AI Use & Unfair Use Declaration

Plagiarism and AI use declaration

Summary:

Do not plagiarise or use AI in an unfair way. Follow the same ethical practices you would expect at any other educational institution. Contravention may incur a £200 remarking fee or disqualification.

Declaration

I hereby submit my work for academic evaluation. I affirm and declare that:

  • The submitted work is my original effort, and to the best of my knowledge and belief, it contains no material previously published or written by another person, nor material which to a substantial extent has been accepted for the award of any other course, except where due acknowledgment has been made in the text.
  • I have not engaged in plagiarism, which I understand to be the presentation of another person's work as my own for assessment purposes, without proper acknowledgment.
  • I have not utilised artificial intelligence (AI) tools, including language models, to create, write, or alter any portion of the submitted work that is intended to be solely my creation and intellectual property. Where I have used AI, it adheres to ethical standard outlined in the “AI Use Policy.”
  • I have not engaged in any form of cheating or any unfair or fraudulent means to gain academic advantage, including collusion with other individuals.
  • I understand that my submitted work will be subject to checks for academic misconduct, including plagiarism and unfair use of AI.
  • I acknowledge that should any form of academic misconduct be detected in my submitted work, I may be subject to disciplinary actions in accordance with GOTOCO’s various policies and procedures, which may include, but are not limited to, a formal reprimand, failure of the assignment, failure of the course, or a remarking fine.
  • I am aware that in the event of suspicion of plagiarism or unfair use of AI, my work may be subject to a detailed re-evaluation which could incur a remarking fee of £200. I agree to be liable for this fee if academic misconduct is confirmed upon such re-evaluation.

By signing this declaration, I confirm I have read and understood the conditions above and am submitting work for evaluation that is indeed my own and created without unethical assistance.



AI Use Policy

Introduction

This policy is designed to guide the ethical and responsible use of artificial intelligence (AI) in GOTOCO’s TESOL course. It recognises AI as a transformative tool in education while also setting boundaries to prevent its misuse.

Scope

This policy applies to all learners, instructors, and staff involved in Gotoco’s TESOL courses.

Fair AI Use: Embracing the Future Responsibly

  • Educational Enhancement: AI is acknowledged as a valuable tool in education. Its use is encouraged to supplement and enhance learning and teaching practices.
  • Limitations on AI Use: While GOTOCO embraces AI, it should not replace personal input and reflection. AI should not be used to answer 100% of the questions, especially those requiring personal reflection or experience-based responses.

Unfair AI Use: Preventing Unfair Use

  • Plagiarism and Unfair AI Use: The misuse of AI, such as using it to generate entire assignments or substituting personal insights with AI-generated content, is considered plagiarism.
  • Monitoring and Checks: To ensure compliance, a random selection of 10% of assignments will be subjected to plagiarism checks using tools like Turnitin.
  • Flagging Excessive AI Use: If an assignment is found to have over 100 words of AI-generated content or three instances of unfair AI use, it will be flagged for review.

Principles and Responsibilities

  • Ethical Use: AI tools must be used ethically, respecting intellectual property and academic integrity.
  • Transparency: Disclosure of excessive AI use is mandatory, especially when it forms a part of academic submissions.
  • Critical Engagement: learners should critically assess AI outputs and not rely on them solely for creation of academic or educational content.
  • Data Privacy: Users must be cautious with personal and sensitive data when interacting with AI tools.

Compliance and Enforcement

  • Learners: Must use AI responsibly as a supplementary tool and not as a replacement for personal intellectual efforts.
  • Instructors: Are responsible for guiding students on the appropriate use of AI and ensuring assignments encourage personal reflection.
  • Institution: Should provide necessary resources for the effective monitoring and enforcement of this policy.

Non-compliance will result in disciplinary action, which may include academic penalties, course suspension or remarking fees.

Review and Adaptation

This policy will be reviewed annually to adapt to technological advancements, educational needs, and legal requirements.


This revised policy encapsulates the balance between embracing AI as a beneficial educational tool and preventing its misuse, particularly in the context of plagiarism and over-reliance. It emphasises the importance of personal input in academic work, ensuring AI is used as an aid rather than a substitute for learning and reflection.


**Last updated February 2024 (Daniel Parrott, director)

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