Emerging generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools1 offer capabilities that allow for the reduction or augmentation of some human effort in content-creation and research. In education, these tools present new approaches that are challenging the status quo and influencing teaching and learning innovation.
Generative AI is evolving quickly, and is raising ethical, social, and academic integrity questions to academic institutions around the world. While YukonU recognizes the power of human creativity and contributions to knowledge creation, teaching and learning, the university also acknowledges that generative AI presents both opportunities and challenges for students and educators.
As a first step in the development of guidance on the use of generative AI, YukonU is releasing this provisional statement, recognizing much work remains to be done. YukonU commits to continuing to adapt and innovate as generative AI evolves.
At YukonU, we uphold the values of integrity, quality, just society, and relationships. These principles guide us as we develop our approach to the use of generative AI at YukonU. Our academic regulations support our students in understanding their obligations to academic integrity, and our collective agreement, policies and procedures support our faculty and staff in teaching and conducting research with integrity.
Allows for the changing use of generative AI tools in teaching, learning and research, and recognizes that integration of generative AI will vary across disciplines, contexts and applications.
Recognizes that students, faculty, and staff will require education and support to develop the digital skills to participate effectively, responsibly, and ethically in their current practices and future careers.
Acknowledges that faculty will decide how generative AI tools may be used in each course to enhance student learning, taking into account approaches of partner institutions where appropriate, but recognizes that this raises ethical obligations for transparency and disclosure around the use of generative AI.
Asserts that uncited or other unauthorized use of generative AI as a substitute for substantive student work constitutes academic misconduct as defined in Yukon University’s Academic Regulations. Faculty will provide students with explicit guidance in the use and citation of generative AI in student work, and students who are unsure about the appropriate use of AI in assessments, assignments and research should consult with their faculty member.
Understands that AI tools are not neutral due to the way they have been trained, and that these tools have generally been developed as profit-generating products. As such, they pose potential risks to privacy, equity, environment, knowledge sharing practices, and society, and the use of generative AI tools compels the user to consider these and other inherent risks.
Recognizes that in their current form, generative AI tools do not naturally support the ways in which Indigenous Peoples, Nations and communities may wish to govern their use of cultural knowledge, nor do they currently support concepts of Indigenous data sovereignty, or the cultural and intellectual practices established through Indigenous Knowledge systems and Indigenous legal orders2.
Recognizes that uncited or unauthorized use of generative AI in research may breach research integrity.
Recognizes that because of the materials on which they draw, generative AI outputs represent dominant worldviews3, and that the use of generative AI may perpetuate these dominant worldviews.
Will work together with our university community to determine our next steps in our evolving relationship with generative AI such that they are grounded in research and evidence-based best practices.
YukonU’s statement on generative AI was developed by an ad hoc committee of YukonU faculty and staff convened by the Office of the Provost. The committee consulted many publicly available resources, including statements, frameworks and policies from other academic institutions in Canada and internationally, as well as guiding documents and published reports. A list of key resources is included below.
Following the drafting of the statement, the ad hoc committee received feedback from the YukonU community, including from students, faculty and staff, the Provost’s Council, and First Nations Initiatives. The statement was approved by YukonU’s Senate following a recommendation from the Academic Standards Committee.
YukonU was inspired by Humber College’s statement on generative AI, and with the permission of Humber College, drew on the structure and content of Humber College’s statement. Through revisions and iterative comment review, YukonU’s statement has evolved to reflect our own context. However, we express our gratitude to Humber for allowing us to learn from your experience, and to draw from your work.
YukonU is grateful to the members of the ad hoc committee that drafted this statement: Ginny Coyne, Aline Goncalves, Bronwyn Hancock, Kevin Kennedy, Ernie Prokopchuk and Shawkat Shareef. Fabi Naves provided executive support to the committee, for which we are very grateful. Thank you to all members of the YukonU community who provided feedback that improved this statement.
Higher Education Strategy Associates, 2024. AI Observatory. https://higheredstrategy.com/ai-observatory-home/ai-observatory-policies-and-guidelines/ [the committee reviewed multiple statements, frameworks, guidelines and policies from Canadian and international academic institutions compiled in the AI Observatory]
Humber College, 2024. Humber Statement on Artificial Intelligence. https://humber.ca/academic-division/academic-integrity/statement-on-ai
IBM, 2024. What is generative AI? https://www.ibm.com/topics/generative-ai
Lewis, Jason Edwards, ed. 2020. Indigenous Protocol and Artificial Intelligence Position Paper. Honolulu, Hawai’i: The Initiative for Indigenous Futures and the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research. DOI: 10.11573/spectrum.library.concordia.ca.00986506
Miao F., Holmes W., 2023. Guidance for generative AI in education and research. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Paris, France. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000386693