Teaching & Learning
- Montclair State University places use of generative AI in coursework and assignments at instructor discretion
- Faculty are directed to set a course AI policy and communicate whether AI use is allowed, restricted, or prohibited for specific assignments
Because AI policies can vary according to the field of study and by assignments and learning goals, individual faculty members should define and communicate a clear AI policy for their classes. Students are then expected to abide by the AI course policy. Instructors may choose to permit some uses of AI in all or some assignments and learning activities. Similarly, instructors may prohibit all use, some use, or use in all but some assignments.
Instructors should be clear about what the policy is for using AI in the course and in each assignment. Is AI use: not allowed under any circumstances in the course / assignment? Allowed under certain circumstances in the course / assignment? Perhaps for some assignments but not for others? Perhaps only for some stages of an assignment and not for others?
- Montclair State University does not set a single university-wide rule in the provided sources for AI use during exams and assessments
- Instead, faculty are advised to specify in their course and assignment policies whether AI is allowed or prohibited, including for particular assessment contexts
Because AI policies can vary according to the field of study and by assignments and learning goals, individual faculty members should define and communicate a clear AI policy for their classes. Students are then expected to abide by the AI course policy. Instructors may choose to permit some uses of AI in all or some assignments and learning activities. Similarly, instructors may prohibit all use, some use, or use in all but some assignments.
Instructors should be clear about what the policy is for using AI in the course and in each assignment. Is AI use: not allowed under any circumstances in the course / assignment? Allowed under certain circumstances in the course / assignment? Perhaps for some assignments but not for others? Perhaps only for some stages of an assignment and not for others?
- Use of AI for study support and learning assistance is not governed by a single uniform university rule in the provided sources
- Faculty are encouraged to decide and communicate whether AI may be used in their courses and assignments, which can include allowing some uses while prohibiting others
Because AI policies can vary according to the field of study and by assignments and learning goals, individual faculty members should define and communicate a clear AI policy for their classes. Students are then expected to abide by the AI course policy. Instructors may choose to permit some uses of AI in all or some assignments and learning activities. Similarly, instructors may prohibit all use, some use, or use in all but some assignments.
Instructors should be clear about what the policy is for using AI in the course and in each assignment. Is AI use: not allowed under any circumstances in the course / assignment? Allowed under certain circumstances in the course / assignment? Perhaps for some assignments but not for others? Perhaps only for some stages of an assignment and not for others?
Research
- Authors are instructed to disclose AI use in the manuscript according to publisher requirements and to verify all AI-generated output themselves
- For research writing, Montclair State University allows limited AI use for language and readability support, but the author remains responsible for the content and must not list AI as an author
Researchers can use Generative AI tools for “improving readability and language” and “for editing and drafting” with the same level of accountability and transparency expected from using any text editing or generation tools.
Generative AI cannot be named as an author of a paper because it cannot be accountable for the submitted work, manage copyright and licensing agreements, or affirm the presence or absence of conflicts of interest.
Authors should disclose in the manuscript the use of AI and AI-assisted technologies according to the requirements of the specific publisher/journal.
Researchers should be aware that they are fully responsible and accountable for the content of the final manuscript, and they should carefully check and verify all output generated by generative AI tools. They should cite all output generated by ChatGPT and any other generative AI tools, in line with accepted norms and practices in their discipline.
- Montclair State University permits AI use in research workflows only with caution around data privacy and confidentiality
- Researchers are told not to upload unpublished or sensitive research data to public AI tools unless they have an approved enterprise arrangement, and human researchers remain responsible for verifying AI outputs
One potential use of AI in research is data analysis. However, if the data are unpublished and are uploaded to a public AI chatbox, there is a danger that the confidentiality and integrity of the data can be compromised.
Researchers should not enter unpublished, proprietary, or confidential information or details of a manuscript or grant proposal into a public AI chatbot, such as the publicly available versions of ChatGPT and Bard, because these tools may use your information to train future models. This means that any information entered into the AI tool may become available to others and may violate data or privacy agreements.
Researchers should use institutionally licensed enterprise chatbots, if/when they become available. The University is exploring enterprise solutions. Approved enterprise chatbots may limit providers’ rights to use your data to train future models.
Researchers should be aware that they are fully responsible and accountable for the content of the final manuscript, and they should carefully check and verify all output generated by generative AI tools.
- Researchers must confirm compliance with sponsor and publisher rules before using AI
- Montclair State University requires researchers to avoid entering confidential research materials, grant proposals, manuscripts, or identifiable human-subject data into public AI tools
- Research misconduct policy also bars fabrication, falsification, and plagiarism in proposing, performing, reviewing, or reporting research, which applies to AI-assisted research activity
Researchers should not enter unpublished, proprietary, or confidential information or details of a manuscript or grant proposal into a public AI chatbot, such as the publicly available versions of ChatGPT and Bard, because these tools may use your information to train future models. This means that any information entered into the AI tool may become available to others and may violate data or privacy agreements.
Researchers should not enter human subjects’ identifiable private information or protected health information into public AI chatbots.
Researchers should read and understand the terms of use of generative AI tools and ensure their use complies with sponsors’, funders’, and publishers’ policies.
Research misconduct means fabrication, falsification, or plagiarism in proposing, performing, or reviewing research, or in reporting research results.
Academic Integrity
- Montclair State University requires transparency about AI use when faculty permit it
- Students are told they may need to disclose how AI was used and cite it in coursework if required by the instructor, while researchers are told to disclose AI use in manuscripts and cite AI-generated output according to disciplinary norms and publisher rules
If AI use is allowed/required, students should know: when they should disclose AI use and how they should cite AI generated content in their work.
