AI at Carroll – Operating Guidelines

Purpose

Carroll Community College is dedicated to advancing knowledge and learning through the responsible and ethical use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies. Generative AI, such as ChatGPT, Gemini, and Stable Diffusion, is rapidly evolving and influencing teaching, learning, and work. These guidelines provide help to harness AI’s potential to improve efficiency and innovation while upholding values like transparency, accountability, fairness, privacy, and inclusivity.

Generative AI tools have the capacity to expedite processes and foster student learning. However, they also come with risks, such as potential public exposure of inputs, biased or inaccurate outputs, and concerns about information security, data privacy, copyright, and academic integrity.

Scope

These guidelines apply to all Carroll Community College staff, faculty, and students. Community members are expected to use AI tools responsibly in all College-related functions and are encouraged to review updates regularly.  Comments and questions can be submitted via a service request through the IT Service Center.

Definitions

• Generative AI: AI systems that create new content, such as text or images, based on user inputs (prompts). Examples include Copilot, ChatGPT, Gemini and Dall-E.
• Confidential Information: Business or technical information that is not publicly known or that must be protected by confidentiality agreements.
• Personal Information: Information that can identify an individual directly or indirectly.
• Acceptable Use of Technology policy: Use of Carroll’s technology resources that must comply with college policies and all applicable laws, and misuse may result in disciplinary or legal action.

Governance Framework

Roles and Responsibilities 

This is a new standard operating practice at the college for all new or non-standard technology. The IT Department will maintain a list of approved AI products; anything not already on the approved list must be reviewed and approved prior to introduction or use.

Comments and questions can be submitted via a service request through the IT Service Center. For introduction of new software that includes AI capability, requesters will provide answers to the following questions in addition to those on the service request:

• What function(s) does the AI component provide or support?
• What data does it use for its training dataset?
• Is it public data, data shared with other vendor customers, or college-accessible only?
• Who creates the training dataset? Who maintains it?
• Does anyone outside the college have access to our data, including user submissions to prompts and responses?
• Does the College have access to anyone else’s data? If so, whose, and why?
• Can we disable the AI component if we choose? What impact would this have on system functionality?

Confidential and Personal Information

Do not input any confidential or personal information into AI tools unless explicitly authorized by the College, including necessary security measures.

1. Intellectual Property (IP) Compliance: Respect copyright, patent laws, and other intellectual property rights for any content created by or with AI tools.
   1. Accuracy and Bias: Fact check and verify AI-generated content before relying on it. AI outputs may be inaccurate or biased, and users are responsible for assessing and correcting these issues.
   1. Transparency: Disclose when AI tools are used to produce written materials or other work, especially if the content will be shared publicly. For example, include a disclosure like: “This content was partially generated by AI.”
   1. Prohibited Use for Malicious Content: Do not use AI tools to generate malicious content, such as malware, viruses, or unauthorized access techniques.
   1. Training Data Considerations: Where possible, opt out of allowing AI tools to use College-provided input data for further training. Users should be cautious about sharing sensitive information.

Evaluation and Monitoring Mechanisms

The IT department will establish an ongoing evaluation and monitoring process to assess the effectiveness, fairness, and safety of AI systems. Periodic audits will be conducted to identify and address any issues related to compliance and ethical considerations.

Approved Applications, Exemptions, and Exceptions

A list of approved AI tools will be maintained by the College, with usage guidelines for each. Community members must use approved tools according to these guidelines. For example, contact the IT Department.

Academic Integrity Guidelines

Maintaining academic integrity is essential. The following guidelines help students and instructors navigate the appropriate use of AI in academic settings.

For Students

• Do not use AI tools for assignments or exams unless specifically permitted by the instructor. Unauthorized AI use will be treated as plagiarism or unauthorized assistance.
• Clarify AI usage expectations with instructors for each course. 

 For Instructors

• Clearly outline AI usage expectations in course syllabi. Discuss the appropriate use of AI tools with students, addressing both benefits and limitations.
• Use AI detection tools with caution, as they may produce false positives. Disclose any AI detection methods used in your course policies.

For up-to-date information and extended terms of use and/or service, please refer to the Faculty and Students AI Guidelines (link to page).

Carroll Community College offers resources to support academic integrity. Please refer to College Policies and Regulations: Section Six for more information.

Faculty and students are encouraged to refer to the Academic Integrity resources provided in the College Policies and Regulations.