Newcastle Uni threatens students with investigations if they use ChatGPT in summer exams

In an email sent to all the uni urged students to use AI ‘responsibly’


Newcastle University has sent out an email to students warning about the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in their assessments.

Outlining the importance of good academic practice, the email encouraged students to make themselves familiar with how to use AI “ethically” and how to avoid plagiarism.

The email sent out this afternoon explained how use of AI can be beneficial when used responsibly, although that work submitted by students in the form of text, images or code, partially or wholly written by AI, will be investigated as academic misconduct.

This comes after the news of the first known student to have been caught using ChatGPT in a university assessment.

Titled “please read!”, the email reminded students of the importance of good academic practice and how studying with integrity is “critical” for your university education.

There was also a link taking students to an academic skills kit website, which outlined how students could use AI in assessment preparation and in the enhancement of their learning. However, the site reinforced the importance of being familiar with the limitations of the tools, while also being cautious not to “slip into poor academic practice”.

Furthermore, the website stated that the university is “committed to supporting you to develop good academic practice and your critical awareness of generative AI”, with pages to support students in the acknowledgement of use of AI tools in the development of work and understanding when use of generative AI is inappropriate and could be considered as academic misconduct, which they provided further information on via a link.

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