Model Policy on the Use of Ai at your Sixth Form College

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By Adam Smith, curriculum leader and digital innovations lead - Oldham Sixth Form College

1. Context

This policy outlines the intended use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (Al) by staff and students at [Sixth Form College Name]. Al is a powerful tool that can be leveraged for learning, writing, and research, but it is important that we use it ethically and responsibly both within the context of our college and with a view to the future.

2. Ethical Use of Al

2.1.

In addition to the acceptable uses outlined below (3.1), we as a college are committed to promoting the ethical use of Al at our college. Our staff and students will be inducted and trained in the following themes:

  • Transparency and Explainability: We will strive to understand how A| arrives at its outputs and to explain this to staff and student users. This is intended to help users to critically evaluate the information generated by Al.
  • Equality and Diversity: We acknowledge that Al models can perpetuate biases present in their training data. We will be mindful of this and will take steps to mitigate bias and discrimination in our use of Al. This may involve training on prompt construction, use of diverse datasets and being critical of outputs that suggest or reinforce stereotypes and prejudices.
  • Accountability: The college takes responsibility for the use of Al and will acknowledge such use where appropriate. We aim to ensure that Al tools are utilised for educational purposes and this use does not cause harm.

2.2. Data Privacy & Security

  • GDPR: The college takes its responsibilities towards GDPR seriously; all near misses and breaches are reported to the designated member of staff and dealt with according to the college’s GDPR policy.
  • Personally Identifiable Information (PII): We respect the privacy of users and their data, and so Pll is deemed off-limits for Al tools in college. In line with GDPR requirements, we will only input data into Al tools that users have consented to sharing.
  • Data Protection Act & Utilising Al for Assessment: In line with the Data Protection Act (2018) and the methods Al tools use for storing data, the college will not upload identifying/personal details in student work to Al platforms for the purpose of assessment.

3. Responsible Use of Al

3.1. Acceptable Use

The college encourages the use of Al by both staff and students to aid their work. It is important to be mindful that, as a user of Al, you play a part in creating the product. The prompts and refinements submitted by a user are utilised to improve the performance and accuracy of the responses provided.

Acceptable use could take the form of, but is not limited to:

  • Learning: Al can be used to generate summaries of complex topics, answer factual questions, and provide different perspectives on an issue. This can help students develop a deeper understanding of the material.
  • Research: Students and staff can use Al to help them research topics by gathering information, identifying sources, and formulating research questions.
  • Writing & Administration: Al can be used to formulate ideas, create presentations and spreadsheets, check grammar and spelling, and improve sentence structure. However, it should not be used to generate entire essays or assignments.

Examples of prompts in line with these uses include: “Explain topics in ‘a way that works for me’,” “Help me brainstorm and explore ideas,” “Help me study for an upcoming assessment,” or “Provide feedback on my work for areas of improvement.”

3.2. Unacceptable Use

  • Plagiarism & cheating: The college prohibits the representation of Al-generated text, images, or other content as your own work. Students must properly cite all sources including Al output, according to the requirements of the relevant Awarding Organisation (4.1).
  • Bias: Al tools rely on machine learning and can reflect biases present in training data. It is important to be aware of these biases and to critically evaluate the information Al generates.
  • Inappropriate content: Al should not be used to generate content that is discriminatory or illegal, and any output from Al must not be used in an offensive manner.

Examples include: not asking for permission to use Al tools, completing an entire task or assessment using Al, not reviewing work for ‘hallucinations’ or inaccuracies, creating deepfake videos, not tracking or citing work where Al has been utilised.

3.3. Enforcement

The college implements a number of methods which allow staff to review how and when students have completed homework, coursework or assignments to ensure that any Al use is ethical and responsible, and conforms to the college's Teaching and Learning policies.

Subject staff will provide further guidance when and if Al may be used for the work students will undertake during their time at college; if students have used Al, they will be expected to reference the prompts used alongside an explanation of the use case. Unacceptable use of Al by students will be treated as a serious academic offence and may result in disciplinary action, up to and including expulsion from college.

4. Expectations Regarding Al Use

4.1. Staff:

  • Staff are responsible for using Al ethically and responsibly in accordance with this policy.
  • Staff should be familiar with this policy and should model responsible use of Al to colleagues and students. They should also be aware of the potential for misuse and should take steps to prevent it.
  • Tutors should provide clear guidance for students on the use of Al tools to support their learning.
  • Considering the current capability limitations of Al tools, and in compliance with the Data Protection Act (2018), staff will not upload any student work to any Al tools.
  • Staff should consider using a variety of assessment and monitoring methods (including software such as Securly, AB-Tutor, Classwork Zoom, Turnitin, etc) in line with the college’s teaching and learning policy to identify or investigate any instances of AI misuse.

4.2. Students

  • Students are responsible for using Al ethically and responsibly in accordance with this policy.
  • Students should consult with tutors if they are uncertain on appropriate Al use.
  • Students should comply with tutor direction regarding whether the support of an Al tool is permitted on specific tasks, and seek confirmation where it is not clear. Assume that it is prohibited for producing written work unless instructed otherwise (the use of Al to provide ideas or questions which a student responds to in their own words is acceptable, however).
  • If Al use is permitted in their work, students should track their interactions with the tool and record this ‘conversation’ by copying and pasting the interaction into the end of the document.
  • Students must clearly reference any work that they have directly used from an Al source, as they would for any other source.
  • Al tools should be included in references when submitting work. This should be done in the format required by your Awarding Body (tutors will confirm this where appropriate). For example: OpenAl. (2024). ChatGPT (Mar14 version) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com/chat

4.3. IT Department:

  • Is responsible for monitoring access to Al tools within college.
  • Is responsible for supporting the investigation of any suspected misuse as identified by staff or students.
  • Is responsible for maintaining any applicable subscriptions to represent both value for money, and access to the best possible Al tools (to be ascertained by [insert relevant person/group]).

5. Al Skills & Employability

5.1. Preparation for the Future

The college recognises the potential impact that being able to successfully utilise Al could have in the future job market and the moral obligation we have to educate staff and students in these employability skills.

The ever-changing future: The college will endeavour to remain informed of current developments and capabilities in Al tools, relevant legislation, and outlook and impact on future employability, to be best placed in advising our staff and providing best practice for our students.

Obligation to educate: The college will work to ensure that staff and students are informed, skilled and confident about their use of Al in multiple forms.

5.2. Promoting Al Prompt-Writing Skills

To supplement the responsible use of Al, the college recognises the emerging importance of Al literacy and the value of effective prompt-writing skills. These skills will be valuable assets in the future workplace, as many jobs will involve interacting with Al tools. By promoting Al literacy and prompt-writing skills, we are equipping our students with the tools they need to succeed in a world increasingly driven by Al.

The college will endeavour to promote effective Al prompting via:

  • Workshops and training for staff or students.
  • Curriculum integration of Al opportunities.
  • Collaboration with industry to understand skills in demand.

6. Review

  • This policy should be reviewed in line with the college's policies on Teaching and Learning, and Data Protection.
  • It will be regularly reviewed according to the college's policy review schedule to ensure that it remains up-to-date with the latest developments in Al technology.

7. Further Reference

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