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How to communicate about potential restrictions on a course or learning task involving artificial intelligence 

Inform students about how you want to limit the use of artificial intelligence and why in a timely manner. Consult the course's learning objectives when justifying restrictions. AI can be used in various ways, and in some cases, it may be challenging for the student to understand whether the software they are using is powered by AI in the background. For example, translation and proofreading tools may utilise AI automatically. If you are restricting the usage, consider asking students to describe the different tools and methods they have used in completing the task.

• Communicate early about restrictions: You can describe the possible limitations in the course syllabus before the start of the course. The syllabus can be easily accessed and on the homepage of your MyCourses workspace. At the beginning of the course, it is also a good idea to review the courses' rules and remind students to read the syllabus.
• Separate instructions for learning tasks: If you want to restrict or specify the use of AI only for specific learning tasks, it is advisable to include the restrictions in the task instructions themselves.
• Restricting the use of AI: Consider whether there are aspects or sections in the assignment or course where the use of AI could enhance learning. Reflect on what you intended to assess and how, for instance, using AI for language checking might impact the evaluation. Additionally, think about whether the use of AI in a specific task could free up time to teach the core contents of the course.
• Note that the use of AI is not limited only to separate, online services such as ChatGPT, but software itself increasingly contains components that use AI. Therefore, a student might unknowingly use AI when processing text, code, or images.
• A few example sentences to use in assignment guidelines:
  • "This assignment allows you to utilise AI to create images and to check grammar and spelling or translating your answer."
  • "You can use AI to brainstorm the content of your response. Include a description in your response detailing how AI assisted you in shaping your answer."
  • "For this assignment, the use of AI is completely prohibited. This ban also includes proofreading, translation, and evaluating the structure of the essay." 

How can I check if artificial intelligence was used in generating the text? 

Currently, there is no completely reliable way to check if a text has been generated with the assistance of artificial intelligence. Aalto University provides the plagiarism detection tool , which includes a tool for evaluating the use of AI in text. It's important to note that this tool provides only an indicative assessment and cannot categorically confirm the use of AI. For more information about the tool, please visit . Please note that submitting student responses to systems that have not officially undergone any security checks by Aalto University is not allowed. You will find Aalto University's AI tools at /en/node/979856.

When talking about the use of AI in student work, there are two very closely linked aspects to keep in mind:

1. AI is used to generate ideas, concepts, and substance in the work. Has this been explicitly forbidden?
2. AI is used to obtain better, concise, and fluent language. Has this been explicitly forbidden?

The two above-mentioned aspects are, naturally, intimately intertwined in text produced by AI tools. These issues must be considered when forbidding or limiting the use of AI in student work. No tool to detect the use of AI in text can separate these two issues.

If you suspect that AI has been used in text production contrary to the given instructions, you can assess a few aspects of the text:

• Unusual references in the text: AI can generate fictional references upon request for citations. It does not verify the existence of the source, making non-existent references a possibility.
• Outdated information: large language models may retrieve information from a database that only goes until a certain year and does not include the latest facts and literature. Therefore, AI-generated text can refer to debunked or old information as current.
• Writing style: Text produced by AI often tends to be fluent, error-free, and natural-sounding. If the text appears exceptionally flawless or remarkably professional, it may indicate the use of AI. Sentences tend to be short and concise, containing one idea at a time, typically in an active voice. They may have a short subordinate clause as well. The same idea is often repeated one or more times in the text. However, there are AI-based tools that strive to humanise AI-generated text.  
  You can test your assignments by asking AI to provide an answer and analyse the style of the text as a reference to detect misuse.
• Is the text logical? AI based on large language models may generate sentences that do not convey meaningful content or repeat the same information by varying the wording across different parts of the text.
• Depth of the content submitted: AI can produce content that is far more in-depth and advanced in complexity than the general level of the course. If a student submits work that is considerably above the level of the course with no relevant reasons, like the student’s work experience or prior knowledge, this might indicate the use of AI. 

If you conclude that the student has deliberately acted against the instructions, follow the guidelines for handling such violations.

Artificial intelligence in a learning task

Aalto University offers a chat-based AI tool called Aalto AI Assistant for teachers and students. Teachers are allowed to use this tool to handle content produced by students with certain limitations. Learn more about the usage and data privacy of Aalto AI Assistant. Follow the news about the development in AI in Aalto.

