Acceptable Use of Generative AI in Teaching, Learning and Assessment - Draft

1.Purpose

This policy sets out how Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) may be used in teaching, learning, and assessment at National College of Ireland (NCI).

It implements the Higher Education Authority (HEA) Generative AI in Higher Education Teaching and Learning: Policy Framework and Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI) quality assurance requirements.

The policy protects academic integrity, equity, and learner data. It supports responsible use of GenAI tools, including, but not limited to, ChatGPT, DALL·E, and GitHub Copilot, while setting clear responsibilities and disclosure requirements for staff and students.

2.Scope

This policy 

• Applies to all validated NCI programmes, in all modes of delivery: on-campus, blended, hybrid, and online.
• To all forms of assessment.
• To academic, professional, learners; and external partners involved in teaching, supervision, assessment, or learning support.
• Covers the use of GenAI tools in learning support, content creation, assessment preparation, supervision, and curriculum or programme development.

3.Definitions

For the purposes of this policy, the following terms apply.

• Substantive use: any use of GenAI that contributes to the content, structure, argument, analysis, code, or expression of a piece of work. Where it is unclear whether a use is substantive, it must be disclosed.
• GenAI assistance: any output, suggestion, or contribution from a Generative AI tool that a student or staff member uses in their own work.
• Acceptable use: use of GenAI that is explicitly permitted for the relevant module, assessment, or activity; that is disclosed where required; and that does not undermine academic integrity or independent learning.
• AI Referencing: the process of disclosing and evidencing GenAI assistance using the AI Acknowledgement Supplement,

4.Policy Statement

These principles and requirements, apply to all teaching, learning, and assessment activity at NCI.

4.1 Principles

1. NCI will set clear expectations for GenAI use in programme design, so that programme teams can adopt GenAI appropriately from the early stages of the programme lifecycle.
2. Human authorship and responsibility remain central. Any substantive GenAI assistance in teaching materials, assessments, or student work must be disclosed.
3. Disclosure does not automatically make a use acceptable. Disclosed GenAI use must still comply with what is permitted for that module or assessment.
4. Programmes will build critical understanding of GenAI’s capabilities and limitations among staff and learners.
5. GenAI use must uphold academic integrity. It must not create an unfair advantage or diminish independent learning. An unfair advantage means using GenAI beyond what is permitted for an assessment. For example, having GenAI complete work a student was required to produce independently.
6. GenAI use must comply with data protection legislation and NCI’s data governance framework.
7. Staff are bound by the same academic integrity obligations as students. Teaching materials must include appropriate citations. 
8. All users must understand the limitations of GenAI, including the risk of misinformation, bias, and over-reliance.
9. NCI will provide training for students on acceptable GenAI use, tailored to their programme. 
10. NCI will provide training for staff on acceptable GenAI use in teaching, learning, and assessment.

4.2 Acceptable and Unacceptable Use

Acceptable Use

The following uses are acceptable, subject to disclosure and the conditions stated:

• Using GenAI as a study aid, for example for brainstorming, summarising, or managing grammar and punctuation, where this is explicitly permitted and properly referenced. Students must verify any GenAI summary against the original source. Programmes and lecturers should continue to encourage independent brainstorming and reading; GenAI support for these activities should be the exception, not the default.
• Using GenAI to structure ideas or content the student has already developed, or for troubleshooting, provided the student’s critical engagement and originality are maintained. GenAI must not generate a structure or set of ideas without substantive student-originated content to work from.
• Using GenAI to research teaching materials, such as learning resources, discussion prompts, or exemplars. Staff remain fully accountable for the accuracy and quality of the final materials.

Unacceptable Use

The following uses are not permitted without explicit authorisation:

• Submitting GenAI-generated work as one’s own original output, including text, images, code, or data analysis.
• Failing to disclose substantial GenAI assistance or deliberately concealing the use of GenAI tools.
• Uploading student work, personal data, or confidential information to non-approved GenAI platforms.
• Using GenAI to gain an unfair advantage or to bypass required learning processes – for example, using GenAI for a task an assessment specifically requires the student to complete independently.
• Using GenAI in a way that compromises data security, privacy, or ethical standards.
• Citing GenAI-generated content as a source. GenAI is not an author, and its output must not be presented as an authoritative reference.
• Using a recording or imitation of a lecturer’s voice to generate a GenAI prompt or output.
• Allowing GenAI to provide the substantive ideas, argument, or critical evaluation within a piece of assessment.

