ChatGPT in the classroom, what are the current rules?

Since the introduction of ChatGPT and Bard, the question of how we handle chatbots in our education has been actively debated. At the start of this year, all students received two emails providing initial information. Meanwhile, we've been developing approaches to incorporate AI in our classrooms. What's the current status within the faculty? Below we'll outline the latest updates.

GenAI and ChatGPT

Generative AI (GenAI) is a form of artificial intelligence that can create new content, including images, videos, audio, and text. An example of this is the chatbot ChatGPT. GenAI generates new and unique output based on a user's prompt (instruction or question) by analysing large amounts of existing data.

When are you allowed to use GenAI during your studies?

Students may use GenAI if the lecturer instructs that this is allowed. Students must follow the rules specified by the lecturer regarding the ways in which it may and may not be used and how it should be referenced. Teachers often base their decision on the intended learning outcomes of the course. For instance, if improving writing skills is a course objective, you may not have your written text checked by a chatbot. However, this might be an option if the course objectives do not involve writing.

Please note: you always remain responsible for everything you submit. So, thoroughly check your work and handle generated data with care.

How can GenAI assist you with studying?

• The chatbot can generate questions for self-quizzing on the material you've studied.
• Seek essay (structure) suggestions and inspiration from the chatbot.
• Use the chatbot to summarize texts to verify if you've grasped the core concepts correctly.

» Read more about chatbots as a study aid
» Learn more about the possibilities and limitations of chatbots

Submitting generated text under your own name is fraud

If you submit a text that has been generated by a chatbot but claim it as your own work, it is considered fraudulent. Article 5.15 of the Education and Examination Regulations outlines how the examination committee deals with such cases.

If a teacher suspects that a submitted text was not (entirely) authored by you but instead generated using a chatbot, you may be invited to discuss this. If your conversation confirms the suspicions, the case will be referred to the examination committee. Even without suspicions, a teacher might engage in conversations with you and other (randomly selected) students about the creation of a submitted text. These conversations serve as a means of randomly sampling and checking for potential fraud.