Teaching & Learning
- Use of AI in graded coursework is at instructor discretion
- Students are told to follow the rules in each course syllabus and ask the instructor when expectations are unclear; using AI outside those directions can be treated as academic misconduct
The acceptable use of AI in the classroom can vary significantly depending on the educational context and the goals of the learning activities.
How and when you can use AI in your classes depends on your instructors and the instructions outlined in your class syllabus.
In all classes, it's essential to be transparent and use AI in alignment with your instructors' expectations.
When in doubt, ask your instructor.
Using AI when the instructor specifically prohibits it or using AI in a way not authorized by the instructor may be considered a violation of NIU's Academic Misconduct policy.
- If an instructor prohibits AI for an exam or assessment, using it may be treated as academic misconduct
- Use of AI during exams and assessments is not governed by a single university-wide permission rule in the cited AI guidance; it depends on instructor directions and syllabus rules
How and when you can use AI in your classes depends on your instructors and the instructions outlined in your class syllabus.
Using AI when the instructor specifically prohibits it or using AI in a way not authorized by the instructor may be considered a violation of NIU's Academic Misconduct policy.
- NIU permits and encourages students to use AI as a learning support tool for brainstorming, tutoring, explanations, practice, and revision help
- The guidance also tells students to verify AI outputs, avoid overreliance, and use the tools as support rather than as a replacement for their own learning
Students can use AI as a personal assistant to aid in their learning and support them in developing a variety of skills.
Students can use AI tools to boost productivity, deepen understanding and support their educational success. They can assist with a wide range of tasks, including explaining concepts, answering questions, organizing ideas, providing writing feedback and much more.
Treat AI as a tutor, not a replacement. Use AI to support your learning, not do your work for you. The more you actively engage with the material yourself, the more meaningful and lasting your learning will be.
Verify AI outputs. AI can make mistakes or present false information confidently. Fact-check against your course materials or trusted sources before using any content.
Avoid overreliance. Relying too heavily on AI can limit your ability to develop key academic and critical thinking skills.
- NIU does not set a single university-wide rule specifically permitting or prohibiting AI code generation for programming assignments
- The student guidance indicates that acceptable AI use in classes varies by educational context and instructor expectations, so coding use is governed by course-level rules
The acceptable use of AI in the classroom can vary significantly depending on the educational context and the goals of the learning activities.
How and when you can use AI in your classes depends on your instructors and the instructions outlined in your class syllabus.
When in doubt, ask your instructor.
Research
- AI may be used in research writing only within strict limits
- Students and researchers must not list AI as an author, must document and disclose any AI use, remain fully responsible for the accuracy and originality of the work, and should check publisher requirements before using AI in manuscripts
Do not list AI as an author. Current academic standards do not recognize AI tools as authors on papers or presentations.
Any use of generative AI in your research process should be clearly documented and disclosed when appropriate.
Using AI-generated text in a paper or proposal without proper attribution may be considered plagiarism, even if the content is modified.
You are ultimately accountable for all content in your work, even if it was generated or revised with AI.
Many journals, publishers and professional organizations have specific guidelines on AI use in manuscripts and peer review. Before using AI in research intended for publication, be sure to review the relevant authorship, disclosure and submission policies.
- Confidential, proprietary, or regulated data must not be entered into public AI tools without approval, and human researchers remain responsible for validating analysis and results
- NIU allows AI to support parts of the research process such as idea generation, summarizing literature, or exploring methods, but researchers must verify outputs and protect sensitive data
Students can use AI to support parts of the research process, but its use must be thoughtful, responsible and aligned with academic and ethical standards.
AI can help brainstorm research topics, summarize articles, explain methods, improve writing and identify patterns in data. However, it also comes with risks related to accuracy, bias, authorship and data privacy.
Verify all outputs. AI can produce incorrect, outdated or biased information. Never rely on AI-generated content, citations, summaries or analyses without carefully reviewing and validating them.
Protect sensitive data. Do not upload confidential, proprietary or personally identifiable information into public AI tools unless you have explicit permission and know the tool complies with relevant privacy and data policies.
Researchers are expected to maintain accurate records of methods, data and decision-making processes. Failure to do so or the falsification, fabrication or plagiarism of research results are all examples of research misconduct.
- NIU requires AI use in research to comply with research integrity expectations
- Researchers must document and disclose AI use when appropriate, verify outputs, protect sensitive information, and remain accountable for the final work; misconduct standards still apply to fabrication, falsification, and plagiarism regardless of whether AI is involved
Any use of generative AI in your research process should be clearly documented and disclosed when appropriate.
You are ultimately accountable for all content in your work, even if it was generated or revised with AI.
Verify all outputs. AI can produce incorrect, outdated or biased information. Never rely on AI-generated content, citations, summaries or analyses without carefully reviewing and validating them.
Protect sensitive data. Do not upload confidential, proprietary or personally identifiable information into public AI tools unless you have explicit permission and know the tool complies with relevant privacy and data policies.
