Teaching & Learning
- Use of AI for coursework is at instructor and institutional discretion rather than uniformly permitted
- The academic integrity policy also treats unauthorized assistance and plagiarism in academic work as misconduct
- Students are told to use AI on assignments only if their school and professor allow it, must remain the primary author, and must be able to explain and verify their work
❏ My school and my professor allow the use of the AI tools I’m considering for
this assignment
❏ I clearly understand when and how I can use AI for this assignment
❏ I am using my own thoughts, words and tone of voice
❏ I have documented where and how I used AI and cited that use according to
my professor’s expectations
❏ I can explain my findings and demonstrate full understanding without the
aid of AI
If AI is
allowed
Writing assistance: Use AI at discrete parts of your writing process, for
example, to brainstorm or generate ideas, help you think about organization,
adjust your writing style to suit your audience and purpose, and to check
sentence clarity, grammar and citations. Always remain the primary author of
your work.
1. Cheating: Using or attempting to use unauthorized assistance, material, or study aids in
examinations or other academic work, or preventing or attempting to prevent another from using
authorized assistance, material, or study aids.
- The academic integrity policy treats collaboration on take-home exams, copying on exams, and using prohibited materials during examinations as violations
- AI-specific exam rules are not separately defined, but the university prohibits unauthorized assistance and prohibited materials in examinations and other academic work
1. Cheating: Using or attempting to use unauthorized assistance, material, or study aids in
examinations or other academic work, or preventing or attempting to prevent another from using
authorized assistance, material, or study aids.
Example: working together on a take-home exam or other individual
assignments, discussing an exam with a student who has yet to take it, giving tests or papers to
another student, etc.
2. Copying on any examination.
3. Acting to facilitate copying during an exam.
4. Using prohibited materials, (e.g., books, notes, or calculators, cell phones, PDA’s, etc. during an
examination.)
- This guidance is framed as educational support rather than a binding university-wide rule
- The university provides guidance that AI may be used for study support, such as tutoring, study notes, quizzes, concept explanation, and practice materials, as long as students critically evaluate the results
Study assistance: Use AI tools as a tutor partner; ask it to create study notes,
challenge you with quizzes and test your understanding. Make sure you
critically evaluate the accuracy of these materials as you study.
Research and information gathering: Ask AI to distill or explain complex
concepts in language you can understand. Always critically evaluate AI output
to ensure the information is credible and relevant. Read original sources to
verify facts and gain a deeper understanding.
» Turbolearn.ai (custom study tools, practice tests, flashcards)
» Caktus AI (study assistant)
» Wolfram Alpha (math learning assistant)
- No explicit code generation or programming-specific AI policy has been identified in the reviewed sources; however, the general student AI guide's principles — instructor permission required, student must remain the primary author, and must be able to explain and verify work — would apply by extension
not defined — no code-specific guidance was found in the reviewed sources.
Research
- No formal research writing or manuscript preparation AI policy has been identified in the reviewed sources
- The student AI guide's writing assistance guidance — use AI for brainstorming, organization, style adjustment, and grammar checks while remaining the primary author — may apply by extension to research writing contexts, but no dedicated research-specific policy was found
Writing assistance: Use AI at discrete parts of your writing process, for example, to brainstorm or generate ideas, help you think about organization, adjust your writing style to suit your audience and purpose, and to check sentence clarity, grammar and citations. Always remain the primary author of your work.
- This is presented as general guidance rather than a formal research policy
- The student AI guide says AI can be used for data analysis and visualization, but it requires users to verify the work and be able to explain and justify the results
Data analysis and visualization: Use AI to interpret and summarize data sets
and create data visualizations. Always verify the work and make sure you are
able to explain and justify the results.
Academic Integrity
- The guidance also says that submitting AI-generated content as one's own without significant modification and proper attribution is cheating
- Students are instructed to follow professor and institutional rules for acknowledging or citing AI use, and to disclose and document AI use according to faculty expectations
Acknowledgment and attribution: Follow your professors’
and your institution’s rules for acknowledging or citing AI
use. If you’re uncertain, ask about it. The APA and MLA both
provide guidelines for citing generative AI work.
❏ I have documented where and how I used AI and cited that use according to
my professor’s expectations
Submitting AI-generated content as one’s own work without significant modification and proper
attribution of sources is cheating. Be honest and open. Disclose AI use as required and be ready to
demonstrate your own understanding and skills.
Learn to use AI ethically. Ensure that the work you
submit is truly your own. Properly disclose and
cite how you use AI-generated content.