While many students may personally subscribe to external AI services, they should not be required to create a personal account in such an external service to complete a course or assignment. They should use Aalto AI Assistant when using generative AI as part of coursework. Students should also be reminded about data privacy; specifically, that feeding other students’ responses or anyone’s personal data into external systems or Aalto AI Assistant is not allowed. 

• Exploiting AI: Artificial intelligence can be used actively when generating task submissions. For example, students can learn how to refine text or incorporate AI-generated text as a natural part of text. In this type of task, it is advisable to ask students to describe how they have used AI in generating their answers and clearly indicate the AI-generated content. Another option is to ask students to review answers generated by artificial intelligence to enhance critical reflection skills.
• Citing AI:  The teacher may ask the student to cite sources and ensure the accuracy of the content and sources generated by AI. Citation guidelines for AI-generated content can be found in the
• Consider copyright issues: Read the details in the article Artificial intelligence and copyright.
• Narrow your focus: The teacher can provide a limited set of reference materials or a case example as a starting point for the student to generate their response. If the material is relatively recent and the task is designed such that it requires the student to justify their solution, the benefit of using artificial intelligence is usually quite small.
• Use non-textual elements: Ask students to interpret a graph or an image. Interpreting visual elements such as graphs or images is often much more challenging for artificial intelligence than interpreting text.
• Adapt your assignments: Teachers can also utilise AI to design better assignments. You can use AI to help brainstorm or test assignments. A good rule of thumb is to ensure that no assignment receives a maximum score by using AI alone. Ask AI to provide example answers and use them to improve your assignment by incorporating criteria that are more difficult for AI to meet. Testing your own assignment guidelines and descriptions with the Aalto AI Assistant service is allowed. AI-generated content can also be used so that students examine the quality of responses created by AI. Identify any deficiencies or potential errors in the AI-generated responses and consider how the quality of the response can be improved. Evaluating AI-generated content can help develop students' understanding of the capabilities and limitations of AI.  

Assessment and feedback

The development of large language models (such as Aalto AI Assistant and ChatGPT) has made us consider more carefully how to ensure academic integrity and foster good ethical practices in student assessment while simultaneously supporting their development as skilled users of technology. Successful assessment is best achieved when the teacher has sufficient knowledge of the student and can monitor the student's learning process. The following list summarises various options for formative and summative assessment. Additionally, the tips from the above section can be applied in assessment planning. 

• Experimentation in the field/laboratory/workshops: Like oral exams, experiments in authentic settings, such as laboratories, workshops and other work-related environments, allow students to demonstrate their knowledge and skills in a more unique manner. Depending on the situation, the use of artificial intelligence can be limited or restricted if needed.
• Learning diaries and reflection: Learning diaries and reflection are effective tools for formative assessment that promote deep learning and critical thinking. Assignments that require students to reflect on lecture content, integrate their learning with personal experiences and future plans, make the use of AI more challenging but not impossible.
• Project work: In project work and its various stages, using AI can be very beneficial (for example, to create illustrations, write summaries, or code prototypes), as it can help to focus on the core content of the course. It may be difficult to limit the use of AI in project-based work.
• Remote online exams: Online exams that can be completed flexibly from any location allow students to use all available resources. Monitoring and supervision can be challenging in this format. This form of examination is suitable for applied tasks and situations where there is no specific need to restrict the use of artificial intelligence. It is recommended to use the similarity checker Turnitin when collecting student work if applicable to the exam format.
• Monitored examination on campus: If the examination requires supervision or restricted use of additional materials, teachers can organise traditional pen-and-paper examinations on campus or conduct the examination electronically using the service. The Exam rooms on the campus are monitored by cameras. The use of external systems and resources in the Exam rooms is restricted, and the use of physical supplementary materials in the Exam rooms is not allowed.
• Monitored examination on a personal computer: Studentscan take a monitored exam on their own laptop using the Safe Exam Browser (SEB) software, which prevents access to unauthorised resources, including AI tools. Teachers should plan their SEB examination well in advance.
• Oral exam, presentation or discussion: Face-to-face assessment, either individually or in a group, allows the teacher to assess learning in a supervised setting using selected resources. In-person examinations allow the teacher to interview or ask clarifying questions to gain a more comprehensive view of student learning. 

• See also: Digital learning assessment and online examination | Aalto University 

Read also: Guidance for the use of artificial intelligence in teaching and learning at Aalto University and Tips for using artificial intelligence for students