“All syllabi ought to be made available to students on or before the first day of class and ought to minimally include basic information about you and the course, grading and course requirements, course-specific policies, your course schedule, and information on academic integrity, Title IX reporting and resources, and accommodations through Disability Services.
As you’re finishing your syllabi, we hope you will review our updated page with resources for designing your syllabus that highlight critical components for your syllabus and provide links to relevant resources. You might want to use information here to help you”
Current Syllabus guidance. Stearns Center for Teaching and Learning. (2023, October 20). https://stearnscenter.gmu.edu/knowledge-center/current-syllabus-guidance/
Classroom Policies
Please include detailed classroom policies and assignment instructions in your syllabus. These will help students understand your expectations for:
- utilizing outside sources
- assignment collaboration
- group assignment vs. individual assignment
- protecting one’s work
- appropriate conduct during proctored exams (ex: environment sweeps, staying in frame for the duration of the exam, talking during the exam)
- It may be beneficial to include GMU’s Information Technology Services link to HonorLock for Students in your syllabus
Generative Artificial Intelligence
“All faculty should identify one or more recommended statements to use regarding academic integrity and Generative-AI programs. These should be designed to complement or amplify a broad statement about general academic integrity. Your statement may, and likely should, vary depending on the course.”
Ai Text Generators: Resource Page. Stearns Center for Teaching and Learning. (2024, March 1). https://stearnscenter.gmu.edu/knowledge-center/ai-text-generators/
- Basic Academic Integrity Statement sample: George Mason has established institutional academic stnadards. Three fundamental principles to follow at all times are that: (1) all work submitted be your own, as defined by the assignment; (2) when you use the work, the words, or the ideas of others, including fellow students or online sites, you give full credit through accurate citations; and (3) if you are uncertain about the ground rules on a particular assignment or exam, ask for clarification. No grade is important enough to justify academic misconduct.
- Generative-AI addendum, baseline: Use of Generative-AI tools should follow the fundamental principles of the Honor Code.
- Generative-AI addendum, expanded: Use of Generative-AI tools should be used following the fundamental principles of the Honor Code. This includes being honest about the use of these tools for submitted work and including citations when using the work of others, whether individual people or Generative-AI tools.
Ai Text Generators: Resource Page. Stearns Center for Teaching and Learning. (2024, March 1). https://stearnscenter.gmu.edu/knowledge-center/ai-text-generators/
Here is a sample statement provided by Dr. Dean Taciuch, College of Humanities and Social Sciences:
“Generative-AI tools, such as ChatGPT and Microsoft Co Pilot, should not be used in this course unless specified by the assignment. Use of such tools presents ethical and academic dishonesty issues, especially if the work is presented as your own. While such tools may be used to generate ideas, brainstorm, or outline larger works, the language in work you submit in this course should always be your own. Submitted work that is not your own is an Academic Integrity violation (“Providing, using, or attempting to benefit from unauthorized academic material and/or assistance”).
I will not use AI-detection software in this course, as it is unreliable and likely makes the generative AI software even less detectable, as the submitted works become part of the generative AI corpus. If you do use generative AI software, you will be responsible for any incorrect, biased, or unethical information that is submitted.
Finally, you must be transparent with your use even on assignments in which you are permitted to use Generative AI.”
Dean Taciuch, Term Professor, English, College of Humanities and Social Sciences