{"id":21312,"date":"2024-07-03T10:25:07","date_gmt":"2024-07-03T00:25:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/educational-innovation.sydney.edu.au\/teaching@sydney\/?p=21312"},"modified":"2024-07-03T10:30:21","modified_gmt":"2024-07-03T00:30:21","slug":"rules-access-familiarity-and-trust-a-practical-approach-to-addressing-generative-ai-in-education","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/educational-innovation.sydney.edu.au\/teaching@sydney\/rules-access-familiarity-and-trust-a-practical-approach-to-addressing-generative-ai-in-education\/","title":{"rendered":"Rules, access, familiarity, and trust – A practical approach to addressing generative AI in education"},"content":{"rendered":"

TEQSA recently asked all higher education institutions to reflect “meaningfully on the impact of generative AI” on teaching, learning and assessment practices and develop an institutional action plan. The development of this action plan has provided an extremely valuable opportunity to both reflect on our own journey with generative AI since 2022 and the further steps needed over the next couple of years to ensure our students are prepared for a world where AI is increasingly part of everyday life and work. A link to our response to TEQSA’s request for information<\/a> can be found at the bottom of this article.<\/em><\/p>\n

Our work at the University of Sydney in responding to the risks and opportunities presented by generative AI in higher education has centred around four main areas of action: establishing rules, providing access, building familiarity, and fostering trust. From the outset, we have responded carefully but positively to generative AI, electing not to implement bans, or attempt to reject or out-run it, but rather for staff and students to work together to discover and foster productive and responsible ways to engage with it under the direction of its governance bodies.<\/p>\n

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Rules, access, familiarity, and trust have been key areas of action at the University of Sydney in our response to generative AI. Scenarios that lacks one or more of these areas may lead to inequitable, risky, or otherwise poor application of AI.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Establishing rules<\/h2>\n

Governance<\/h3>\n

In early 2023, the AI in Education Working Group, comprising staff and student representatives from across the University was formed to discuss implications of generative AI and to share and review practices and policies across faculties. This group reported 3 times to both Academic Board and to Senate on developments in the technologies, coursework assessment and integrity policy, and training. The University Executive then constituted the Generative AI Steering Committee<\/a>, co-chaired by the DVC (Education) and DVC (Research), with membership including General Counsel, Operations Portfolio, and Information and Communications Technology (ICT) to sets strategic direction. This committee\u00a0is supported by a Generative AI Coordinating Group, including colleagues from Research, Education, ICT, the Library, student administration, operations, and General Counsel to monitor and review the progress of generative AI adoption.<\/p>\n

Guardrails<\/h3>\n

Our guardrails<\/a> encourage the University community to learn and experiment with generative AI whilst ensuring that data, privacy, intellectual property, and other information is appropriately protected. The Research Portfolio has established guidelines<\/a>\u00a0handling sensitive information, research integrity, research ethics, and how to use generative AI safely for research purposes. Our Academic Integrity Policy<\/a>\u00a0was updated in 2022\u00a0to explicitly include inappropriate<\/em> use of AI. Individual unit coordinators have been provided with template wording that can be included in their unit sites about how to phrase appropriate use and acknowledgement of generative AI as part of completing assessments.<\/p>\n

Strategy, policy, and principles (including assessment)<\/h3>\n

The AI in Education Working Group established an AI Strategy Green Paper, which was later adopted by the Steering Committee and moulded into a \u2018Dynamic Generative AI Roadmap\u2019. This is grounded in Australia\u2019s AI Ethics Principles<\/a>\u00a0and established aspirational positions on generative AI in higher education, including:<\/p>\n