Teaching & Learning
- Smith College does not set a single college-wide rule for AI use in coursework
- AI use for assignments is at instructor discretion by course, and if a syllabus does not say otherwise, students are told to assume AI is not allowed
- The Academic Integrity Board also states that unless a course explicitly directs students to do so, students should not use generative AI to complete assignments or coursework
At Smith, there is no universal policy on the use of generative AI in the completion of coursework. The professor for each course determines whether and how students are allowed to use generative AI in a given course. Some faculty prohibit its use, while others allow students to use AI under certain circumstances. As a student, it is your responsibility to understand each of your course’s AI policies. To find out, first read the course syllabus carefully.
If there is no statement on the syllabus, you should assume that AI use is not allowed unless you learn otherwise from your professor. If you are unsure about whether and how AI use is allowed in a course, you should always ask the professor.
When considering the use of AI in academic integrity cases, the Academic Integrity Board focuses on whether and how a student used AI in direct preparation of a piece of coursework. Unless you are explicitly directed to do so in a course, you should not use generative AI to complete assignments, exams, or coursework of any kind.
- For exams and assessments, students are told not to use AI unless a course explicitly authorizes it
- Using AI to get an answer to an exam problem is treated as cheating, and the college also describes using unauthorized materials to find answers on an exam as cheating
When considering the use of AI in academic integrity cases, the Academic Integrity Board focuses on whether and how a student used AI in direct preparation of a piece of coursework. Unless you are explicitly directed to do so in a course, you should not use generative AI to complete assignments, exams, or coursework of any kind.
As another example, you should not use AI to find the answer to an exam problem. That is cheating.
Using unauthorized materials to find answers for an exam.
- However, students are encouraged to check with the professor, and they should stop and ask if AI is substituting for the thinking work they are expected to do
- Smith states that students may use AI for learning support in some cases, such as generating quiz questions, alternative explanations, or study aids, and that this is not necessarily an academic integrity violation
Some students have reported using AI to help them learn the material of a course. For example, we have heard about students using AI to generate quiz questions to learn materials and to produce alternative explanations of concepts. Using AI to help clarify concepts and produce study aids is not necessarily a violation of the Academic Integrity Statement. Still, we encourage you to be in touch with your professor if you are unsure about whether the way you are using AI in a course is allowed.
Any time you are using AI in a way that is substituting for the “thinking work” that you should be doing for a course, you should stop and check with your professor about how you are using AI.
Students are using generative AI as learners in many ways. They use AI as a study partner, generating quiz questions or alternative explanations of concepts.
- Smith College has no separate policy for AI use in code generation or programming assignments
- No discipline-specific coding or programming guidance was identified in the available sources
- The general course-level rule applies: faculty decide whether and how students may use generative AI in a given course, and students must assume AI is not allowed if the syllabus is silent
At Smith, there is no universal policy on the use of generative AI in the completion of coursework. The professor for each course determines whether and how students are allowed to use generative AI in a given course.
If there is no statement on the syllabus, you should assume that AI use is not allowed unless you learn otherwise from your professor.
Note: No separate code-generation or programming-specific AI policy was identified in the available Smith sources.
Research
- The provided research misconduct policy does not mention AI tools specifically, but it does define fabrication and falsification in research records
- It states that making up data or results, or manipulating or omitting data or results so that research is inaccurately represented, falls within research misconduct standards
Fabrication. Fabrication means making up data or results and recording or reporting them.
Falsification. Falsification means manipulating research materials, equipment, or processes, or changing or omitting data or results such that the research is not accurately represented in the research record.
- Smith's research misconduct policy does not address AI specifically in grants, IRB materials, or ethics declarations
- It does define research misconduct standards that apply to research more broadly, including plagiarism, fabrication, falsification, and reckless conduct in proposing, performing, reviewing, or reporting research
Plagiarism. Plagiarism means the appropriation of another person’s ideas, processes, results, or words, without giving appropriate credit.
Fabrication. Fabrication means making up data or results and recording or reporting them.
Falsification. Falsification means manipulating research materials, equipment, or processes, or changing or omitting data or results such that the research is not accurately represented in the research record.
Recklessly. To act recklessly means to propose, perform, or review research, or report research results, with indifference to a known risk of fabrication, falsification, or plagiarism.
Academic Integrity
- Smith requires students to follow course-specific AI rules and makes proper citation part of acceptable AI use
- The Academic Integrity Board states that using AI-generated content without professor permission and proper citation is plagiarism
It also happens when one uses content generated by AI (e.g., ChatGPT) without permission from the professor and proper citation.
As a student, it is your responsibility to understand each of your course’s AI policies.
