It has become increasingly problematic to assess written tasks without allowing at least some use of GenAI tools during the process. With banning GenAI across a subject no longer seen as appropriate or realistic, students will need to be clear about exactly what they can use it for and what they can’t. If they aren’t allowed to use GenAI for a specific task, or for certain parts of the task, it needs to be clearly explained why this is the case.
The decision as to how GenAI can be used for any given task depends on the purpose of the assessment and the learning outcomes that need to be met. You will no doubt have put considerable thought into the impact of using GenAI for various aspects of a task. The next step is to make that thinking explicit to your students. Below is a suggestion for how to clearly explain how GenAI can and can’t be used in a specific assessment task.
A table for students: ways you can/can’t use GenAI
| WAYS YOU CAN USE GEN AI IN THIS TASK | CONSIDERATIONS | SUPPORT |
|---|---|---|
| Suggest relevant sources | It’s up to you to read any recommended sources to ensure that they are in fact relevant to your task, and to cite and reference them appropriately in your assignment. |
The UTS Library search tool is the best place to find high-quality sources. |
| Suggest grammar and spelling corrections on your completed draft | This is one of the most useful aspects of AI tools as it doesn’t diminish your ability to think critically and creatively. | Grammarly also provides feedback on spelling and grammar, as does Microsoft Word. |
| Suggest improvements to the flow of ideas and structure of paragraphs | AI tools will give you suggestions, but it doesn’t mean that you have to implement all of them. Look at each suggestion and see if you agree with it. Knowing how to seek and use feedback to help you make judgements about the quality of your own work is an essential part of learning. | AcaWriter is an AI tool built at UTS that provides feedback on the structure of your writing UTS HELPS offers free individual consultations to give you feedback on the structure and style of your academic writing |
| WAYS YOU CAN’T USE GEN AI IN THIS TASK | CONSIDERATIONS | SUPPORT |
|---|---|---|
| Summarise the readings | You won’t know if the summary accurately reflects the key aspects of the reading unless you’ve read and understood it yourself. | UTS HELPS has an online resource on how to read critically. They also run workshopson critical reading and writing. |
| Write any part of your policy brief | It is essential to learn how to synthesise key ideas from various sources into a cohesive summary that logically leads to evidence-based recommendations. You won’t know if any critiques, ideas or recommendations provided by an AI tool are relevant or valid unless you’ve learnt how to analyse and critique issues, and doing your own writing is an important part of learning how to do this. | AcaWriter is an AI tool built at UTS that provides feedback on the structure of your writing UTS HELPS offers free individual consultations to give you feedback on the structure and style of your academic writing |
Knowledge is key
There are various reasons why students may choose to use GenAI tools when they are not allowed. By far, the most common reason is that they don’t know if and how they can use it. For those who know that GenAI use is not allowed but still choose to use it, a common reason is dissatisfaction with the teaching and learning environment. In both cases, clear guidelines and clearly explained rationales are part of the solution.
Another key part of the solution is ensuring that students know what is expected of them in the task and have the required skills and confidence to successfully complete the task. As well as building into the curriculum opportunities for students to learn and practise key skills required for a given task, it is also useful to directly refer students to resources and support services that can build their academic literacy, thus removing one of the key reasons why students might be tempted to misuse AI.
Looking to the future
It helps to be really clear about what students might miss out on if they use GenAI in ways that you have deemed inappropriate for a given task, and how this might impact them in their future careers.
A statement such as the one below can be of use by clearly outlining which skills students are developing and why they are important:
Why do we want you to write this yourself instead of getting GenAI to do it for you?
The thinking that goes into the creation of your policy brief is the most important part of this assignment. This thinking includes:
- Evaluating sources to determine which sources are valid and reliable
- Critiquing sources to determine whether you agree with their ideas and/or interpretation of findings
- Synthesising key ideas from various sources into a cohesive and coherent summary and/or argument
- Developing valid, evidence-based recommendations based on your analysis of the key issues
- Communicating those recommendations concisely and persuasively
These are skills that are highly valued in the workplace, and although you will likely be able to integrate GenAI tools into your policy development or advocacy work, it is your critical thinking and communication skills in varying and specific contexts that will add value beyond what these tools can currently offer.
More resources and support on GenAI and assessment
- Prepare your content and assessments for Autumn 2025 – make a start on reviewing your subjects, developing a plan for GenAI usage and making decisions about assessment security
- 7 questions (and answers) on assessment reform at UTS – follow-up FAQs from the Learning and Teaching Forum’s presentation on the future of assessment
- Learning and Teaching with Generative AI – a page specific to GenAI in Autumn 2025 session, hosted on the new Education Portfolio Hub site
- UTS Assessment Reform: Deep Dive Session – Zoom event on 3 February
Thanks for your feedback, Jane. Keep in mind that these tables are just examples to illustrate the types of information we can give our students to guide them in using GenAI responsibly. If you decide to use such a tool, it’s very much your choice as to what you include in the considerations column – or any of the other columns for that matter!
The key is to ensure that we’re giving our students as much guidance as possible, knowing that the guidance will differ based on the assessment type, the discipline, professional requirements/expectations etc. If you choose to use a table such as this with your students, the concerns you’ve highlighted would be a great example of what your students need to be made aware of when thinking about how and why they are using GenAI for any given part of the process. After all, that’s what we all want our students doing – thinking critically throughout the learning process!
GenAI should not be used as a research tool to find apparently relevant sources, without verification that those sources actually exist. In fact I think that it has no valid role in finding sources. The Consideration column discussing the use of GenAI to find sources does not go far enough.
It is not enough that the source appears to be relevant to the task. Academic integrity requires that students verify both that the sources cited actually exist and that the source is relevant, in that it is actually authority for the statement made by the student, in addition to being appropriately cited.
For example, a legal case may be cited as authority for a statement of law in accordance with the Australian Guide to Legal Citation 4th edition AND be completely fabricated by GenAI. I’ve seen it and can give examples. It is up to students not to cite fabricated sources and up to us to detect it, if it happens.
Citing fabricated sources in legal documents is very likely have serious professional and employment consequences, if repeated by students when in professional practice.
Frankly they will get a better result if they learn to use conventional research tools.