Cite OpenAI’s chatGPT as the source of the AI generated content (either as text or image) in your paper, presentation, or project. Cite only the outputs generated by an AI source and used in your work – not your own prompts or inputs.
Authors should disclose in the manuscript the use of AI and AI-assisted technologies according to the requirements of the specific publisher/journal.
They should cite all output generated by ChatGPT and any other generative AI tools, in line with accepted norms and practices in their discipline.
- Montclair State University disabled Turnitin's AI writing detection and indicates the tool should not be used to determine whether students used AI
- Enforcement instead depends on existing academic integrity and student conduct processes, under which unauthorized help, plagiarism, falsification, and related misconduct are prohibited
The AI writing detection feature is no longer available to faculty in Canvas. OIT disabled this feature in Canvas in response to the Provost’s recommendation.
The recommendation from the Provost is not to use AI detection as evidence that students have used AI to write their assignments.
Cheating is defined as, but not limited to, the use or attempted use of dishonest, fraudulent, unauthorized assistance, or unauthorized collaboration in any academic exercise.
Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to:
A. The attempt to represent the work of another, as one’s own original work, through the failure to appropriately acknowledge the source of the work.
B. The attempt to represent another individual’s or entity’s ideas, words, data or work as one’s own.
C. The use of another individual or entity’s words, ideas, or data in any academic exercise without appropriate documentation, citation, or acknowledgement.
Misleading records or falsification include, but are not limited to, the following:
A. Knowingly furnishing false information or reporting a false emergency to any University official, office, or hearing body.
Institutional & Administrative
- Montclair State University instructs faculty to create and communicate course AI policies, including disclosure and citation expectations for students
- The provided sources do not establish a detailed university-wide rule for faculty use of AI in grading, recommendation letters, or administrative communication, but they do give research-related guidance and caution faculty against relying on AI-detection tools for student enforcement
Because AI policies can vary according to the field of study and by assignments and learning goals, individual faculty members should define and communicate a clear AI policy for their classes.
If AI use is allowed/required, students should know: when they should disclose AI use and how they should cite AI generated content in their work.
The recommendation from the Provost is not to use AI detection as evidence that students have used AI to write their assignments.
Researchers can use Generative AI tools for “improving readability and language” and “for editing and drafting” with the same level of accountability and transparency expected from using any text editing or generation tools.
- Montclair State University prohibits entering confidential, proprietary, unpublished, or identifiable human-subject information into public AI systems
- The university distinguishes data handling by classification level, requires protection of personally identifiable information, and recommends using institutionally licensed enterprise chatbots when available because public tools may reuse submitted data for model training
Researchers should not enter unpublished, proprietary, or confidential information or details of a manuscript or grant proposal into a public AI chatbot, such as the publicly available versions of ChatGPT and Bard, because these tools may use your information to train future models. This means that any information entered into the AI tool may become available to others and may violate data or privacy agreements.
Researchers should not enter human subjects’ identifiable private information or protected health information into public AI chatbots.
Researchers should use institutionally licensed enterprise chatbots, if/when they become available. The University is exploring enterprise solutions. Approved enterprise chatbots may limit providers’ rights to use your data to train future models.
Personally Identifiable Information (PII) is any information that can be used to distinguish or trace an individual's identity either directly or indirectly through linkages with other information.
Montclair State University classifies University information into one of three classifications, Sensitive, Controlled, and Public.
Sensitive information is all information that has legal, regulatory or contractual restrictions placed on it due to the risk that could result from unauthorized disclosure, alteration or destruction of the data.
- Montclair State University has a formal AI governance structure through a university AI Working Group and multiple committees and subcommittees
- These bodies are charged with developing AI policies, curricular planning, opportunity identification, and AI website/database resources, indicating an institution-level strategy for AI adoption and oversight
The AI Policies Committee explores and develops policies for the use of artificial intelligence in teaching, learning, research and service.
The AI Curricular Development Committee explores and develops plans for integrating artificial intelligence into the curriculum.
The AI Opportunities Committee explores the opportunities and risks of using artificial intelligence in higher education, for our students, faculty and staff.
The AI Website and Database Development Subcommittee develops and maintains the AI website and database resources for the University community.
DocuMark: Responsible AI Use for Academic Integrity
Knowing your institution's AI policy is step one. DocuMark helps enforce it fairly by empowering universities to manage AI-generated content, prevent cheating, and support student writing through responsible AI use.
Common Questions About Montclair State University's AI Policies
Montclair State University has defined AI policies in 11 of 12 categories, with an overall coverage score of 92%.
Montclair State University requires transparency about AI use when faculty permit it. Students are told they may need to disclose how AI was used and cite it in coursework if required by the instructor, while researchers are told to disclose AI use in manuscripts and cite AI-generated output according to disciplinary norms and publisher rules.
Montclair State University disabled Turnitin's AI writing detection and indicates the tool should not be used to determine whether students used AI. Enforcement instead depends on existing academic integrity and student conduct processes, under which unauthorized help, plagiarism, falsification, and related misconduct are prohibited.
Montclair State University prohibits entering confidential, proprietary, unpublished, or identifiable human-subject information into public AI systems. The university distinguishes data handling by classification level, requires protection of personally identifiable information, and recommends using institutionally licensed enterprise chatbots when available because public tools may reuse submitted data for model training.