What to know about working with GenAI at UBC in September 2024

What are cautions to consider in using GenAI tools?

Although UBC has approved the use of certain GenAI tools, this use comes with several important cautions.

Safeguard what you put into GenAI tools

• Use a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to connect to the internet before using these tools. The tools capture some connection data automatically, such as your IP address and general location. Using a VPN (such as the free UBC myVPN) replaces your IP/location information with the VPN’s information, while also encrypting other data that you send through your connection (e.g., browsing history).
• Avoid entering personally identifiable information or intellectual property when using these tools for UBC purposes. Please share only “Low Risk” information, as defined by the UBC Information Security Standard U1—in short, information that is safe to release publicly. This practice ensures that sensitive UBC data does not end up where it may be used in GenAI training or in responses to prompts from other users.

Treat what comes out of GenAI tools responsibly

• Be accountable for vetting any AI-generated content that you use in UBC teaching and learning. The tools may give you convincing but inaccurate/misleading responses known as “hallucinations”. Keep a sharp eye out for errors, and externally validate the accuracy of any responses that you will broadly share or rely on for decision-making.
• Understand the copyright complexities and give attributions as best you can. Although AI-generated content may seem original, it can contain unattributed copyrighted content. In addition, GenAI tools themselves may have restrictions on content use. Abide by any tool policies (including paying fees, where applicable), know when and what to cite when using GenAI content, and consider checking for originality (e.g., using Turnitin) to find if other attributions may be appropriate.

You can read the in-depth UBC principles for risk mitigation with GenAI on the UBC Generative AI website.

How can I use GenAI with UBC-supported learning technologies?

The ways that you can use GenAI outputs with other learning technologies are wide and growing. With the right prompts, these tools can help streamline the process of creating your content or learning activities for other technologies.

The following are just a few examples of what you can do:

• Generate HTML code for use in Canvas or other platforms. GenAI tools can be good and quick at coding. You can prompt them to create code and placeholder content for specific pages in Canvas, e.g., “Create HTML code for a welcome page to use for a Canvas course, including a table for office hours and contact information”. Copy and paste the generated code into the HTML editor in Canvas, then customize the content.
• Troubleshoot layout issues with course pages. Sometimes the layout of a page in Canvas or UBC Blogs may look wrong, and you may not know how to fix it. You can copy the HTML of the page and prompt a GenAI tool to try to fix it for you.
• Build and import Canvas quizzes. Canvas lets you import Canvas quizzes from QTI files. You can use GenAI tools to format quiz questions into such a file. Prompt the tool to create a QTI file for Canvas and include the quiz details such as the title, questions and answer options, and correct answers.
• Create H5P learning activities. H5P streamlines the creation of interactive course content, such as online quizzes, games, and multimedia. You can use GenAI tools to further shorten the process of inputting content into H5P.

More direct integrations with GenAI are also expected in the coming year, which may give access to GenAI functionality inside learning technologies like Canvas.

How should I not use GenAI with UBC-supported learning technologies?

Be cautious about how you use these tools to help grade student work. To avoid potential copyright issues, please do not copy student-generated content into a non-approved tool. To protect student privacy, please do not enter personally identifiable information about students (such as student numbers) into any tool.

If you have a use case that may conflict with these copyright and privacy limitations, please follow the UBC Privacy Impact Assessment process to request approval for your use case first.

How can I set boundaries for student use of GenAI tools in a course?

The best thing you can do is explicitly define your expectations about the use of GenAI tools at the start of the course. These expectations ideally would be written out in the course syllabus, then discussed in the first class. The UBC Academic Integrity website has recommended language for clearly defining if / how students can use GenAI tools, and CTLT’s AI in Teaching and Learning website has example GenAI communications from UBC instructors.

How might I direct students to use GenAI tools in course activities?

You can ask students to interact with GenAI tools in a variety of ways, provided that you use one of the UBC-approved tools and explain to students the cautions with this tool use.

