Culver Academies adopts AI policy to give guidance to students, faculty, staff

Miller said she and Gardner are working on ways to help teachers accomplish that goal.

The policy also specifies which AI platforms can be used because they adhere to Culver’s values, privacy standards and technological infrastructure.

The policy also tells students they should track their conversations with any AI tool into a document they can share with their teacher.

“Your teacher should be able to see those if they ask,” she said.

It also advises students they should review and check content for accuracy, appropriateness, bias and for “hallucinations,” where AI simply makes up information.

“They even make up sources,” Miller said. “So students will say to me, ‘Oh, it has sources.’ But if they click on the source, it’s gobbledygook, or it doesn’t take you anywhere.”

Teachers have sheets to provide students that explain how to check for accuracy, appropriateness, bias and hallucinations.

The policy also advises students they should never input personal information, such as names, addresses, phone numbers or birth dates into AI tools.

The policy also states which AI platforms students, faculty and staff can use that safely protects Culver Academies’ data.

The policy also prohibits students from using AI tools to manipulate media to impersonate others for bullying, harassment or any form of intimidation. It also tells students they should not submit AI-generated work as their own.

The faculty policy encourages, but does not require, teachers to use AI tools to enhance teaching methods, personalize learning and support innovation in the classroom.

The policy states that the syllabus must explicitly state whether students can use generative AI tools in the class. It also states that if students are allowed to use generative AI tools, teachers should be transparent about why and how the AI tools will or could be used.

Teachers also should disclose in the syllabus ways they may use an AI tool for the course.

The policy also states that if an assignment allows students to use AI in ways beyond what is stated in the syllabus, teachers are expected to share the allowed uses for the assignment with the Academic Honor Template.

Areas that are included in the template with respect to generative AI are: research, assisted thinking, assisted feedback and explanation of concepts.

The staff policy states the Culver employees can use AI tools to enhance productivity while upholding ethical standards and academic integrity and respecting privacy, promoting transparency and upholding the values of Culver’s school community.

Some other high schools and colleges have lengthy policies, up to 70 pages long, that can be confusing, Miller said.

“That’s too much. We wanted it boiled down to something manageable. It makes it harder to understand what are the key pieces, ‘What do I need to know.’ We wanted to get the priorities right for our school.”

The policy will be reviewed annually, Miller said.

“It’s going to change,” she said. "We’re in this together. We’re going to have to share what works and what needs to be changed. We’re in this together.”