Motivation and emotion/Assessment/Using generative AI

Using generative AI guidelines

In a nutshell

Acknowledge generative artificial intelligence (genAI) use in the edit summary, including tool and prompt details. Fact-check all genAI content and cite peer-reviewed sources. Human-rewrite genAI content to enhance quality.

Summary guidelines

GenAI tools can aid but should not replace independent thinking. If using genAI tools for the major project, acknowledge its use in Wikiversity edit summaries. If in doubt, following the principle that "more acknowledgment is better than less". Academia is based on transparency. However, acknowledgement is not required for low-level tasks such as improving spelling and grammar.

You are responsible for content you submit. Be aware of limitations of genAI tools such as biases and inaccuracies. GenAI tools work best for topics you already understand, with carefully crafted prompting based on reading of peer-reviewed literature. Refine prompts for better results. Fact-check generated content and provide appropriate, peer-reviewed citations. GenAI content should also be human-revised/rewritten in order to improve it. For example, genAI content is often overly verbose. Despite the risks, genAI tools can aid in brainstorming, explaining key concepts, synthesising ideas, developing examples, and improving the readability and quality of written expression.

If you are unsure about appropriate use, ask questions and discuss, so we can all learn together.

Detailed guidelines

Use ethically, with caution

Learning to use generative artificial intelligence (genAI) tools (such as ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini) responsibly and ethically is an emerging skill. GenAI tools can be used to enhance academic work, but should be used judiciously and as a supplementary tool, rather than as a replacement for independent thinking and academic inquiry.

How to acknowledge

GenAI tools may be used to assist in preparation of the major project (topic development, book chapter, multimedia presentation). Use of such tools must be clearly acknowledged in Wikiversity edit summaries (see Figure 2), otherwise it is a violation of academic integrity.

Best practice is to include a publicly accessible link to the chatbot conversation. ChatGPT shared links FAQ). If a link can't be shared, then include sufficient details about the prompt in edit summary, (e.g., "ChatGPT May 24 Version. Prompt detail or summary") (see Figure 3). The chatbot conversation should not be included as a citation and reference because it is not a reliable, primary, peer-reviewed source.

These practices help to ensure that the use of genAI is clear and transparent and that genAI material has been human-checked and verified. Transparency is key to good practice in academia and professionalism. If in doubt, err on the side of providing too much acknowledgement detail rather than not enough. However, there is no need to acknowledge genAI use for low-level tasks such as fixing grammar and spelling.

Limitations

Be aware of the limits of genAI tools. Content they generate may be inaccurate, biased, incomplete, or otherwise problematic. Low user-knowledge and minimal effort prompting tends to yield low quality results. Refine prompts to get better outcomes. You are entirely responsible for the accuracy and quality of any content you submit. Always fact check.

Fact-check and cite

Regardless of whether genAI has been used, all claims need to be supported by verified peer-reviewed citations which you have directly consulted. Thus, whilst genAI acknowledgement is necessary, where it has been used, it is not in and of itself a sufficient basis for supporting claims. The author must do independent reading and checking to identify appropriate peer-reviewed citations to support any claims being made. Low-energy or unreflective reuse of text generated by genAI without further investigation and reviewing of primary, peer-reviewed academic literature will lead to poor quality results. GenAI tools work best for topics which you already understand. Guide and craft genAI responses based on your reading of peer-reviewed theory and research.

Going forth

Despite these warnings, you are encouraged to explore use of genAI tools to help develop higher quality work. Recommended uses of genAI tools include:

brainstorming
explaining key concepts
developing a structure
synthesising complex ideas
readability analysis
improving the quality of written expression
checking spelling and grammar
image generation (e.g., see Figure 1)
requesting critical feedback and suggestions for improvement

If you are unsure about how to use genAI effectively or how to acknowledge its use appropriately, ask questions and discuss, so we can all learn together.

Learn about genAI

WTF is AI? provides a useful introduction to genAI and a non-technical overview about how genAI works, what it is capable of, limitations, and issues.

To learn more, explore GenAI for students (University of Canberra Library).