- Spelman has discussed and demonstrated AI-detection and plagiarism-detection tools in faculty workshop materials, including Turnitin, Copy Leaks, and Grammarly
- For enforcement, academic misconduct is subject to academic penalties and conduct sanctions, with reporting procedures and sanctions that can include a zero on the assignment, an F in the course, and other penalties depending on severity
a demonstration by Dan Bascelli on various plagiarism detection tools, such as Grammarly,
Copy Leaks, and Turnitin, comparing their functionalities, particularly in detecting AI-generated
content.
• Turnitin, Copy Leaks, and Grammarly were highlighted as key tools
• Dan Bascelli demonstrated Grammarly's features, including plagiarism and AI
detection
Academic misconduct is considered to be a violation of the behavior expected of a Spelman College
student in an academic setting as well as a student conduct violation. A student found responsible for
academic misconduct is therefore subject to appropriate academic penalty, as well as sanctions under
the Spelman College Student Code of Conduct.
after consulting with the Dean, the professor
will normally assign a penalty grade of zero on the assignment and the accompanying reduction in the
course grade.
A student who is found responsible for her first violation of the academic integrity policy will receive a
grade of “F” in the course in which the offense occurred.
Institutional & Administrative
- The university has faculty- and staff-facing AI workshop activity and institutional planning that supports AI use in pedagogy and administration
- It states that AI tools can help faculty assess comprehension and that its AI committee prioritizes accelerating faculty integration of AI, but it does not set a detailed binding policy for grading, feedback, or other specific faculty uses
We recently hosted an AI in Writing Workshop that was open to all Spelman College faculty and staff.
The Committee will oversee the development of an AI Center and a comprehensive AI Roadmap. Its core priorities are enhancing AI infrastructure, accelerating faculty integration of AI, and building robust AI literacy across the student body.
AI for Pedagogy and Administration: Responsibly integrating artificial intelligence. This includes implementing AI tools that can provide students with tailored tutoring support and help faculty quickly assess comprehension, allowing them to dedicate more time to high-impact, in-class engagement.
It will advance Spelman's infrastructure to deliver personalized, AI-enhanced learning experiences for students, streamline administrative work for faculty and staff, and position graduates to lead in an AI-driven global economy.
- Workshop materials note that Grammarly Premium is free for Spelman users
- No comprehensive university-wide approved-platform list was identified in the reviewed sources
- The student AI guide warns that information shared with AI tools is no longer private and directs users never to share sensitive, personal, or confidential information with AI systems, and never to use confidential, protected, or copyrighted information in AI-supported work
Data security and safety: Any information you share with an AI tool is no longer private and may be used in ways you can't control. Guard your data vigilantly – never share sensitive, personal or confidential information about yourself, others or your organization with AI systems.
❏ I have not used confidential, protected or copyrighted information
• Grammarly Premium offers extended features and is free for Spelman users
- Spelman has an explicit institutional AI governance and strategy agenda
- The college also states that it is reviewing and refining a comprehensive technology roadmap as part of its institutional AI journey
- The college established a board-level Advancing Artificial Intelligence Ad Hoc Committee, charged it with integrating AI across academic and operational functions, and assigned it oversight of an AI Center and a comprehensive AI Roadmap
Spelman College, a global leader in the education of women of African descent, today announced the formation of the Advancing Artificial Intelligence (AI) Ad Hoc Committee of the Board of Trustees. This high-level committee is charged with integrating AI across campus academic and operational functions to further advance the mission of the College, ensuring its graduates are prepared to lead in a rapidly evolving, technology-driven world.
The Committee will oversee the development of an AI Center and a comprehensive AI Roadmap. Its core priorities are enhancing AI infrastructure, accelerating faculty integration of AI, and building robust AI literacy across the student body.
Spelman College, a global leader in the education of women of African descent, today announced that it will review and refine its comprehensive technology roadmap in collaboration with Accenture. This initiative represents a critical first step in Spelman’s institutional AI journey and is a cornerstone of the College’s broader strategic plan.
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 Spelman College's AI Policies
Spelman College has defined AI policies in 11 of 12 categories, with an overall coverage score of 92%.
Students are instructed to follow professor and institutional rules for acknowledging or citing AI use, and to disclose and document AI use according to faculty expectations. The guidance also says that submitting AI-generated content as one's own without significant modification and proper attribution is cheating.
Spelman has discussed and demonstrated AI-detection and plagiarism-detection tools in faculty workshop materials, including Turnitin, Copy Leaks, and Grammarly. For enforcement, academic misconduct is subject to academic penalties and conduct sanctions, with reporting procedures and sanctions that can include a zero on the assignment, an F in the course, and other penalties depending on severity.
The student AI guide warns that information shared with AI tools is no longer private and directs users never to share sensitive, personal, or confidential information with AI systems, and never to use confidential, protected, or copyrighted information in AI-supported work. Workshop materials note that Grammarly Premium is free for Spelman users. No comprehensive university-wide approved-platform list was identified in the reviewed sources.