Student Guidance: Use of AI Tools in this course.
This guidance explains when AI tools may and may not be used in LDRS 697. Students are
responsible for understanding and following these expectations before submitting any forum
post or written assignment. Why these matters On the basis of the evidence, including
numerous indicators, a paper may receive a “B/B-“ or even a fail if AI rules are not followed. A
paper may have the appearance of a strong or very good paper, but closer analysis may show
that the content appears to have been shaped by a formula and a predictable process. The
structure may look polished, but the reasoning does not yet demonstrate enough independent
analysis. The central issue is not simply whether a paper sounds polished. The concern is
whether a student has demonstrated genuine understanding, independent thinking, accurate
use of sources, and transparent authorship.
Written Assignments
For written assignments, limited AI support may be permitted only when it does not replace
the student’s own thinking, reading, analysis, or writing. A student may use AI for limited
support such as:
• brainstorming possible directions for a topic;
• helping identify key terms or search terms;
• helping generate possible database search phrases;
• asking for a general explanation of an unfamiliar concept;
• asking for help understanding assignment instructions;
Even when AI is used in these limited ways, the student remains fully responsible for the
accuracy, quality, and originality of the final assignment. A student may not use AI to:
• create the assignment outline;
• draft paragraphs or sections;
• use AI to generate a paragraph and then change words, phrases, or synonyms to make it
appear to be original writing;
• write the introduction or conclusion
Rewrite or polish the paper into a more academic voice;
• submit AI-shaped wording as your own simply because you revised or rephrased parts of it; •
generate analysis;
• create source summaries the student has not written; • paraphrase scholarly sources for the
student; • insert citations or references the student has not personally checked; • produce a
literature review; • generate a research gap; • create or refine the research question in place of
the student’s own work; • make the final paper sound more polished, fluent, or “graduate-
level.”
If AI has created the structure, wording, transitions, analysis, source interpretation, or final
polish, then the submitted work no longer adequately represents your own student authorship.
Also, changing selected words from an AI-generated draft does not make the work your own.
Your paper must show your own reading, thinking, synthesis, and writing. Research sources For
identifying research sources, students must use the college Library databases and scholarly
search tools, not open-source AI tools. AI tools may produce inaccurate, incomplete, fabricated,
or misleading source information. Students are responsible for reading the actual sources they
cite and for understanding what each source contributes. It is not acceptable to cite sources
that have only been suggested, summarized, or described by AI. Students must read the full text
of the articles they cite, not only the abstract. Abstracts may help identify relevant sources, but
they are not enough for graduate-level research. Students must understand the article’s
purpose, context, methods, findings, limitations, and relevance to the research question.
A strong paper must show what the sources actually contribute, including relevant findings,
settings/contexts, methods, concepts, tensions, or limitations. Citations should not simply be
inserted to make the paper appear scholarly. Editing and grammar Students should use the
spelling and grammar tools already embedded in Microsoft Word. These tools are acceptable
for spelling, punctuation, and grammar review.
Students may not use AI to substantially rewrite, polish, or elevate the academic style of their
paper. The final writing must remain the student’s own voice. If a student cannot explain or
reproduce the level of writing they submitted, that raises a serious authorship concern.
Transparency and accountability Ethical use of AI requires transparency. At minimum, this
requires honest completion of the Academic Checklist.
Question #19 asks specifically how AI tools were used. • A student must not check “I did not use
AI” if AI was used in any way. • A student must not understate AI use. • If AI was used for
drafting support, language polishing, logic review, APA checking, or paragraph revision, that
must be disclosed honestly. • Failure to disclose AI use is an academic integrity concern. •
Honest disclosure does not automatically mean the work is acceptable, but dishonest or
incomplete disclosure makes the concern more serious. Final responsibility The student is
responsible for every sentence submitted. This includes: • the accuracy of claims the correct use
of sources; • the quality of reasoning; • the originality of the writing; • the honesty of AI
disclosure; • the ability to explain the ideas in the paper. A paper that appears polished but
lacks student voice, source-specific analysis, and genuine reasoning may receive a significantly
lower grade, even if it initially looks well written.
Student Revision Action Plan :
You need to work on citing where needed. Avoid citing at the end of the
paragraph.
We also discussed the analysis and interpretation and how it connects to
students' experience. This is your interpretation answering the questions why or
how. At the end of the paragraph add your analysis. You could also add a brief
paragraph to cover the 3 sub-themes and their connection
Formatting - the theme 1 is a 2nd level heading (you'll have title for this section
- check your Moodle on what to name it), then your sub-themes will be 3rd level
headings.