Best Practices for Academic Institutions

Every campus—and sometimes every class—has its own approach to GenAI use. For example, at the University of Texas at San Antonio, the AI Essentials Guidelines & Approaches outline when, where, and how GenAI can be used in academic work.

Tips for Navigating This Landscape

• Ask Early: If you’re not sure about GenAI use for an assignment, ask your professor directly.
• Check the Syllabus: Many professors include an “GenAI Use” statement that spells out their expectations.
• Think Long-Term: Today’s GenAI rules are evolving—knowing how to adapt now will help you in your career, where companies are also figuring out their GenAI policies.

Scenario

You’re assigned a policy memo in a political science class. The syllabus says GenAI can be used for idea generation, but not for final drafting. You use GenAI to create an outline, then write your memo from scratch. In your submission, you include the outline in an appendix with a note: “Outline created with Microsoft Copilot following class GenAI guidelines.”