AI, Technology & Internet Use - Class Policy

 

 

I have been working on an AI and technology statement for my classes. Right now the use of this tech in the classroom is the source of a lot of discussion and confusion. AI is a great tool to help consolidate information and organize your thoughts, Unfortunately many students are using it to actually do all of their work.   This page outlines the courses Internet, technology and AI usage policies. I also outline exactly how you can appropriately use this technology in class.

In order to reduce to standard reproduction of information that often happens with assignments, I have made the assignments in this class very diverse. Learning involves more that taking test so my assignments ask you to engage with various programs from Canva to PowerPoint. These assignments require that you put some personal thought and care into your submissions.   

 

AI/ Technology Statement ​

This class supports the thoughtful and innovative use of artificial intelligence (AI) and related technologies as tools that can enhance learning, creativity, and academic exploration. We encourage students, faculty, and staff to use AI for inspiration, idea generation, and specific academic tasks; however, all AI‑assisted work must be properly credited to maintain academic integrity and transparency.

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Because disciplines vary in their pedagogical needs, instructors determine the appropriate boundaries for AI use in their courses. All course‑level AI policies must be explicit, clearly communicated, and directly connected to the course’s learning objectives. This ensures that technology supports, not replaces, the development of core skills, critical thinking, and disciplinary expertise.

 

The university is committed to protecting data security and privacy. Users should understand that interacting with AI tools often involves sharing information in ways that resemble public data disclosure. For this reason, students and employees must avoid entering confidential, sensitive, or personally identifiable information into AI systems. All use of AI must align with the university’s data‑classification and risk‑management standards.

 

Our approach seeks to balance innovation with ethics, pedagogy, and equity. We recognize the potential of AI to expand access and creativity, while also acknowledging the need to address bias, protect vulnerable communities, and ensure fair and inclusive learning environments.

By using AI responsibly, transparently, and in alignment with academic goals, we uphold the values of integrity, equity, and intellectual growth that define our university community.

 

How I Use AI in the Class

I do use AI in the class. I will use it to coordinate information from all over the internet on a specific topic. I may also use it to assist with step by step assignment instructions. However, my lectures and class notes are not created with AI. I pull together many resources from original sources and the web resources to facilitate this class. My goal is to provide you with the most comprehensive information related to Sociological Theory and Social Problems. This information is used for educational purposes only and no ownership is claimed or expressed on my part. No material should be reproduced or posted online without written permission. This class is not about likes. There is a difference between teaching and just producing "content". The class goal is to teach you how sociologists evaluate and discuss various social problems.

 

Fair Use

​​Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use. 

 

AI Reference Statement​

​In addition to general citations, if you use AI on any of your assignments, you must include  a brief AI Use Statement with the reference information describing any assistance from AI tools used in your work. Things like Gramerly, ChatGPT, Grok, etc. must all be mentioned. 

• What AI tools they used

• How did you use this tool (idea generation, outline, proofreading, etc.)

• What parts are fully your own ideas

• In some of your papers you may be asked to include a short reflection on argument choices

• Grading: I will be looking for ...

  • Original insights

  • Correct use of course concepts 

  • Connections to class discussions

  • Interpretation of evidence

  • Clear references 

 

How I will Grade Papers Considering the Availability of AI 

HOW YOU CAN USE AI IN THIS CLASS

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You can also use AI to help you organize your ideas. You can ask for charts , historical information or outlines of factual data related to the topics covered. This could be similar to information you would find in books or encyclopedia websites.  What you cannot do is ask AI to write your discussion post or papers you inend to submit. We know that AI has the information, we need to see that you do. Unfortunately, because so many people break this rule all of your academic work has to be screened. With regards to programs like Grammerly you can use it to edit your own original work. 

Our society today is at a crossroads, we have so many wonderful technological options like ChatGPT, but these options may also come at a cost. In Sociology we talk about Cultural Lag.  Cultural lag is a sociological concept introduced by William F. Ogburn. It refers to the period of adjustment that occurs when material culture (technology, inventions, physical objects) changes faster than nonmaterial culture (values, beliefs, norms, laws). 

 

Sad but true story: Last semester I gave an undergraduate class the assignment of designing an educational program. Most of the class just asked AI to design the program. It did, and it titled the program The roots of ____ (Fill in the blank) educational program. I got 10 papers entitled the Roots of  ______ educational program. All they did was change the blank word.  

 

 Academic Honesty

"The University has specific academic honesty administrative procedures. The academic community regards academic dishonesty as an extremely serious matter, with serious consequences that range from probation to expulsion. When in doubt about plagiarism, paraphrasing, quoting or collaboration, consult the course instructor. To be on the safe side always cite and credit your sources of information. See the student handbook for the full policy. Do not use CHAT GPT or other AI programs to write your papers. This does count as plagerism.  As undergraduate students you should be able to formulate and present your own ideas. Everything goes through the AI review software which tells you if the document is AI written. 

 

AI "cheating or short cutting" is now a problem at all levels of education. How would you feel as a student who does the work, to be weighed against students who use AI? This is not Chicken Little yelling the sky is falling. This technology is having an impact on the educational system. Cheating is actually the least of the problems, the students who rely only on these tools can't reason, or process basic information. 

 

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Posting Course Material to the Internet

Posting Course Materials to Internet: Do not post/share any content from this course to any online websites like Facebook or YouTube,  TikTok etc... ”. Do not upload course exams, lecture PowerPoint slides, assignments or other course material to any site online without instructor permission. Course material is copyrighted to Dr. Squires for educational purposes and should not be reproduced. Do not post student videos or shared material from class discussions to any social media page or anywhere on the Internet without written permission. 

Posting Your Work Online: I do not recommend posting your papers to different websites. This could result in loss of your intellectual property. (A student in one of my classes found her own paper for sale on the Internet.)

Netiquette is important, so rude or disruptive posting behavior will result in dismissal from the course. Everyone has their own beliefs and this is a place to explore different and unique ideas so we may not all agree on everything. Also if you don’t hear it from me it is not happening when it comes to class information.

 

Which one of these people is real and which is AI? Really think about what criteria you used to determine the real person. 

Extra Credit - Find the Human
 

                           

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Extra Credit - Create your own AI Video or Image

For extra credit create your own AI image of your ideal fake person (mate or partner). What would they look like? What race would they be, what size, gender etc. Would your ideal person be combination of your favorite faces. What a bout Michael Jackson and the Rock. .