world implications of generative AI. Many companies currently prohibit or heavily restrict their use. This means there’s a significant chance you won’t be able to rely on these technologies in your professional life. Furthermore, while generative AI can make output accessible to many, employers seek individuals who add unique value and solve problems. Why would an employer hire someone whose primary skill is operating a large language model when they could outsource that task for a fraction of the cost? The value you bring to an organization lies in your ability to evaluate information critically, adapt to new challenges, and innovate beyond what AI can generate.
From my perspective, relying on generative AI in your role as a student actively harms your prospects and diminishes your education. While it might seem like an easier route to complete assignments, that convenience comes at the cost of genuine learning and skill development. It undermines the very purpose of this course, which is to build your capabilities.
Given the current environment and the unknown long-term effects of generative AI on learning, in-person exams remain the most reliable way for me to assess your proper understanding of the material. This approach ensures that your knowledge and skills are genuinely your own, providing a more accurate measure of your capabilities. We will continue to evaluate and adapt our assessment methods as we gain a clearer understanding of how generative AI impacts education.
Permitted Uses
You are welcome to use generative AI tools to enhance your learning and understanding, but never as a substitute for your intellectual effort. Think of these tools as a study aid, not a shortcut. These uses are permitted because I cannot effectively monitor these use cases.
Here’s how you could use them effectively:
- Clarifying Complex Topics and Concepts. If you’re struggling to grasp a difficult concept from a lecture or reading, you can ask a generative AI to explain it in simpler terms or provide different analogies. For example, if we’re discussing a complex algorithm, you might ask, “Explain [algorithm name] in a way a beginner could understand,” or “What are some real-world examples of [concept]?” This can help solidify your understanding before you tackle problems independently.
- Exploring Alternative Explanations for Difficult Material. Sometimes, a different perspective can make all the difference. If you’re stuck on a particular problem or explanation, you can prompt the AI for alternative viewpoints or methods. For instance, you could ask, “Are there other ways to approach this type of problem?” or “Can you provide a different explanation for [specific theory]?” This can broaden your understanding and provide new insights.
The key here is that AI should supplement, not supplant, your own thinking. Your goal is to engage with the material and develop your problem-solving skills. You must always complete assignments and assessments based on your own understanding and work, not by relying on AI-generated solutions.
Prohibited Uses
To ensure academic integrity and genuine learning, the following uses of generative AI are strictly prohibited and will be treated as academic integrity violations:
Generating or Modifying Assignments. You cannot use generative AI to produce or alter any part of your homework assignments, projects, papers, or any other graded work. This includes generating entire responses, crafting paragraphs, or even rephrasing significant portions of your work that you didn’t write. For example, using an AI to write an answer for you or to generate code that you then submit as your own falls under this prohibition.
Using AI-Generated Answers as Direct Solutions. Simply put, you cannot copy and paste or transcribe answers directly from a generative AI tool as solutions to problems or questions. The purpose of this course is for you to develop your problem-solving skills, not to have an AI solve them for you. If a problem asks you to derive a formula, you must show your own derivation, not just paste an AI-generated result.
Submitting AI-Generated Work. Any work you submit must be entirely your own. Submitting content created by generative AI, regardless of how minor the contribution, is considered a form of academic dishonesty. This means you cannot submit AI-generated text, images, code, or any other output as if it were your original creation.
Circumventing Course Policies. You cannot use generative AI to bypass any course policies. For example, if a policy requires you to show your work or explain your reasoning, using AI to generate only the final answer without demonstrating your thought process is a violation.
Uploading Course Materials to Generative AI Models. You are strictly prohibited from uploading any course-specific materials (e.g., lecture notes, assignment prompts, readings, exam questions, solutions, or discussions from the learning management system) to any generative AI model or platform. This includes, but is not limited to, pasting text into chat interfaces or uploading documents. This prohibition is crucial for several reasons:
- Course materials are often copyrighted and proprietary. Uploading them to a third-party AI model may violate intellectual property rights and the university’s licensing agreements with content providers, potentially leading to legal issues for both you and the university.
- The information you upload to AI models may become part of their training data, making it potentially accessible to others or used for purposes beyond your control. This risks compromising the privacy of course content and potentially exposing sensitive or confidential academic information.
- Uploading course materials could inadvertently “train” the AI model on course-specific content, potentially making it easier for future users (including other students) to generate answers or solutions to assignments, undermining the integrity of the course and its assessments.
- To ensure fair and valid assessments, it is essential that the content of assignments and exams remains contained within the learning environment. Uploading these materials to external AI platforms compromises the integrity of current and future assessments.
In essence, if you’re using AI to think or write for you or share course materials in a way that could compromise academic integrity or intellectual property, it’s prohibited. Your work should reflect your understanding, effort, and critical engagement with the course material.
