The Purpose of the GenAI Use Icons
Expectations for student use of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) vary widely across courses and instructors, and these differences can be confusing for students. The GenAI Use Icons were designed for faculty to clearly communicate what is allowed or not allowed in terms of GenAI use by students.
By making expectations more transparent, the GenAI Use Icons can be used to help students better understand how to approach their work, which can lead to increased academic confidence, a stronger sense of belonging, and improved skill development (Anderson et al., 2013; Howard et al., 2017; Winkelmes, 2014).
Users are encouraged to use these icons as a simple tool to clearly convey expectations around student GenAI use.
Available GenAI Icons
There are three levels of use:
- GenAI Use is Allowed
- GenAI Use is Limited
- GenAI Use is Not Permitted
Instructor Decisions About GenAI Use Icons
Decide whether to use GenAI Use Icons.
Decide whether you will apply the icons at the course level or on an assignment-by-assignment basis:
Course-level application should be included in the syllabus module. The language included with the selected icon would apply to all of the assignments in the course.
The assignment-by-assignment approach allows you to tailor GenAI icon usage to meet the pedagogical needs of each assignment.
Determine what level of GenAI use is allowed.
Choose your preferred GenAI icon styles from the options provided and add to your course.
Customize the guiding language for the use of GenAI.
Update your syllabus policy language to reflect your decisions.
If you have a “getting started lesson” (i.e., student orientation), consider making updates to include GenAI-related information and resources.
Adding GenAI Use Icons in Canvas
A newly developed custom application is now available to assist faculty and staff with adding GenAI icons and supporting text in Canvas. The following includes directions for how to access the app in Canvas and what to expect from the experience of using the app (choosing a guided or self-directed pathway).
Access the App
To access the app, users will need to open a Canvas item (e.g., assignment, discussion, page, etc.), edit the item, and navigate to the App menu - located in the visual toolbar of the Rich Content Editor (i.e., the plug icon).
Reminder
When accessing the GenAI Icons app for the first time, you will need to search for GenAI Icons in the available apps listing by clicking “View All” in the App Menu.
The app will then appear in the drop down for future uses, as depicted in the first image.
Select the Guided or Self-Directed Experience
The app is designed with two pathways, a guided experience that walks the user through the selection process step-by-step and a self-directed experience. Once the selections have been made, the app will embed the GenAI Icon and supporting material directly onto the Canvas item.
After adding the GenAI Icons and guiding language to Canvas, users should make edits from within the Canvas editor to ensure the supporting text aligns with pedagogical needs. The included text provided is general. It was designed as a starting point for users. Some items may not apply. Keep or delete the items that apply to your course.
Further, the supporting language for permitted and limited use icons include a section labeled Special Use (highlighted). Users are encouraged to add specific directions for students to further clarify how GenAI should be used. Likewise, the supporting text for limited and not permitted icons includes a Not Permitted section where users should detail what the students are not permitted to do with GenAI.
These sections included highlighted text to draw user attention. If you need assistance removing the highlighted text, visit How do I add and modify text in the Rich Content Editor? for instructions.