Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) is changing the way we do things inside and outside of our classrooms. Tools like ChatGPT and other generative A.I. platforms can be powerful allies in your academic work, or they can get you in a ton of trouble. Students want guidance, hence this blog post and infographic. Here are my 3 guiding principles of AI use in my classroom, and in professional life.
1. Generative A.I. is an effective tool, when used with care.
A.I. can help you brainstorm ideas, clarify confusing topics, and even provide feedback on early drafts. It can put things in words that your professor wouldn’t think to use, which may help them click better. And it’s great at proofreading, it will catch all those little things your eye misses. However, simply copying and pasting output without editing or reflection is likely to backfire. A.I. often produces generic or superficial responses, and it sometimes makes factual errors or misinterprets context (it hallucinates worse than you’d think!). It works best when you use it as a collaborator—not a shortcut.
If you rely on it too heavily or uncritically, your work may lose its clarity, depth, or voice. Worse, you may inadvertently turn in something that doesn’t fully address the assignment—or that raises plagiarism concerns. Or both for extra fun! Use A.I. to enhance your thinking, not to replace it.
2. Generative A.I. starts a conversation—you may use it, but you should tell me where, when, and why you’re using it.
Transparency matters. If you use A.I. in your work—whether to rephrase a paragraph, summarize a reading, generate ideas, or check grammar—let me know. I’m not here to penalize you for using helpful tools; I’m here to help you learn how to use them well. But if you just tell me “Nope, didn’t use it at all!”, I have nothing to provide to you in terms of guidance. And Principle 3 will really get you in that case!
Briefly describing how you used A.I. helps me understand your process and support your learning. It also helps create an honest academic environment where we can talk openly about emerging technologies and how they fit into our work.
3. Generative A.I. Helps, but You Own the Work.
When you submit work for a grade, you’re putting your name on it. That means you are responsible for the content, the quality, and the implications of what you submit. If an A.I. tool generates a clunky sentence, makes an inaccurate claim, or uses a tone that doesn’t fit the assignment—and you leave it in—it reflects on you. And you might not want to be known as that person who only speaks in groups of threes and uses em dashes extensively!
Likewise, if I ask you to explain your thinking and you can’t speak to what was written, that’s a problem for professional life. A.I. tools can support your efforts, but they cannot replace the understanding, decision-making, or academic integrity that you bring to your work. You don’t just turn in words—you turn in your thinking.
Final Thoughts
The goal of these principles is not to restrict you, but to empower you. I want you to feel confident and competent in your use of A.I. tools, and I want to help you learn how to use them in a way that complements your own voice and skills. A.I. isn’t going away—so let’s learn how to use it wisely, responsibly, and creatively.
Have questions about when or how to use A.I. in a specific assignment? Just ask. I’m here to help you navigate this new landscape.