AI and Teaching and Learning in UCD

In the context of teaching and learning, UCD has agreed on the following core guidelines informed and underpinned by the UCD AI Governance Principles.

• Faculty may incorporate AI tools into their teaching, learning, assessment or support activities.
• While ensuring alignment to the principle of ‘Building AI Literacy’, faculty have academic freedom to decide if and how AI is used in their modules within disciplinary norms, and must be transparent about its use at all times.
• A clear statement on the use of AI within a module must be included within the module descriptor. This must confirm whether the use of AI by students is permissible within the module and under what conditions, while being mindful that outright bans on AI use in autonomous learning may not be practically enforceable.
• In the interest of equity and fairness, faculty may not require a student to use an AI tool that is not provided by UCD.

The following section provides further information on the practical application of these core guidelines. 

• Faculty may incorporate AI tools into their teaching, learning, assessment or support activities. (Core Guideline)
• Faculty may choose not to incorporate AI tools into their teaching, learning, assessment or support activities; however, they are expected to be aware of the potential implications of these tools for student learning, assessment and workplace readiness.
• While ensuring alignment to the principle of ‘Building AI Literacy’, faculty have academic freedom to decide if and how AI is used in their modules within disciplinary norms, and must be transparent about its use or non-use at all times. (Core Guideline)
• Where deployed by faculty, AI tools should be used for teaching, learning, assessment or support activities only where it is considered that their use will aid in active, critical, and reflective engagement.
• Faculty should be cautious about issuing blanket and unenforceable bans against the use of AI by students as part of their autonomous learning.

• A clear statement on the use of AI within a module must be included within the module descriptor (see Faculty Guidelines for the Use of AI in Teaching and Learning for sample statements). This must confirm whether the use of AI by students is permissible within the module and under what conditions. (Core Guideline)
• It is a working goal of UCD that student exposure to AI should be reviewed at programme level, and incorporated into the Programme Specification/Programme Handbook.
• Faculty incorporating AI in their modules should consider how it supports the achievement of Programme Outcomes. They should also consult with the Programme Director or Programme Board to ensure alignment with disciplinary norms and expectations regarding the use of AI at programme level.

• Module Coordinators will need to decide whether students are permitted to use AI tools in an assessment task, depending on whether the use of that tool defeats or advances the purpose (learning goals) of that assessment. Assessment tasks must be designed in line with the principles of Universal Design.
• Where AI is permitted in an assessment task, Module Coordinators should make clear to students how it can be used and how it should be acknowledged (see Faculty Guidelines for the Use of AI in Teaching and Learning for sample statements). Proper acknowledgement might include reference to the School citation guide, inclusion of a pre-agreed School statement confirming the use of AI, or asking students to provide links to the prompts or outputs they have generated.
• Students' use of AI in ways not described in the module descriptor and individual assessment/assignment guidelines may constitute academic misconduct. Unacknowledged use of AI may constitute a breach of the UCD Academic Integrity Policy and Student Code of Conduct.
• Grading of assessments shall be undertaken by an approved intern examiner. Any potential use of AI for grading and feedback on students’ work should be clearly communicated and explained to students in advance of their sitting the assessment.
• Where a faculty member uses or intends to use AI to assist in the drafting of feedback, this must be disclosed to the student.

• Faculty shall uphold the UCD AI Governance Principle of transparency and accountability, and in support of this must:
  • Be able to explain to students the rationale for the use/non-use of AI in a module.
  • Respond to student queries on the use/non-use of AI in a module.
  • Engage in dialogue with students on the use/non-use of AI in a module and encourage students to ask if they are unclear.
  • Specify clearly which AI or digital tools are permitted or prohibited within the module, and provide students with guidance where distinctions may be ambiguous.
  • Clearly present and explain to students any potential use of AI in grading and feedback provision on students’ work.
• Faculty should be transparent about where and how they use AI in their teaching, learning and assessment practices, e.g. to generate content, to function as virtual tutors or to help with assessment design, grading and feedback.
• Where AI has been used by faculty in their teaching and learning, its use should be disclosed and cited appropriately. The output of any tool used should be checked by the faculty member for quality, accuracy and appropriateness.

• In the interest of equity and fairness, faculty may not require a student to use an AI tool that is not provided by UCD. (Core Guideline)
• It is the responsibility of the Module Coordinator to direct others who are involved in teaching, assessment and feedback towards the guidelines on the appropriate use of AI in the module.

• If using AI tools as part of the teaching and learning process, staff and students should use institutionally supported tools that comply with the University's privacy, data protection and IT security standards. UCD currently has an enterprise license with Google, and all UCD staff and students can access the Gemini AI web app with their Google Workspace accounts using their UCD credentials via UCD Connect. UCD IT Services maintains an up-to-date list of institutionally supported AI tools, and any updates to UCD’s license arrangements will be highlighted here.
• Where a School/unit is selecting third-party AI tools for use in their disciplinary context, these tools must be procured under university governance procedures and in close collaboration with the Office of the Data Protection Officer (DPO). Full transparency on how these companies use staff and student data is essential and user agreements must be reviewed in consultation with the Office of the DPO, UCD Legal and IT Services, and in line with the most up-to-date procedures on digital governance.
• Personal data entered into AI tools not supported/approved by the University constitutes a breach of GDPR and is therefore prohibited. Students' academic work, e.g. their assignments, exam scripts etc. constitute the students' personal data.
• At present, UCD does not permit the use of AI detection tools to monitor or detect the inappropriate use of AI. This position is reflected across other higher education institutions, as such tools are proven to be unreliable.