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Course-Level Syllabus Statement Considerations

Philosophy and Learning Objectives

  • What are the learning objectives as stated in the curriculum guidelines for this course, and how does GenAI use align with these goals?
  • Do you see GenAI as a tool for helping students learn, a potential shortcut that bypasses important skill development, or something in between?
  • How does GenAI use relate to what students will encounter in their field after graduation?

Clarity and Scope

  • Are you allowing, prohibiting, or conditionally permitting GenAI use in your course?
  • Which specific types of GenAI tools are you addressing (text creation, grammar checkers, translation tools, coding assistants, image generators, etc.)?
  • In what ways are you allowing GenAI use in your course? Does this include brainstorming, research assistance, editing, translation, coding help, or content generation?

Transparency and Attribution

  • How do you want students to inform you of their use of GenAI (citations, reflections, detailed documentation, etc.)?
  • How much detail do you want from each student (which tool, what prompts, how they used the output)?
  • Should students explain their rationale for using GenAI in specific instances?

Academic Integrity Boundaries

  • Where do you draw the line between acceptable GenAI use and academic dishonesty?
  • How does GenAI use align with your policies on collaboration, outside help, and the creation of original work?

Assignment-Specific Guideline Considerations

Assignment Purpose and Skills

  • What specific skills or competencies is this assignment designed to develop and assess?
  • Would the use of GenAI support or hinder students in demonstrating these competencies?
  • Are there specific elements of the assignment where GenAI use would be more or less appropriate?

Permitted vs. Prohibited Uses

  • Are there stages of the assignment where GenAI might be helpful (brainstorming, outlining, drafting, editing, etc.)?
  • What types of GenAI assistance help students with your reaching the assignment goals versus those that would take away from important learning?
  • Should different guidelines apply to various sections of the assignment? What about different groups of students?

Documentation and Process

  • How should students inform you of their use of GenAI for this assignment?
  • Do you want to see their chat prompts and/or the generated responses? Do you want to know how they integrated or modified the AI output?
  • Should students reflect on the effectiveness and limitations of the GenAI assistance they received?

Quality and Authenticity

  • How will you make sure student work demonstrates their own thinking and learning?
  • How will you evaluate work that incorporates GenAI assistance?
  • How will you create assignments which avoid an over-reliance on GenAI?

Implementation and Communication

Transparency and Support

  • How will you help students understand your GenAI policies choices?
  • What kind of guidance will you provide on effective and ethical GenAI use in academic contexts?
  • How will you support students who may not have access to paid GenAI tools or the skills to use them effectively?

Assessment and Enforcement

  • What will you do if you identify potentially undisclosed GenAI use in student work?
  • How will you balance trust with verification in your approach to GenAI policies?

Flexibility and Evolution

  • How might your GenAI policies adapt as these tools change throughout the length of the course?
  • How will you gauge how well your policies are working?
  • How will you handle edge cases or situations not explicitly covered in your initial guidelines?

Practical Considerations

Equity and Access

  • Are your GenAI policies creating advantages for students with better access to technology or paid AI tools?
  • How do your policies account for students with different levels of digital literacy or English language proficiency?
  • Are there alternative approaches for students who prefer not to use GenAI for personal or ethical reasons?

Workload and Time Management

  • Will documenting GenAI use create additional burden for students or for you?
  • How do your policies balance thoroughness with practicality?

Institutional Alignment

  • How do your GenAI policies align with your institution’s academic integrity guidelines?
  • Are you coordinating with colleagues teaching related or prerequisite courses?

Questions for Writing GenAI Course Outline Statements and Assignment Guidelines © 2025 by Douglas College Teaching and Research Commons (TREC) is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Generative AI was used to help develop portions of the framework of this document. Image created by ChatGPT August 20, 2025.