Department AI Syllabus Statements

• If AI tools are used in the creation of academic work, students must clearly disclose their use and specify the extent of the AI’s involvement. This disclosure should be included in a dedicated section of the assignment or as specified by the instructor. 
• AI can be used for gathering information on research, generating ideas, and enhancing understanding of academic topics.
• AI should not be used to generate substantial portions of written assignments, research papers, or other evaluative materials. 
• Students must not present AI-generated content as their own, nor should they use AI to complete assessments or exams designed to evaluate their personal skills and knowledge. 
• Academic Honesty: Violations of this policy, such as presenting AI-generated content as original work without disclosure, will be treated as breaches of academic integrity. Consequences may include disciplinary actions as outlined in the institution's broader academic integrity policies. 

• Cheating—Anyone caught cheating or plagiarizing will fail the course.  Do your own writing.  Quote responsibly.  Cite outside sources accurately.  And remember, Safe Assignment in Blackboard checks for plagiarism.  Submitting the same piece of work in both this class and another class without permission is a form of plagiarism, too.  Regarding generative AI, students may use generative AI with permission on assignments in this course if that use is properly documented and credited. We will discuss the appropriate and ethical uses of AI and disciplinary requirements for citation of use. However, you should note that the material generated by these programs may be inaccurate, incomplete, or otherwise problematic.  Also be aware that using AI can be a two-sided coin that can sometimes spark and sometimes stifle your own independent thinking and creativity. Finally, note that an MIT study found that using ChatGPT for writing essays erodes your critical thinking skills—and you know why you’re in college, right?!

For Theories of Rhetoric and Composition:

Example of a policy that promotes pragmatic use with limits

Generative artificial intelligence tools are rapidly reshaping how writing is produced, and information is shared. The use of these tools in this class is not strictly prohibited, but it is important that students understand the ethical and professional use of these tools and their limitations. Consider AI tools to be another in a set of resources that you might draw upon in completing your work, similar to a dictionary or spell checker. These items should not be utilized without critical reflection on the quality of what is being produced, and students should not blindly accept what is produced without careful, critical scrutiny.

Within this course, it will be considered a violation of academic integrity to submit any assignment or written work that is wholly or substantially produced through the use of generative AI. While AI tools may inform aspects of your work, it should not be used to produce things that represent you or your work. Students may be called upon to explain or justify the argumentation or writing that they have submitted if there is concern about the authorship or inappropriate use of generative AI on any academic submission in this course.

Example of a policy that places a strict moratorium on use

Within this course, it will be considered a violation of academic integrity to submit any assignment or written work that is partially, wholly or substantially produced through the use of generative AI. All submitted work should be solely the product of the individual student’s effort, and the use of generative AI tools in any fashion will be considered a violation of academic integrity. Students may be called upon to explain or justify the argumentation or writing that they have submitted if there is concern about the authorship or inappropriate use of generative AI on any academic submission in this course.

Example of a policy that encourages AI adoption

Generative artificial intelligence tools are rapidly reshaping how writing is produced, and information is shared. The use of these tools in this class is encouraged, as they represent a powerful new set of resources that students will need to master, but it is important that students understand the ethical and professional use of these tools and their limitations. Consider AI platforms to be another in a set of resources that you might draw upon in completing your work, similar to a dictionary or spell checker. These items should not be utilized without critical reflection on the quality of what is being produced, and students should not blindly accept what is produced without careful, critical scrutiny. Just as with any other set of resources that a student uses to inform his/her work, ultimately the end product that they put forward represents themselves, and they alone are responsible for ensuring the quality of both the substance and form of their submission.

POLICY The social work faculty, as the guardians of academic integrity, will use appropriate and equitable standards when judging students' use of artificial intelligence resources to complete assignments. These standards will be visible, transparent, and applied justly. Instructors will assess the use of artificial intelligence, including plagiarism detection.

PROCEDURES

This policy covers any generative AI tool, such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Elicit, Grammarly, etc. This includes text and artwork/graphics/video/audio. All FHSU MSW students are discouraged from using generative AI tools to complete assignments unless specifically directed to do so by the course instructor. Although such resources are becoming widespread and encouraged in many contexts, the Department of Social Work takes this stance for the following reasons:

1. Writing is systematic thinking. Learning to think critically requires struggling with your thoughts and developing them into a narrative of sentences and structures. AI short-circuits this process.

2. Work created by AI tools may not be considered original and may instead be considered automated plagiarism. It is derived from previously created texts from other sources that the models were trained on, yet it doesn't cite sources.

3. AI models have built-in biases (i.e., they are trained on limited underlying sources; they reproduce, rather than challenge, errors in the sources).

4. AI tools have limitations (e.g., they lack critical thinking to evaluate and reflect on criteria, and they lack abductive reasoning to make judgments with incomplete information).

Given the ethical implications, if students choose to use AI-based tools in coursework or assessments, it must be done in strict adherence to the following guidelines:

Fort Hays State University Master of Social Work Student Handbook, 2025-2026 56

1. Students may NOT use AI while completing assignments UNLESS specifically instructed by the course instructor to do so. Please contact your instructor if you are unsure or have questions BEFORE using AI for any assignment.

2. If AI is permitted to be used, you must indicate what portions of the assignment were written by AI. No more than 25% of any assignment may be created with AI. NO PART (0%) of any assignment may be created with AI if the instructor has not provided prior written permission to utilize such sources.

3. You must be transparent about how you used the AI-based tool, including what work is your original contribution. An AI detector such as GPTZero (https://gptzero.me/) may detect AI-driven work.

4. You must ensure that using AI-based tools does not violate copyright or intellectual property laws.

Violations of this policy will be dealt with in accordance with FHSU's academic integrity policy. If you violate this policy, you may face penalties such as a grade reduction, assignment failure, or course failure.