Bard College Berlin AI Policy

4. Cheating: the attempt to deceive by gaining or providing unauthorized advantage or assistance in a College examination or assignment, including attempts to copy from other students in an examination, communicating answers with another student in an examination, the use of unauthorized materials or information and prepared answers in an examination, impersonation (taking an examination on behalf of another or having someone take an examination on one’s own behalf), and the submission of academic work acquired from another student, AI platforms, or via essay mills and other such commercial enterprises providing writing services

Bard College Berlin requests writing samples from applicants because we are interested in knowing how you engage with texts, develop your own analysis and arguments, and convey your thoughts on a particular topic or idea. Using generative AI undermines this process. The BCB Admissions Committee takes the time to read the writing in your application thoroughly - please take the time to reflect on the prompts in the application and write your own responses.

4. Cheating: the attempt to deceive by gaining or providing unauthorized advantage or assistance in a College examination or assignment, including attempts to copy from other students in an examination, communicating answers with another student in an examination, the use of unauthorized materials or information and prepared answers in an examination, impersonation (taking an examination on behalf of another or having someone take an examination on one’s own behalf), and the submission of academic work acquired from another student, AI platforms, or via essay mills and other such commercial enterprises providing writing services

Generative artificial intelligence is reshaping education and Bard College Berlin is working to address this growing influence through the AI Aware Universities project . Led by the Center for Information, Democracy, and Citizenship (CIDC) at the American University in Bulgaria , the initiative unites five European universities to examine AI’s impact on academia and establish informed guidelines for its use.

“The idea is to give students a chance to talk about how generative AI is being used in well-meaning ways. And then, to figure out how it can be ethically applied in our context,” explains Dr. Jeffrey Champlin , the coordinator of this project at BCB.

The discussion will focus on defining responsible AI use and drafting an updated AI policy for the student handbook. “The proposed policy is ultimately for the faculty to review. Our goal is to produce and propose something that is more nuanced than a blanket ban, and would likely include an appendix outlining acceptable uses of AI,” Champlin explained.

1. Plagiarism: The presentation of the work or words of another as one’s own, without appropriate attribution and/or citation, whether intentional or not. Plagiarism includes:

a. The attempt to pass off the work of others as one’s own

b. Presenting the exact words of others as one’s own

c. Presenting the exact words or paraphrasing borrowings from other sources without appropriate attribution and/or citation

2. Collusion: The collaboration by two or more students on an assignment without appropriate attribution or authorisation. Providing one’s own work to someone else to copy or copying work provided by another, whether wholly or in part, is collusion

3. Resubmission of one’s own work: The re-use of one’s own work (whether wholly or in part) for another assignment without appropriate attribution. Work that a student has published or completed outwith their study at the College must also be appropriately cited

If a student is in any way uncertain about what constitutes plagiarism or any of the above acts of academic misconduct, they should consult their academic advisors or course instructors.

Acts of academic misconduct, such as the following, will result in a disciplinary process and lead to outcomes:

4. Cheating: the attempt to deceive by gaining or providing unauthorized advantage or assistance in a College examination or assignment, including attempts to copy from other students in an examination, communicating answers with another student in an examination, the use of unauthorized materials or information and prepared answers in an examination, impersonation (taking an examination on behalf of another or having someone take an examination on one’s own behalf), and the submission of academic work acquired from another student, AI platforms, or via essay mills and other such commercial enterprises providing writing services

1. Incident Report

a. Any member of the Bard College Berlin community may submit a written report documenting a concern about a situation or student regarding an alleged violation of policy. Reports should be submitted electronically via the Academic Integrity Incident webpage. When possible, reports should be submitted within 30 days of the discovery of the alleged violation.

b. Faculty are required to submit an Academic Integrity Incident Report even if the matter is resolved by faculty themselves.

Outcomes:

1. Letter of Warning - A Letter of Warning is a written warning for a minor violation. A warning indicates that the offending behavior must cease and further violations may result in additional disciplinary measures.

2. F or Zero grade issued for the assignment.

3. F or Zero grade issued for the class.

4. An FX (Failure due to academic dishonesty) noted on the transcript.

The proposed policy is ultimately for the faculty to review. Our goal is to produce and propose something that is more nuanced than a blanket ban, and would likely include an appendix outlining acceptable uses of AI

In this workshop, we’ll think about the goals of coursework and grading and what ways, if any, they are different in light of advancements in AI. BCB faculty will give short presentations on their goals for assignments. Student-led groups will then develop an AI-aware assignment that reflects the shared values of the group on learning and assessment. We look forward to thinking about what an ethical use of AI would look like from both faculty and student sides.

Generative artificial intelligence is reshaping education and Bard College Berlin is working to address this growing influence through the AI Aware Universities project . Led by the Center for Information, Democracy, and Citizenship (CIDC) at the American University in Bulgaria , the initiative unites five European universities to examine AI’s impact on academia and establish informed guidelines for its use.

Through collaborative events and thoughtful discussions, the AI Aware Universities initiative at BCB is set to play a meaningful role in ensuring that upcoming technological advancements support—rather than undermine—academic integrity and intellectual curiosity.

Together with the American University of Bulgaria and other partners, this fall Bard College Berlin hosts the program AI Aware Universities: Empowering University Communities for The Ethical Use of AI. This series of lectures and student-led discussions aims to create a common playbook for developing a strategy for the ethical use of Generative AI in academic spaces.

The discussion will focus on defining responsible AI use and drafting an updated AI policy for the student handbook. “The proposed policy is ultimately for the faculty to review. Our goal is to produce and propose something that is more nuanced than a blanket ban, and would likely include an appendix outlining acceptable uses of AI,” Champlin explained.