Preparing for Organizational Policy-Crafting Around genAI Usage

Currently, various educational organizations have cobbled together a wide variety of generative AI (genAI) use policies, to govern the ways in which students are permitted to use these advanced tools during their learning. The best way forward is not yet known, and the forking paths are complex. In this piece, we propose flexible but unified principles for guiding educators and learners in the determining and communicating the appropriate uses of genAI. We have developed these principles specifically for post-secondary institutions and programs, as we work and teach at the university level; however, we consider these principles broadly applicable across educational organizations. Given that the field of genAI is rapidly moving, and that education is - as always - at the forefront of how those changes impact and involve society, simply keeping up with what is happening is a Herculean task. Therefore, we begin by describing some past and current approaches to using genAI in schools, so that the lay of the land is established. We then offer a flexible and unified approach to policy and classification of how genAI can be used for educational purposes. Finally, we conclude with recommendations for how educators can think about the benefits and risks of genAI in their classrooms.