HOW DO I ETHICALLY USE AI IN MY STUDY?

Answering your assessments is more than just finding the right answers to the questions. We use these answers to determine that you have right the knowledge and skill to hold your qualification and work in animal care. If your answers are all made by Artificial Intelligence (AI)… we cannot be sure that you have the knowledge to do your own job…. And how does that help the animals in your care? As your training provider we must prove that the evidence you submit for grading is authentic – that it is actually your own work.

When you use Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI), it must be ethical, disclosed and transparent. This is both for your safety and for your academic integrity. GenAI platforms are owned by private companies who may use the inputted information for commercial purposes. It can be bias in the information it presents. Ethical use helps you stay safe from unintended, or even unknown consequences and ensures that the answers you present for your assessments are good, authentic examples of your own knowledge and skill.

AI tools use predictive analysis to formulate responses. They lack awareness and may present responses with bias, fabricate data and references, or hallucinate, presenting information that is blatantly incorrect and without factual basis. When using AI for independent study, you should be aware of these limitations, be considerate with the information and prompts you input, and be critical of the information provided by the tool.

The ethical use of AI is permissible for independent research and fact-checking by VNS students, where the AI-generated content is used to support learning and understanding.

For more information see here.

It is not ethical for AI to be used to generate or revise answers to assessment questions that determine student competency. Assessment answers must be in your own words and must cite any sources, including AI, used to help present the answers.

1. Transparency and Disclosure

Do:

• You must clearly disclose the use of AI tools and algorithms in online research and learning by providing appropriate references.
  • Specific referencing help, for citing GenAI sources can be found here.
• Student may choose to include an explanatory acknowledgement statement at the start or end of your assessment. The statement should include a link to the searches you performed for that assessment.
  • There are examples and further details here:

Do Not:

• Conceal or misrepresent the involvement of AI in your learning. Failing to disclose the use of AI can mislead educators and compromise the authenticity of your work.
• Ignore or overlook how AI influences your online studies and research skills. It’s important to understand how AI impacts your learning so that you can critically evaluate its contributions.

2. Informed Consent

Do:

• Ensure that the use of AI in your research and learning aligns with the VNS using AI guidelines. Following the guidelines ensures that you are using AI in an approved manner, promoting fairness and consistency across the student body.
• Ensure you understand how your information and data are used by AI tools before using them. Informed consent protects your privacy and ensures that you are aware of potential risks when using AI.

Do Not:

• Force or coerce students into using AI tools without their understanding or consent. It’s important to respect each student’s comfort level and understanding of AI to maintain a supportive learning environment.

3. Data Privacy and Security

Do:

• Ensure your personal information is kept secure when using AI platforms to prevent identity theft.

Do Not:

• Compromise the privacy or security of student data or VNS learning resources and assets collected through AI applications.
• Share sensitive information with AI platforms without ensuring its security. Sharing sensitive information may expose you and others to risks of data leaks or misuse.

4. Bias and Fairness

Do:

• Regularly assess AI algorithms for biases and strive to mitigate any unfair outcomes. Systems like ChatGPT will use information you have previously given when generating answers.
• Report biases or unfair outcomes in AI tools through their reporting capabilities. Reporting issues helps improve the AI tools and fosters an inclusive and fair academic setting.

Do Not:

• Allow AI systems to perpetuate discrimination or inequality based on factors such as race, gender, or socioeconomic status.

5. Critical Thinking and Human Oversight

Do:

• When using AI-powered writing assistants, critically evaluate their suggestions and incorporate the ideas into your work with proper citation.
• Verify AI-generated texts against credible resources such as your learning materials, peers, mentors and of course educators.

Do Not:

• Blindly rely on AI suggestions without human oversight and critical analysis. Overreliance on AI can hinder your learning and lead to erroneous or misleading outcomes.
• Accept AI-generated answers without question or scrutiny.

6. Referencing, Plagiarism and Academic Integrity

Do:

• Properly attribute AI-generated content or assistance in academic work. Giving credit where it’s due maintains academic honesty and acknowledges the contribution of AI tools to your work.

Do Not:

• Plagiarise or claim credit for work produced by AI tools without acknowledgment.
• Copy assessment questions into AI tools and ask for an answer.
• Submit AI-generated content as your own without acknowledgment or attribution.
• Claim credit for work produced by AI tools without acknowledging their contribution.

GenAI is a source like any other website you use, to learn how to reference correctly please use this cheat sheet to help.

You should also check out the Consequences of Plagiarism policy here.