The UMass Lowell Faculty Senate convened a task force in Fall 2023 to explore the implications of artificial intelligence (AI) for our academic programs and integrity. The task force was comprised of faculty senators from across campus, administrators, and students, undergraduate and graduate.

The AI Task Force’s mission, in collaboration with Faculty Senate, was to:

  • Review the academic integrity policy to determine if the policy needs to be revised due to current AI issues.
  • Prepare and implement an AI readiness survey for students, faculty and staff.
  • Share best practices and recommendations for pedagogy, program assessments, research and university processes.
  • Report findings to the Faculty Senate and university community.

The task force achieved these goals by adding language specific to AI to our Academic Integrity Policy adding to the definition of "Academic Dishonesty": "When a student uses generative AI tools, such as chatbots, image generators, or code generators, to complete assignments, exams, or any other academic work without explicit permission from the instructor. This includes entering assignment or exam questions into AI tools to generate answers, submitting AI-generated content as original work, and failing to disclose the use of AI in creating submissions when required." 

We completed a campus-wide survey to learn more about AI use from faculty, staff, and students. And we disbursed 35 AI Mini-grants to faculty to being incorporating AI into their classes in the Fall. Recipients of the grants will share their experiences with the campus community through CELT workshops, the Faculty Symposium, and department and college workshops.

Email: AITaskForce@uml.edu to learn more or get involved! You can also reach out to Julie Nash, Vice Provost of Academic Affairs; Kevin Petersen, Associate Professor of English, President of the Faculty Senate; Amit Deokar, Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs and Accreditation (Manning School of Business); Donna Mellen, Director of Academic Technology; Amy (Huimin) Chen, Assistant Professor of Accounting.