As you begin college, you will have opportunities to build on, adapt, transform, and add to your prior knowledge and experiences. Part of this work involves becoming more self-aware of who you are as a learner, what best supports and most hinders your learning, and how to develop a critical and ethical relationship to what you are learning.  As artificial intelligence (AI)  tools, including Generative AI, become increasingly part of our everyday interactions, it is more important than ever for us to become critically aware of and intentional about AI’s relationship to our learning. This guidance is designed to help you engage thoughtfully with AI as part of your learning, your transition to university life, and how you begin to approach your work and ideas. 

In College Edge, expectations for AI use may vary by course. This page will help you navigate those differences and make informed, responsible choices. 

AI Use Is Optional 

You are not required to use AI tools unless an instructor specifically asks you to do so as part of the course design or learning experience. Whether and how you use AI is your choice, within the expectations set by your instructor. 

Build Your Understanding 

Learn how AI works, including its strengths and limitations. AI can be helpful for: 

• Brainstorming ideas 
• Organizing, outlining or challenging your thinking 
• Checking clarity 

It can also produce inaccurate or misleading information. For example, you might use AI to outline a paper based on notes or ideas you provide, but you should still develop and write your own analysis. AI should not be used monolithically (the same way for every task); different learning tasks require different ways of using AI. When approaching any learning task, you should take time to understand the nature of the task, its underlying learning purpose, and, if you choose to use them, which are the best AI tools and how use to them strategically and effectively. 

Stay Responsible for Your Learning 

AI should support your learning, not offload or replace it. You are expected to do your own thinking and analysis, and build your own understanding of course material.

Over-relying on AI can get in the way of developing the skills and intellectual habits you are here to build: the reasoning, analysis, and judgment that constitute actual learning.  Part of AI literacy is knowing which uses can support your growth and which uses limit it. AI use should stretch your thinking, not replace it; it may assist your process, but the thinking must remain yours. The most productive uses of AI take you further than you could go alone, but only when you bring enough foundational knowledge to direct it, question it, and recognize when it has led you astray. 

Be Transparent 

If you use AI, you should be able to explain how and why. Some instructors may ask you to disclose AI use and cite AI tools in your work.

Over time, you should be able to describe your approach to AI as part of your academic and professional story; how you use it, when you choose not to, and what that says about your work. 

Follow Course Guidelines 

Each instructor sets their own expectations for AI use. 

You are responsible for: 

• Reading course and assignment guidelines carefully 

• Following instructor expectations 

• Asking questions if anything is unclear 

If guidance differs, always follow your instructor’s policy for that course. 

Use AI Ethically 

You are responsible for the work you submit. This includes: 

• Ensuring accuracy 

• Avoiding misuse 

• Following UW academic integrity standards 

Every AI-generated output requires your evaluation. Before submitting or acting on anything AI produces, you are responsible for assessing its accuracy, quality, and relevance using your own developing expertise, including knowing when to seek feedback from an instructor rather than a chatbot.  

Choosing AI Tools Carefully 

If you decide to use AI tools, be thoughtful about what you share. Some tools collect and store user data. Avoid entering: 

• Personal information 

• Sensitive or private details 

• Coursework that your instructor has asked you not to share 

Here is the University of Washington AI guidelines page, with suggestions for tools that offer more protection.  

Our Approach 

We are not asking you to use AI. We are asking you to think about it, and to start making your own decisions about how it fits into your learning and your work. 

The goal is to help you make intentional, informed choices about when and how AI supports your learning.