AI Governance Guidelines
Goal
A framework for responsible AI use in teaching and learning. Start here, then work through the six parts.
How to Use This Document
This is a template, not a mandate. It is written so an institution, college, or individual academic unit can adopt it as-is or adapt it to local academic-integrity policies, governance structures, and tooling. Bracketed placeholders such as [Institution Name] and [approved AI platform] mark where local detail belongs.
It is organized around four practical areas. Part 1 sets the baseline policy that applies to students. Part 2 defines a shared vocabulary, or the AI Use Tiers, so that "how much AI is allowed" means the same thing in every course. Part 3 gives faculty ready-to-paste syllabus language built on those tiers. Part 4 addresses how the institution supports the use of data across campus, and Part 5 addresses how faculty are to apply the policy, with discipline-specific examples.
Multi-tool addressing by design. The framework works with any approved AI platform. Where a licensed, institution-controlled environment is referenced as an example, BoodleBox is named as one tool; add your own approved tools as appropriate.
The six parts
| Part | Article | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Part 1 | AI Policy for Students | The baseline policy that applies to students across courses. |
| Part 2 | AI Use Tiers | A shared vocabulary so "how much AI is allowed" means the same thing in every course. |
| Part 3 | Common Syllabus Components | Ready-to-paste syllabus language built on those tiers. |
| Part 4 | Data Governance & Classification | What data may and may not be entered into AI tools. |
| Part 5 | Faculty Integration Guidelines | How faculty apply the policy, with discipline-specific examples. |
| Part 6 | Governance, Roles & Review | Who owns the framework and how often it is reviewed. |
Purpose
This framework outlines guidelines for the ethical and responsible use of AI tools across teaching, learning, and academic work. Its aim is to enhance learning experiences, foster critical thinking, and prepare students for an AI-integrated workforce, while giving faculty and students a shared, transparent structure for deciding when and how AI is used. AI is treated as a supportive tool that augments human judgment, not a replacement for original thought, instruction, or institutional academic-integrity standards.
Guiding principles
Every policy choice in this document traces back to the following principles. When a situation is not explicitly covered, default to these:
- Human ownership. Students and faculty remain responsible for any work they submit or distribute, including content created with AI. AI is a tool, not a servant. The human verifies, edits, and owns the result.
- Transparency over prohibition. Disclosed, well-understood AI use is preferable to hidden use. Clear expectations and disclosure norms do more for integrity than detection.
- Process over product. The goal is to teach and assess how students think with AI, not only to grade a final artifact. Make the reasoning process visible and gradeable.
- Data protection & privacy. AI use must respect FERPA, student intellectual property, and institutional data-handling standards. Prefer licensed, contracted tools; anonymize or secure student data when using unlicensed ones.
- Critical evaluation. AI output is a starting point, never an authority. All AI-generated content must be checked for accuracy, bias, and appropriateness before it is relied upon.
- Assessment by design, not surveillance. Academic integrity is protected through assignment design and disclosure, not through AI-detection software, which is unreliable and is not an approved assessment mechanism (see AI Policy for Students).
- Living document. AI technology evolves rapidly. This framework is to be reviewed on a defined cadence (see Governance, Roles & Review) and updated as tools, risks, and norms change.
Questions?
Governance and security documentation is on the Trust Center: https://trust.boodlebox.ai/. For specifics, email compliance@boodle.ai. General help: success@boodle.ai — typical response within 8 business hours.