Guidelines for staff use of AI in preparing teaching material

Existing advice and policies

All AI use at the University is governed by the University’s AI Principles, and other policies including the Privacy policy (MPF1104), and the Records Management policy (MPF1106). A decision-making tool is available to assist staff in navigating the implications of these policies when considering using a GenAI tool.

In addition, the University has existing guidelines on the use of AI in student feedback and assessment.

Quality, trust, and transparency

Assessment and the provision of timely, useful feedback to students are critical to the relationship between an educator and their students. Similarly, students need to trust that the learning activities and materials they are presented with in their subjects and programs are of high quality, reflecting the academic integrity and rigour of the University.

As AI tools mature and advance and are increasingly embedded into the design and authoring tools that staff use in their work, it is recognised that staff may use AI tools in the preparation of teaching and learning activities and materials for students.

It is essential that staff maintain academic oversight and judgements associated with the preparation of all teaching and learning activities and materials. Academic staff remain responsible for the quality of the teaching and learning materials prepared for students, and when staff do work with AI tools, it is important that they maintain the same high standards of academic integrity that we expect of students.

Given this, some specific guidelines for staff when using AI to prepare teaching and learning materials are provided below.

1. AI tools can be used to support the design and development of teaching and learning activities and materials, however, they must be used with clear academic oversight of the quality and integrity of the activities and materials produced for students, and staff remain responsible for the quality and accuracy of materials presented to students.
2. If AI tools are used to support the design and development of teaching and learning materials, this use must be acknowledged. This may simply be through a declaration on the LMS site, or an acknowledgement on lecture slides or on other documents produced.
3. If AI tools are used to support the design and development of teaching and learning materials, academic staff must be prepared to discuss this with their students (e.g. how AI was used, its value and drawbacks). This can help to build student literacy as well as maintain trust.