Academic integrity
Students in this course will be expected to comply with the University of Pittsburgh’s Policy on Academic Integrity. Any student suspected of violating this obligation during the semester will be required to participate in the procedural process initiated at the instructor level, as outlined in the University Guidelines on Academic Integrity. This may include, but is not limited to, the confiscation of the examination of any individual suspected of violating University Policy. Furthermore, no student may bring unauthorized materials to an exam, including dictionaries and programmable calculators.
To learn more about Academic Integrity, visit the Academic Integrity Guide for an overview. For hands-on practice, complete the Understanding and Avoiding Plagiarism tutorial.
Disability services
If you have a disability for which you are or may be requesting an accommodation, you are encouraged to contact both your instructor and Disability Resources and Services (DRS), 140 William Pitt Union, (412) 648-7890, drsrecep@pitt.edu, (412) 228-5347 for P3 ASL users, as early as possible in the term.
DRS will verify your disability and determine reasonable accommodations for this course.
Email communication
Upon admittance, each student is issued a University email address (username@pitt.edu).
The University may use this email address for official communication with students.
Students are expected to read emails sent to this account regularly.
Failure to read and react to University communications promptly does not absolve the student from knowing and complying with the content of the communications.
The University provides an email forwarding service that allows students to read their email via other service providers (e.g., Gmail, AOL, Yahoo).
Students who forward their email from their pitt.edu address to another address do so at their own risk.
If email is lost due to forwarding, it does not absolve the student from responding to official communications sent to their University email address.
Equity, diversity, and inclusion
The University of Pittsburgh does not tolerate any form of discrimination, harassment, or retaliation based on disability, race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, genetic information, marital status, familial status, sex, age, sexual orientation, veteran status or gender identity or other factors as stated in the University’s Title IX policy. The University is committed to taking prompt action to end a hostile environment that interferes with the University’s mission. For more information about policies, procedures, and practices, visit the Civil Rights & Title IX Compliance web page.
I ask that everyone in the class strive to help ensure that other members of this class can learn in a supportive and respectful environment.
If there are instances of the aforementioned issues, please contact the Title IX Coordinator, by calling 412-648-7860 or emailing titleixcoordinator@pitt.edu.
Reports can also be filed online.
You may also choose to report this to a faculty/staff member; they are required to communicate this to the University’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion.
If you wish to maintain complete confidentiality, you may also contact the University Counseling Center (412-648-7930).
Religious Observance
The observance of religious holidays (activities observed by a religious group of which a student is a member) and cultural practices are an important reflection of diversity. As your instructor, I am committed to providing equivalent educational opportunities to students of all belief systems. At the beginning of the semester, you should review the course requirements to identify foreseeable conflicts with assignments, exams, or other required attendance. If possible, please contact me (your course coordinator/s) within the first two weeks of the first class meeting to allow time for us to discuss and make fair and reasonable adjustments to the schedule and/or tasks.
Sexual misconduct, required reporting, and Title IX
If you are experiencing sexual assault, sexual harassment, domestic violence, and stalking, please report it to me and I will connect you to University resources to support you.
University faculty and staff members are required to report all instances of sexual misconduct, including harassment and sexual violence to the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX. When a report is made, individuals can expect to be contacted by the Title IX Office with information about support resources and options related to safety, accommodations, process, and policy. I encourage you to use the services and resources that may be most helpful to you.
As your instructor, I am required to report any incidents of sexual misconduct that are directly reported to me. You can also report directly to Office of Civil Rights and Title IX: 412-648-7860 (M-F; 8:30am-5:00pm) or via the Pitt Concern Connection at: Make A Report.
An important exception to the reporting requirement exists for academic work. Disclosures about sexual misconduct that are shared as a relevant part of an academic project, classroom discussion, or course assignment, are not required to be disclosed to the University’s Title IX office.
If you wish to make a confidential report, Pitt encourages you to reach out to these resources:
- The University Counseling Center: 412-648-7930 (8:30 A.M. TO 5 P.M. M-F) and 412-648-7856 (AFTER BUSINESS HOURS)
- Pittsburgh Action Against Rape (community resource): 1-866-363-7273 (24/7)
If you have an immediate safety concern, please contact the University of Pittsburgh Police, 412-624-2121
Any form of sexual harassment or violence will not be excused or tolerated at the University of Pittsburgh.
For additional information, please visit the full syllabus statement on the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion webpage.
Statement on classroom recording
To ensure the free and open discussion of ideas, students may not record classroom lectures, discussions and/or activities without the advance written permission of the instructor, and any such recording properly approved in advance can be used solely for the student’s private use.