Teaching & Learning
- The university also advises students to disclose relevant AI use in academic work, and warns that improper use in academic assignments may be treated as academic misconduct
- Course-level rules govern whether students may use generative AI in coursework, and teaching staff are expected to specify in each course where AI is allowed, where it is not, and under what conditions
At the beginning of each course, it is important for teaching staff to clearly define the role that generative artificial intelligence (GAI) may play in the subject: in which activities it is allowed, in which it is not, and under what conditions. This information should be included in the course guide (teaching plan or specific syllabus), so that students know from the first day what is expected of their behavior and how their work will be assessed regarding the use of GAI.
The use of GAI tools can be a great opportunity to enrich the learning process and improve the quality of academic work. To ensure transparency and properly acknowledge their contribution, it is advisable to always clearly declare their use when relevant, not just for review purposes.
Es importante que seas consciente de que el uso inadecuado de herramientas de IAG en tus trabajos académicos puede ser considerado como mala conducta académica, ya que puede implicar plagio o falta de autenticidad en el trabajo presentado. Antes de utilizar cualquier herramienta de IAG, asegúrate de conocer qué usos están permitidos.
- The university does not set a single institution-wide AI rule for exams and assessments in the provided sources
- Instead, it places responsibility on teaching staff to state in course documentation which assessment activities permit AI and under what conditions
At the beginning of each course, it is important for teaching staff to clearly define the role that generative artificial intelligence (GAI) may play in the subject: in which activities it is allowed, in which it is not, and under what conditions. This information should be included in the course guide (teaching plan or specific syllabus), so that students know from the first day what is expected of their behavior and how their work will be assessed regarding the use of GAI.
- The university permits AI to support learning and study, framing it as a way to enrich learning if used responsibly
- It gives examples such as idea generation, concept clarification, summarizing difficult texts, and improving writing, while emphasizing critical review and responsible use
The use of GAI tools can be a great opportunity to enrich the learning process and improve the quality of academic work.
Using GAI in a transparent and responsible manner demonstrates a commitment to academic integrity. Clearly presenting how the technology has been used reinforces trust in the student’s work and allows for a better assessment of their competencies. The goal is not to limit the use of these tools, but to promote conscious, ethical use aimed at personal and professional learning.
Ejemplos de usos aceptables de herramientas de IAG:
* Superar bloqueos mentales proponiendo nuevas ideas o enfoques.
* Obtener palabras clave adicionales para la búsqueda bibliográfica.
* Aclarar significados, generar perspectivas diferentes, recomendar estructuras o ideas.
* Reformular o resumir textos complejos para facilitar su comprensión.
* Mejorar la ortografía, la gramática o la estructura de un texto (sin copiar el resultado y evaluando siempre la validez de las sugerencias).
Research
- A department-specific master's policy goes further by requiring a post-references AI-use section and annexes documenting the chatbot used, prompts, responses, and verification steps
- For research work such as final projects, master's theses, and doctoral dissertations, the university recommends including an explanatory annex describing how AI was used and how outputs were checked
In the case of final degree projects (TFG), master’s theses (TFM), doctoral dissertations, or other research work, including an explanatory annex on the use of GAI is considered good practice. This annex can describe how the co-creation between the student and the tool was carried out, which part corresponds to each, and how the quality and reliability of the contributions were verified.
Después del apartado de referencias se deberá reportar este apartado según lo que proceda.
Declaración de uso de la IAG:
___ En la elaboración de este trabajo NO se ha utilizado ningún tipo de IAG.
___ En la elaboración de este trabajo se ha utilizado IAG. El tipo de IAG, y la forma concreta en cómo se ha utilizado se puede consultar en anexos.
En anexos:
Apartado del TFM
Chatbot utilizado (p. ej. CHATgpt, Copilot, Gemini, etc.)
Versión utilizada
Fecha en que se utilizó
Prompts utilizados
Respuesta ofrecida por la IAG
Verificaciones realizadas
(para asegurar la fiabilidad y validez de las respuestas)
Nuevos prompts empleados para mejorar la respuesta.