4.3 Programme and Module Design 

Programme Design

• Programme design documentation must state which GenAI uses are acceptable and prohibited in teaching, learning, and assessment. This must be proportionate to the level of the award, recognising that a single Bachelor programme may span NFQ Levels 6 to 8.
• Assessment templates and briefs must include a GenAI statement field. Schools will be provided with a template demonstrating the expected layout.
• Programme learning outcomes should include GenAI literacy1, critical evaluation of GenAI-generated outputs, and ethical decision-making, where relevant to the discipline. Programme teams must review these outcomes periodically to keep them current.

Module Design

• Each module descriptor must state whether students may use GenAI in assessments, and if so, under what conditions.
• Every assessment brief must include a short GenAI statement, for example: You may use GenAI to support X and Y. You must not use GenAI for Z. If you use GenAI, you must document and acknowledge this use as instructed.

4.4 Documentation and Evidence

• Students must complete and attach the AI Acknowledgement Supplement, with any submission. Where GenAI use is prohibited for an assessment, the AI Acknowledgement Supplement, must confirm that no GenAI assistance was used. 
• Lecturers will be given separate guidance for marking work where it is difficult to distinguish GenAI assistance from other support.
• Students must retain available evidence of GenAI use for verification, where this is practicable and the tool retains such evidence. Where a tool produces no exportable history, such as ambient suggestions in Microsoft Word, students must instead disclose the tool used and describe its contribution. This requirement will be applied consistently with data protection legislation.

5.Roles and Responsibilities

6.Compliance & Monitoring

All work submitted to NCI must comply with NCI’s Academic Integrity Policy.

• GenAI-related academic dishonesty includes misrepresenting authorship, failing to disclose GenAI use, and breaching GenAI acknowledgment procedures.
• Staff may use Turnitin GenAI detection, writing comparison, and heuristic evaluation to identify inconsistencies. Heuristic evaluation means identifying a mismatch between a student’s demonstrated ability and a specific submission, for example a marked shift in vocabulary or technical sophistication. NCI will provide guidance and training to promote consistent application of this method.
• Where a suspected GenAI-related breach is identified, NCI will investigate it and inform the student, in line with the Academic Integrity Policy and its investigation and penalty framework.
• Suspected breaches are processed under the College’s relevant policy and procedures.

7.Appendix One: GenAI Tools

NCI will develop a central, updateable registry of approved GenAI tools. This policy will link to the registry once it is available.

8.Appendix Two: Statements for Inclusion in Programme Literature

Statement for Programme Moodle Pages

Permitted and prohibited uses of GenAI for each module and assessment will be communicated in advance, including any requirement to acknowledge GenAI assistance. Presenting GenAI-generated work as one’s own will be treated as misconduct under NCI policy XXX.

Statement for the Teaching, Learning and Assessment Section of Programme Design

This programme’s Teaching, Learning and Assessment Strategy promotes the ethical and transparent use of GenAI tools to support active learning, authentic assessment, and critical GenAI literacy, while safeguarding academic integrity.

Statement for the Assessment Strategy Section of Programme Design

In line with QQI assessment and standards guidance, the authentic assessment approach for the XXX programme may include:

• Oral presentations.
• Case-based or scenario-based assessments applying theory to practice.
• Applied projects or problem-based tasks addressing real-world issues.
• Portfolios demonstrating cumulative learning.
• Reflective assessments evidencing engagement with learning and professional practice.
• Presentations or professional reports for authentic or simulated audiences.
• A capstone project with an applied, context-relevant component.

GenAI can now simulate authentic student voice, for example in reflective journals, with minimal student input. Programme teams should build human-in-the-loop elements into these assessments, such as in-person defences, visible iterative drafts, or oral components, rather than relying on the assessment format alone.

Programme Committees must tailor the above statements to their own needs.

Programme Committees will monitor implementation through annual reviews and adjust strategy as required.

Statement for Module Teaching and Learning Strategies

This programme has incorporated the development of career-ready GenAI literacy as follows: [to be completed by individual programme committees, tailored to their learning outcomes]

Statement for Module and Assessment Strategies

[to be completed by individual programme committees, tailored to their specific assessments]

The use of GenAI must be transparent, critical, and ethical. Students remain fully responsible for all academic judgement, analysis, and submitted work.

GenAI must not be used in a way that undermines academic integrity, misrepresents authorship, or compromises assessment standards. Breaches of academic honesty will be addressed under NCI Policy XXX.

9.Related Documentation

• Academic Integrity Policy (reference number to be confirmed).
• NCI’s guidance for academic integrity meetings.
• Data Protection Policy.

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