Research misconduct means fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, and other practices that seriously deviate from those that are commonly accepted within the academic community for proposing, conducting, or reporting research.
Academic Integrity
- NIU requires transparency about AI use when course or research expectations call for it
- Students must follow syllabus and instructor requirements, disclose AI use in research when appropriate, and use proper attribution because submitting AI-generated material without attribution may be treated as plagiarism
In all classes, it's essential to be transparent and use AI in alignment with your instructors' expectations.
Using AI-generated content in your academic work without proper acknowledgment may be considered a form of academic misconduct.
Any use of generative AI in your research process should be clearly documented and disclosed when appropriate.
Using AI-generated text in a paper or proposal without proper attribution may be considered plagiarism, even if the content is modified.
- NIU states that unauthorized AI use can be handled under its academic misconduct rules, but it does not define a specific AI-detection-tool policy in the cited materials
- The guidance emphasizes that AI-detection tools are unreliable and should not be treated as proof on their own; instructors should rely on process-based evidence and established misconduct procedures
Using AI when the instructor specifically prohibits it or using AI in a way not authorized by the instructor may be considered a violation of NIU's Academic Misconduct policy.
However, current AI detection tools are not fully accurate and may produce false positives. They should not be used in isolation to determine misconduct.
Concerns about inappropriate AI use should be approached through a broader process that includes communication, evidence and existing institutional procedures.
Strategies such as reviewing drafts, comparing writing samples, or asking students to explain their thinking are often more effective than relying solely on detection software.
Institutional & Administrative
- NIU permits faculty and staff to use AI in teaching and administrative work, but expects thoughtful human oversight and transparency
- Instructors are encouraged to set clear course policies, review AI outputs, avoid entering sensitive data into public tools, and use personal judgment rather than relying on AI alone for feedback, grading support, or communications
Faculty are encouraged to consider how AI tools may be used in ways that support student learning while maintaining academic integrity and clarity around course expectations.
Include a clear statement in your syllabus about whether and how students may use AI tools in your course.
If you use AI to support teaching tasks such as generating quiz questions, summarizing readings, creating rubrics or drafting feedback, carefully review the output for accuracy, bias and appropriateness.
Do not upload sensitive student information, unpublished research or other confidential institutional data into public AI tools unless approved by the university.
When using AI to support communication or administrative tasks, human review is essential. Staff and faculty are responsible for ensuring that messages, recommendations and decisions are accurate, appropriate and aligned with university values and policies.
- NIU restricts what university-related information may be entered into AI systems and directs users toward institutionally supported tools
- Public AI tools should not receive confidential, proprietary, personally identifiable, or other sensitive university data unless approved and compliant, while Microsoft Copilot is presented as a university-supported option with enterprise protections
Do not upload confidential, proprietary or personally identifiable information into public AI tools unless you have explicit permission and know the tool complies with relevant privacy and data policies.
Do not upload sensitive student information, unpublished research or other confidential institutional data into public AI tools unless approved by the university.
NIU has licensed Microsoft Copilot for the university community.
Copilot offers enterprise data protection, which means prompts and responses are not used to train the public model and remain within NIU's licensed environment when accessed with your university account.
- NIU has an institution-wide AI strategy centered on coordinated adoption, ethics, and governance
- The university identifies a formal AI Task Force, publishes ethical guidelines and guiding principles, and describes AI as a strategic initiative intended to support teaching, research, operations, and future planning across the institution
Northern Illinois University is committed to exploring and using artificial intelligence in ways that are ethical, inclusive, transparent and aligned with our mission.
The AI Task Force was formed to help guide NIU's approach to artificial intelligence across teaching, learning, research and operations.
These ethical guidelines are intended to support thoughtful, responsible and human-centered use of AI at NIU.
Our work with AI is guided by principles of innovation, integrity, equity, privacy and accountability.
NIU is building a coordinated approach to AI that supports our university community now while preparing for future opportunities and challenges.
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 Northern Illinois University's AI Policies
Northern Illinois University has defined AI policies in 12 of 12 categories, with an overall coverage score of 100%.
NIU requires transparency about AI use when course or research expectations call for it. Students must follow syllabus and instructor requirements, disclose AI use in research when appropriate, and use proper attribution because submitting AI-generated material without attribution may be treated as plagiarism.
NIU states that unauthorized AI use can be handled under its academic misconduct rules, but it does not define a specific AI-detection-tool policy in the cited materials. The guidance emphasizes that AI-detection tools are unreliable and should not be treated as proof on their own; instructors should rely on process-based evidence and established misconduct procedures.
NIU restricts what university-related information may be entered into AI systems and directs users toward institutionally supported tools. Public AI tools should not receive confidential, proprietary, personally identifiable, or other sensitive university data unless approved and compliant, while Microsoft Copilot is presented as a university-supported option with enterprise protections.