- The university allows AI use in research only under human supervision and with safeguards for privacy and security
- When privacy permits, it recommends sharing prompts, code snippets, or non-sensitive data for reproducibility, and it forbids entering personal, sensitive, confidential, or unpublished original content into AI tools unless data protection requirements and sufficient security guarantees are met
GAI, as a technology capable of generating new content, must always be used under human supervision and with proper training to ensure its critical, ethical, and responsible use, as well as compliance with current regulations.
Personal, sensitive, or confidential data, as well as unpublished original content, must not be entered into GAI tools unless data protection regulations (GDPR and LOPDGDD) are fully complied with and sufficient security guarantees are in place.
Whenever privacy conditions allow, it is good practice to share the prompts, code snippets, or non-sensitive data used in the process. This facilitates the replication of work and strengthens the open science culture at the University. When this is not possible, the reasons must be clearly explained.
- It also recommends consulting ethics committees when in doubt and places ultimate responsibility on the research team rather than the tool
- When research involves sensitive processes or may affect people, the university requires careful review of applicable ethical protocols and states that AI use must always involve real and continuous human supervision
When research involves sensitive processes or may affect people, it is essential to carefully review the applicable ethical protocols. The use of GAI in this context must always include real and continuous human supervision, and consulting ethics committees is advisable in case of doubt. The ultimate responsibility always lies with the research team, not with the tool used.
Academic Integrity
- The university recommends disclosing AI use whenever relevant, including the tool, purpose, stage of use, and how outputs were reviewed
- For student learning or research activities, teaching staff are told to review the student's declaration of use and request an annex; a master's program also requires a formal AI-use declaration and annexes for TFM submissions
To promote transparency and responsible use, it is recommended to always disclose any use of these tools when relevant, specifying the tool employed, its purpose, and the stage of the process in which it was applied.
When students use GAI in learning or research activities, teaching staff must review both the declaration of use and what exactly has been done with the tool (they should request an annex to the assignment specifying this information).
The use of GAI tools can be a great opportunity to enrich the learning process and improve the quality of academic work. To ensure transparency and properly acknowledge their contribution, it is advisable to always clearly declare their use when relevant, not just for review purposes. This explanation can include which tool was used, for what purpose, at which stage of the work it was applied, and how the results were reviewed or cross-checked.
Después del apartado de referencias se deberá reportar este apartado según lo que proceda.
Declaración de uso de la IAG:
___ En la elaboración de este trabajo NO se ha utilizado ningún tipo de IAG.
___ En la elaboración de este trabajo se ha utilizado IAG. El tipo de IAG, y la forma concreta en cómo se ha utilizado se puede consultar en anexos.
- The university states that improper AI use in academic work may be considered academic misconduct because it can involve plagiarism or lack of authenticity
- It also says plagiarism is detected using software and identifies Ouriginal, integrated into the Virtual Campus, as a university plagiarism-detection program
Es importante que seas consciente de que el uso inadecuado de herramientas de IAG en tus trabajos académicos puede ser considerado como mala conducta académica, ya que puede implicar plagio o falta de autenticidad en el trabajo presentado.
El plagio se detecta gracias a programas que informan sobre posibles plagios de textos, gráficos o datos. La Universidad de Barcelona dispone de uno de estos programas, Ouriginal, integrado en el Campus Virtual.
Institutional & Administrative
- Teaching staff are expected to set course AI rules, review student declarations and annexes, and maintain ongoing training in digital literacy, cybersecurity, and ethics
- For technical, administrative, and support staff, AI may be used to draft preliminary documents and streamline tasks, but it cannot be the sole source of official documents and final texts must be reviewed and validated by the responsible person; acknowledging AI assistance is also recommended for public-facing materials
At the beginning of each course, it is important for teaching staff to clearly define the role that generative artificial intelligence (GAI) may play in the subject: in which activities it is allowed, in which it is not, and under what conditions. This information should be included in the course guide (teaching plan or specific syllabus), so that students know from the first day what is expected of their behavior and how their work will be assessed regarding the use of GAI.
When students use GAI in learning or research activities, teaching staff must review both the declaration of use and what exactly has been done with the tool (they should request an annex to the assignment specifying this information). This review is not merely formal: it helps detect inconsistencies, verify the originality of the work, and guide students on good practices.
Teaching and research staff (PDI) play a key role in guiding students in the responsible use of GAI. For this reason, it is advisable to maintain ongoing training in digital literacy, cybersecurity, and ethical criteria.