You should also stress that students need to be careful about hallucinations. Depending on how they use the tool, students may get responses that are incorrect. If you have told them they can or should use a GenAI tool for learning, remind them that does not mean they can count on its correctness; they should externally validate the accuracy of any responses.

It can be useful to consider student use of GenAI on different descriptive levels*:

• No AI – Students must not use AI. The course is completed entirely without AI assistance. This level asks students to rely solely on their knowledge, understanding, and skills.
• AI as Study Tool / Tutor – Students may use Al indirectly: to prepare, review, and study in a personalized and adaptive way. This level allows AI to help students learn skills and knowledge related to the course and prepare for assessments—but not to assist students directly in their work.
• AI as Idea Generator – Students may use AI to enhance brainstorming, structure creation, and ideation around their work. However, they may not use the exact AI-generated content in their work. This level encourages use of AI as a jumping-off point for deeper thinking.
• AI as Editor – Students may use AI for editing their work, but they must include their original work/drafts as well. This level lets students use AI to enhance the clarity and quality of their work, while keeping the onus on them to create the original content.
• AI as Critical-Thinking Tool – Students use AI as you instruct them to generate and properly cite content. Students then discuss and critically evaluate the AI-generated content to identify potential problems or biases. This level focuses on critiquing AI and developing critical thinking and evaluative judgement.
• Full AI - AI use is integral to the course. Students are expected to use AI as a “co-pilot” to enhance creativity, improve quality, and meet requirements. This level invites students to treat AI as a collaborator in their work.

* Lucas Wright – Adapted from Furze et al., "The AI Assessment Scale" (March 2024)

Instructors have shared real-life examples of GenAI inclusion in UBC courses on CTLT’s AI in Teaching and Learning website. The UBC Faculty of Education also has ideas for course activities to get students thinking critically about GenAI.

How can I detect if students are using GenAI tools in course activities?

At the moment, it is difficult for both technology and humans to reliably detect GenAI tool use. UBC does not currently support using any GenAI-detection tools, as none have demonstrated strong enough accuracy, protection against bias, or ability to keep up with the pace of development. UBC also does not allow GenAI-detection tools to be used as the sole factor in making allegations of academic misconduct.

That said, you can do few things to try to protect against unintended GenAI tool use by students:

• Understand generally how GenAI tools work. Experiment with the tools yourself and/or engage in basic GenAI training or UBC GenAI events and workshops. Knowing the strengths and limitations of this technology can clarify—and sometimes even alleviate—what you are concerned about.
• Reconsider the design of your assignments and assessments to ensure student learning. The UBC Academic Integrity website has general advice for protecting against academic misconduct, and CTLT’s AI in Teaching and Learning website has UBC examples of assignments and assessments designed in response to GenAI.
• Explicitly define your expectations about the use of GenAI tools at the start of the course. This way, everyone will know what is or is not allowed before completing work. See the guidance above on setting clear boundaries with syllabus language and other communications.
• Talk neutrally with students who submit content that you have questions about. A non-accusatory conversation about the content can help confirm or alleviate your concerns and may clarify whether you have grounds to make an allegation of academic misconduct at UBC or not.

How can I improve my capabilities with GenAI tools?

• Play around with GenAI tools. Regular experimenting is hands-down the best way to understand these tools, as short exposures can only show you so much.
  • OpenAI’s free version of ChatGPT is UBC-approved and available by clicking the link.
  • Microsoft’s “Copilot for Organizations” is also UBC-approved and available for free by clicking the link and logging in with your UBC credentials (a UBC CWL for faculty and staff).
• Participate in guided GenAI training, workshops, and events. The UBC Generative AI website has a list of basic GenAI training as well as UBC GenAI events and workshops.
• Collaborate with colleagues to share and grow your GenAI knowledge. We are all exploring this new landscape together. Join the UBC Generative AI mailing-list, read and submit GenAI experiences on CTLT’s AI in Teaching and Learning website, add GenAI topics to your regular meetings, or create a GenAI Community of Practice—the list goes on.