3 Academic Integrity Values: Fairness and Respect
Fairness: a person of integrity is fair. You are fair to your peers when you do your own work, to authors when you acknowledge their work you use by citing it, to the university when you respect and follow academic integrity standards, and to alumni when your behavior helps to support the value of their degree.
Fairness in AI use means ensuring that your use of AI tools doesn’t give you an unfair advantage over classmates who may not have access to the same tools, or who choose not to use them. It also means being fair to authors and creators whose work may have been used to train AI systems by properly attributing sources and not using AI to circumvent the learning process your instructor designed.
Scenario: Fairness
You are a new student and are juggling to keep up with your courses while also working a part-time job. You are a bit stressed about your upcoming exam. A student who is a year ahead of you offers you a copy of the exam questions to one of your courses. What action would be acceptable?
Click on the responses to see the answers to each.
Scenario: Fairness and AI Access
You have access to an advanced AI subscription service that provides better assistance than free AI tools. Your classmates are using free versions or no AI at all. Your instructor has said AI is permitted but hasn’t specified which tools.
Fair approach:
- Consider the equity of your AI use compared to your peers
- Focus on learning rather than just completing assignments efficiently
- Ask your instructor for guidance on appropriate AI tools if unclear
- Remember that the goal is demonstrating your understanding, not just producing output
Respect: you show respect when you adhere to your assignment instructions, when you actively participate in learning and show interest in gaining new knowledge, when you contribute your thoughts to the academic discourse while accepting that others may disagree with you, when you credit others for their ideas, and when you show that you are putting your best efforts forward.
Respect in AI contexts means honoring your instructor’s policies about AI use, respecting the learning process by not using AI to skip essential skill development, and respecting the intellectual property that may be embedded in AI training data. It also means respecting your classmates by not using AI in ways that undermine collaborative learning or create unfair advantages.
Scenario: Respect
At the end of your class your instructor says: “Don’t forget your assignment is due next class. Remember, this is an individual assignment. You are meant to work on this alone!” You think, “Oh no, I already completed half of the assignment with Jason and Harpreet!” What should you do?
Click on the responses to see the answers to each.
Scenario: Respectful AI Use
Your instructor has created a detailed rubric for a writing assignment that emphasizes developing your voice and critical thinking skills. The assignment allows limited AI use for grammar checking only.
Respectful behavior includes:
- Following the specific limitations on AI use
- Focusing on developing your own voice rather than relying on AI for content
- Understanding the pedagogical purpose behind the AI restrictions
- Asking questions if you’re uncertain about appropriate use