GAI can be very useful for drafting preliminary documents, summarizing information, or streamlining administrative tasks, but it should never be the sole source of an official document nor replace the professional responsibility of the person who signs it. Final texts must be carefully reviewed and validated by the responsible individual before being submitted; they can never replace the knowledge and judgment of professionals at the University of Barcelona.
When a document, image, report, or other institutional material is created with the support of a GAI tool, it is advisable to acknowledge this, especially if the content is public or intended for dissemination.
- The university restricts AI use to verified or UB-hosted tools that meet its security standards, and says free and unverified platforms must never be used
- UB also identifies Copilot as the AI tool it provides, with institutional login used to protect data and prevent prompts from being stored for third-party content generation
- Unverified tools may be used only for properly justified teaching or research purposes, with a strict ban on entering personal data, institutional information, protected content, or other sensitive or unpublished material
Personal, sensitive, or confidential data, as well as unpublished original content, must not be entered into GAI tools unless data protection regulations (GDPR and LOPDGDD) are fully complied with and sufficient security guarantees are in place.
Only GAI tools that are verified or hosted on servers meeting the University of Barcelona’s security standards may be used; free and unverified platforms must never be used. Personal, identifiable, or sensitive data, as well as confidential institutional information, must not be entered.
Before using any GAI tool, it must be verified that it meets the security requirements established by the University of Barcelona.
Unverified tools by the University of Barcelona may only be used for properly justified teaching or research purposes, and personal data, institutional information, or protected content must never be entered. The use of these platforms must fully comply with the institution’s ethical and security standards.
Copilot es la herramienta de inteligencia artificial que facilita la Universidad de Barcelona. Es necesario iniciar sesión con la cuenta institucional (@ub.edu @alumnes.ub.edu). El hecho de identificarte garantiza protección para tus datos y evita que las preguntas que has planteado sean almacenadas y utilizadas para generar contenido para terceros.
- The university has established institution-wide best practices intended to serve as a common standard for responsible, safe, and ethical use of generative AI across learning, research, and management
- The framework applies to the whole university community and is grounded in external regulations and UB ethical guidance, with an emphasis on human supervision, integrity, privacy, digital security, and reducing digital, linguistic, and accessibility gaps
Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI) is impacting learning, research, and university management. Its use requires responsibility, judgment, and security from the entire university community—students, faculty, and technical, administrative, and service staff—and should contribute to reducing digital, linguistic, and accessibility gaps, ensuring fundamental rights and the proper functioning of the public university.
These best practices are inspired by UNESCO recommendations (2023); the European Artificial Intelligence Regulation, adopted in June 2024; and other international frameworks. Additionally, these best practices draw from the document Artificial Intelligence in Teaching: Involvement in Learning and Assessment Activities (2026) and the Code of Ethics for Integrity and Best Practices of the University of Barcelona (2024).
The aim is to establish a common institutional standard for the responsible, safe, and ethical use of GAI at the University of Barcelona. GAI, as a technology capable of generating new content, must always be used under human supervision and with proper training to ensure its critical, ethical, and responsible use, as well as compliance with current regulations.
This document seeks to preserve quality, originality, privacy, and digital security in all university activities (research, teaching, management, etc.).
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 University of Barcelona's AI Policies
University of Barcelona has defined AI policies in 11 of 12 categories, with an overall coverage score of 92%.
The university recommends disclosing AI use whenever relevant, including the tool, purpose, stage of use, and how outputs were reviewed. For student learning or research activities, teaching staff are told to review the student's declaration of use and request an annex; a master's program also requires a formal AI-use declaration and annexes for TFM submissions.
The university states that improper AI use in academic work may be considered academic misconduct because it can involve plagiarism or lack of authenticity. It also says plagiarism is detected using software and identifies Ouriginal, integrated into the Virtual Campus, as a university plagiarism-detection program.
The university restricts AI use to verified or UB-hosted tools that meet its security standards, and says free and unverified platforms must never be used. Unverified tools may be used only for properly justified teaching or research purposes, with a strict ban on entering personal data, institutional information, protected content, or other sensitive or unpublished material. UB also identifies Copilot as the AI tool it provides, with institutional login used to protect data and prevent prompts from being stored for third-party content generation.