Student usage of AI tools

Unauthorised use of artificial intelligence (AI) in work submitted for assessment is academic misconduct; but there can be confusion about the appropriateness of support tools.

Under ACU’s Student Academic Integrity and Misconduct Policy, unauthorised use of AI in work submitted for assessment is a form of academic misconduct. Any work submitted for assessment must be the student’s own (except for designated group work).

Students should not use generative artificial intelligence tools (e.g. ChatGPT) or paraphrasing and translation tools (e.g. Quillbot) unless it is specifically authorised in the assessment requirements.

Can students use grammar detection tools?

Using programs that check spelling and grammar as you go (e.g. Grammarly) are not considered to be generative AI or paraphrasing tools, therefore they can be used. However, GrammarlyGo is a generative AI tool embedded into Grammarly and should not be used to help write assessments. Students should turn this feature off in their customisation settings by using the following instructions.

What about Turnitin and AI writing detection?

Earlier this year, Turnitin released a new tool that assists in detecting text generated by AI, that is not visible to students. When staff open a submission in Turnitin, it will appear as a ‘% AI’ figure which represents the percentage of qualifying text that Turnitin has determined to be AI generated.

Turnitin and ACU advise staff that the AI percentage should be used with caution, and that a positive finding does not automatically mean that academic misconduct has occurred. This is especially true when the indicator is less than 20%. Staff need to carefully review any flagged text and look for other characteristic signs of unauthorised AI. use, such as fabricated or inappropriate references.

Turnitin does not detect changes made by grammar checking tools, including Grammarly. It will, however, detect content generated by GrammarlyGo, as this is a generative AI tool. For a list of factors to consider when assessing unauthorised use of AI, visit the Academic Integrity FAQ page.

Supports available

• LEO Guides have been updated to provide guidance to staff
• Turnitin have provided resources, including a FAQ section
• Students can access Academic Skills and Studiosity for assistance with academic writing