AI Policy for Students

Goal

Part 1 of the AI Governance Guidelines: the baseline policy for student AI use.

The following baseline policy applies to students across courses unless an instructor sets a more specific policy in the syllabus. Individual courses may be more restrictive or more permissive within the AI Use Tiers defined in AI Use Tiers, but may not contradict institutional academic-integrity policy.

1.1 Permitted AI use

Subject to the tier set for a given assignment, students may use approved AI tools to:

Assignment assistance — brainstorming, outlining, studying, and supported work when explicitly permitted by the instructor.
Research aid — summarizing complex texts, locating relevant sources (then verified), and generating research questions.
Learning support — self-study, concept clarification, practice problems, and personalized explanation.
Collaborative learning — idea generation and project planning within group work.

1.2 Ethical guidelines for students

Transparency. Always disclose AI use, specifying how and where AI was used (see the disclosure norms in AI Use Tiers).
Critical evaluation. Assess all AI output for accuracy and bias. Do not accept AI content without verification and thoughtful consideration.
Original thinking. Use AI to extend your own ideas, not to replace original thought and analysis.
Academic integrity. Do not use AI to complete assignments wholesale or to circumvent learning objectives. Submitted work should reflect your own understanding and effort.
Respect for intellectual property. Ensure AI-generated content does not plagiarize or infringe on existing copyrighted work.

1.3 Prohibited uses

Unless an instructor explicitly states otherwise, students may not:

Submit AI-generated content as their own without substantial modification, critical input, and disclosure.
Use AI to complete closed-book exams, quizzes, or any assessment designated as AI-free (Tier 0).
Use AI in any way that violates the institution's academic-integrity policy.
Upload another person's confidential data, or protected institutional data, into an unapproved AI tool.

1.4 Best practices for students

Keep a record of your AI use within your work process, and submit it alongside final deliverables when asked.
Ask the instructor when unsure whether AI use is appropriate for a specific task.
Develop prompt-writing and AI-collaboration skills as part of your AI literacy.
Reflect on the strengths and limitations of AI in your own learning.

1.5 Consequences

Violations of this policy are handled under the institution's academic-integrity process and may result in:

Reduced grades on affected assignments.
Required resubmission of work.
Referral to the academic-integrity committee or the institution's designated body.
Additional consequences as outlined in institutional academic policy.

1.6 AI detection is not an approved assessment mechanism

The institution does not use AI-detection software as a mechanism for assessment or for determining academic-integrity violations. So-called "AI detectors" are unreliable: they produce false positives, are easily evaded, and disproportionately flag multilingual writers and students with atypical writing styles. A detector score is not, on its own, evidence of misconduct and may not be used as the basis for an academic-integrity charge.

This reflects two principles of this framework, transparency over prohibition and process over product. Integrity is upheld through design and disclosure, not surveillance:

Design for integrity. Use in-class or proctored conditions, oral defenses, required drafts and process artifacts, personalized or locally grounded prompts, and the AI Use Tiers (see AI Use Tiers) to make independent work verifiable.
Require disclosure. Apply the disclosure norms (see AI Use Tiers) so that permitted AI use is visible and unpermitted use stands out without a detector.
Resolve concerns through process. Where unauthorized AI use is suspected, follow the institution's academic-integrity process rather than relying on detection output.

This policy is subject to revision as AI technologies evolve; students will be notified of changes during the term.

Questions?

Governance documentation is on the Trust Center: https://trust.boodlebox.ai/. Email compliance@boodle.ai for specifics, or success@boodle.ai — typical response within 8 business hours.