Teaching & Learning
- Use of AI in graded coursework is not uniformly permitted or prohibited across the university
- Students may use AI only when it is explicitly allowed in the assignment brief or module guidance, and if AI use is not permitted then submitting AI-generated material as one’s own work is treated as academic misconduct
You should only use AI in your assignments if your module leader allows it and this is clearly outlined in your assignment brief. If you use AI in your assignments when your module leader has not allowed it, you may be accused of academic misconduct.
Using AI tools to paraphrase or generate text and submitting this as your own work without prior permission from your Module Leader, and acknowledgement in line with expectations set out in your module guide, may be regarded as academic misconduct.
You can use Grammarly to review and improve your own work, however, you should not use any functionality which rewrites your work and changes the meaning of your original text.
Students are expected to submit work for assessment that is their own and where they have used Artificial Intelligence (AI) software in the development of this work, this should be clearly cited and acknowledged in line with module guidance.
- For assessments generally, students must submit their own work and any AI use must be cited according to module guidance
- The sources provided do not state a distinct university-wide rule specifically addressing AI use during exams, quizzes, or proctored tests beyond the general assessment integrity requirements
Students are expected to submit work for assessment that is their own and where they have used Artificial Intelligence (AI) software in the development of this work, this should be clearly cited and acknowledged in line with module guidance.
You should only use AI in your assignments if your module leader allows it and this is clearly outlined in your assignment brief.
- It also warns students to verify outputs because AI can produce inaccurate or fabricated information
- The university permits students to use AI tools to support personal learning, such as explaining concepts, generating study questions, and checking understanding
Students can use AI tools as another way to support their learning. Students should always consider the reliability and quality of AI generated information and use and cite it responsibly and with academic integrity.
AI can support your studies and help with everyday tasks such as:
• Explaining difficult concepts in another way
• Generating examples or quiz questions to help you revise
• Summarising notes or articles to support your understanding of the topic
• Giving instant answers and feedback to support your understanding of a topic
As AI can make mistakes and create fake information, you should always check AI generated information with other reliable sources.
- The provided sources do not define a specific policy on using AI for code generation, debugging, or programming assignments
- General assignment rules still apply where AI use must be permitted by the module leader and acknowledged according to module guidance
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Research
- The provided sources do not define a specific university policy on using AI to draft, edit, or improve research papers, theses, dissertations, or manuscripts
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- The provided sources do not define a specific university policy on using AI for research data collection, analysis, synthetic data generation, or interpretation of results
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- The university’s research governance materials emphasize ethics, integrity, and the need for ethics approval before research begins, but the provided sources do not define a specific AI-related rule for grant proposals, ethics applications, or research integrity declarations
All research projects involving human participants, personal data and/or human tissue conducted by University of Hertfordshire students and staff must be reviewed and approved by the relevant University ethics committee before the project starts.
The University is committed to developing and maintaining a culture of research integrity and high ethical standards in all research undertaken at, or in partnership with, the University.
Academic Integrity
- The university also directs students to cite AI outputs using the University of Hertfordshire Harvard referencing guidance
- Disclosure of AI use is required when AI has been used in assessed work, and students must acknowledge and cite that use in line with module guidance
Students are expected to submit work for assessment that is their own and where they have used Artificial Intelligence (AI) software in the development of this work, this should be clearly cited and acknowledged in line with module guidance.
If you use AI generated information in your studies and assessments, you should always make it clear what tools you used and what information was generated. This is called acknowledging your use of AI.
The University's referencing guidance has been updated to include guidance on how to cite and reference AI generated information using University of Hertfordshire Harvard referencing.
- Undisclosed or unauthorized AI use in assessed work may be treated as academic misconduct
- The university states that Turnitin can help identify AI-generated text but also says it cannot definitively determine AI use, and all suspected cases are reviewed under academic misconduct procedures where students may be invited to discuss concerns
If you use AI in your assignments when your module leader has not allowed it, you may be accused of academic misconduct.
Using AI tools to paraphrase or generate text and submitting this as your own work without prior permission from your Module Leader, and acknowledgement in line with expectations set out in your module guide, may be regarded as academic misconduct.
The University uses Turnitin to help identify where AI has been used. Whilst this can identify potentially AI generated work with some degree of accuracy, it cannot determine this with certainty.
When markers suspect the use of AI generated work, they can report this to the University's Academic Integrity Officer who will review your work and may invite you to a meeting to discuss the concerns raised and explain the work you submitted.
These concerns would be managed in the same way as all concerns over academic misconduct. A finding of academic misconduct could result in penalties such as a mark of zero for the assignment, or the need to retake your assignment.
Institutional & Administrative
- The provided sources do not define a specific policy governing faculty or staff use of AI for grading, feedback, lesson planning, recommendation letters, or administrative communications
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- It identifies Microsoft Copilot as the institutionally supported AI tool and notes that it protects data entered with the user’s University account
- The university warns users not to enter personal or sensitive information into public AI tools and states that prompts may be used to train those systems
Many AI tools are free and publicly available for everyone to use, however, you should not upload or share your personal details or sensitive information with these tools. Data and prompts entered into publicly available AI tools can be used by the AI developers to further train and improve the AI tool.
At Herts, we have a University licence for Microsoft Copilot. Microsoft Copilot protects the data you enter by ensuring that your prompts and responses are not saved and are not used to train the AI models, if you access it with your University account.
- The clearest university-wide position is guidance on responsible use, academic integrity, and the provision of Microsoft Copilot
- The university has published institution-level guidance that frames AI as a tool to support learning and work when used responsibly, but the provided sources do not define a broader AI governance framework, committee structure, or strategic roadmap
The University of Hertfordshire encourages and supports the responsible use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools to support your learning, teaching and work.
At Herts, we have a University licence for Microsoft Copilot.
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 Hertfordshire's AI Policies
University of Hertfordshire has defined AI policies in 12 of 12 categories, with an overall coverage score of 100%.
Disclosure of AI use is required when AI has been used in assessed work, and students must acknowledge and cite that use in line with module guidance. The university also directs students to cite AI outputs using the University of Hertfordshire Harvard referencing guidance.
Undisclosed or unauthorized AI use in assessed work may be treated as academic misconduct. The university states that Turnitin can help identify AI-generated text but also says it cannot definitively determine AI use, and all suspected cases are reviewed under academic misconduct procedures where students may be invited to discuss concerns.
The university warns users not to enter personal or sensitive information into public AI tools and states that prompts may be used to train those systems. It identifies Microsoft Copilot as the institutionally supported AI tool and notes that it protects data entered with the user’s University account.