If you are unsure about whether and how AI use is allowed in a course, you should always ask the professor.
- AI misuse can be treated as plagiarism or cheating under the Board's examples
- Smith enforces AI-related misconduct through its Academic Integrity Board, focusing on how AI was used in preparing coursework
- The sources provided do not establish a formal university rule authorizing AI detection software; the faculty page only points readers to outside readings about the limits and cautions of AI-detecting software
When considering the use of AI in academic integrity cases, the Academic Integrity Board focuses on whether and how a student used AI in direct preparation of a piece of coursework.
For example, you should not use generative AI (e.g., ChatGPT) to generate text that you insert into your own paper and pass off as your own words. That is plagiarism.
As another example, you should not use AI to find the answer to an exam problem. That is cheating.
### AI Detecting Software: Limits & Cautions
Institutional & Administrative
- Smith provides faculty access to the Campus GenAI platform and describes it as usable for teaching and research
- The provided materials do not state rules for faculty use of AI in grading, recommendation letters, or administrative communications
- Faculty are encouraged to set explicit syllabus and assignment rules about student AI use, and the sources emphasize faculty judgment about what to allow in a course
The Campus GenAI Platform beta is currently available to Smith Faculty by submitting a request for Course Support or writing to ithelp@smith.edu.
Request Access to the Smith Campus GenAI Platform. Please submit a help request and provide a brief description of the ways you plan to use the tool (including for teaching, or research).
Faculty play an important role in helping students to maintain their academic integrity. The most important thing you can do is to make your expectations and course policies clear on your course’s syllabus.
Be sure that you state exactly whether and how students are allowed to use this technology in your course.
As a faculty member, the AIB encourages you to learn about the ways that students use generative AI and make decisions about what you will allow in a given course.
- The provided sources do not contain a detailed college data-classification rule for what information may or may not be entered into AI tools
- Access is controlled: faculty may request it, while students cannot request personal access and only receive access through a course or a faculty-supervised research project
- Smith identifies an institutionally supported AI platform, Smith Campus GenAI, and states that it is hosted in partnership with UMass Amherst and uses Massachusetts Green High Performance Computing Center infrastructure
The Smith Campus GenAI platform is an intuitive and user-friendly platform hosted in partnership with UMass Amherst and utilizing the security and sustainability infrastructure at the Massachusetts Green High Performance Computing Center (MGHPCC ).
This platform provides access to major generative AI models, including OpenAI (ChatGPT), Anthropic (Claude), Meta (Llama), Mistral, and can be used as a prototyping platform for AI agents or assistants.
The Campus GenAI Platform beta is currently available to Smith Faculty by submitting a request for Course Support or writing to ithelp@smith.edu.
Students currently cannot request access for personal use, but are provided access based on participation in a course where the instructor has requested access for students or a research project supervised by a Smith faculty member.
Campus GenAI Platform Privacy Policy
- The available materials are operational and instructional rather than a formal governance policy
- However, the sources do not state a formal university-wide AI governance framework, central AI committee, or published institutional roadmap
- The provided sources show that Smith has an institutional AI offering through ITS and offers faculty support and workshops around teaching with generative AI
The Campus GenAI Platform beta is currently available to Smith Faculty by submitting a request for Course Support or writing to ithelp@smith.edu.
Getting Started with GenAI Faculty Workshop (Smith login required, 43m). Recorded workshop session to introduce faculty to using generative AI for teaching and an overview of the Campus GenAI platform.
The Smith Campus GenAI platform provides access to major generative AI models, including OpenAI (ChatGPT), Anthropic (Claude), Meta (Llama), Mistral, and can be used as a prototyping platform for AI agents or assistants.
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 Smith College's AI Policies
Smith College has defined AI policies in 11 of 12 categories, with an overall coverage score of 92%.
Smith requires students to follow course-specific AI rules and makes proper citation part of acceptable AI use. The Academic Integrity Board states that using AI-generated content without professor permission and proper citation is plagiarism.
Smith enforces AI-related misconduct through its Academic Integrity Board, focusing on how AI was used in preparing coursework. The sources provided do not establish a formal university rule authorizing AI detection software; the faculty page only points readers to outside readings about the limits and cautions of AI-detecting software. AI misuse can be treated as plagiarism or cheating under the Board's examples.
Smith identifies an institutionally supported AI platform, Smith Campus GenAI, and states that it is hosted in partnership with UMass Amherst and uses Massachusetts Green High Performance Computing Center infrastructure. Access is controlled: faculty may request it, while students cannot request personal access and only receive access through a course or a faculty-supervised research project. The provided sources do not contain a detailed college data-classification rule for what information may or may not be entered into AI tools.