GenAI during your study: the guidelines
Generative AI (GenAI) offers great conveniences but also significant challenges. Are you a student at the Faculty of Humanities? Then it's important that you are aware of our guidelines. On this page, we outline the key points.
What is generative AI en how does it work?
GenAI, like ChatGPT, is a form of artificial intelligence that generates new text based on a user’s input, known as a prompt. In addition to text generators, there are also GenAI systems that can generate images, speech, or even music. You might have heard of DALL-E, Midjourney, or Suno. These are all software that are accessible to the general public.
Am I allowed to use GenAI in my course?
The course manual for the specific course will indicate whether and how you may use GenAI. Be sure to check this thoughtfully, as it may vary from course to course. Since the use of GenAI can impact the achievement of learning objectives, the teacher has made decisions regarding its use. Additionally, always consider the following guidelines:
Please remember, GenAI is not good at:
Reasoning, GenAI only generates text based on a prompt and patterns in the training data.
Fact-checking, it doesn't verify facts using other sources of information.
Working outside of its training data, a model does not have knowledge of the world.
What if my teacher suspects that I used GenAI?
Submitting GenAI-generated texts as your own work is considered a form of fraud. If teachers suspect that you used GenAI for an assignment, contrary to what is allowed in the course manual, they may ask you to explain your work orally. This helps them assess whether you have met the learning objectives of the course. Even without suspicion, instructors may randomly select students to discuss the creation of their submitted work as a means of conducting spot checks for potential fraud.
If there is a possibility of fraud or plagiarism, the teacher must report this to the examination committee. The committee will investigate the report and may impose sanctions. For more information, refer to the page on Fraud and Plagiarism.