Assessment and AI

When the topic of the term paper or thesis is assigned, the permissible resources for its completion will also be specified. The supervisor will determine whether AI tools may be used and how the use of such tools must be documented.

In any case, AI-generated text must be clearly identified, as it does not constitute the student's own intellectual contribution to be evaluated. Failure to identify such text passages may be considered an attempt at deception. The supervisor shall determine how this identification is to be carried out. 

As a general rule, texts generated by AI tools such as ChatGPT are not currently legally considered the “intellectual creation or intellectual property” of a natural person. Therefore, the usual academic citation rules are not actually legally required. A citation is a reference to another person's intellectual property. At the same time, texts or text elements that originate from another “source” and that you did not create yourself must generally be identified. This is required in the so-called declarations of originality. This means that even without a violation of the citation requirement, it is important for coursework and exams to cite the source, including for AI-generated elements.,

Yes, because they are not something you created yourself. However, there is currently no general standard for how to label AI-generated text, images, or videos in academic work. Such standards has yet to be developed. Please consult with your instructor regarding how to label such content.

Please first check with your instructor to see if you are permitted to use AI tools. If their use is permitted, please discuss with your instructor how AI-generated content should be labeled, as there are currently no generally accepted standards for labeling. 

Please first check with the instructor in charge to see if you are permitted to use AI tools to complete an exam or coursework assignment. If such use is permitted, please discuss with the instructor how AI-generated content should be identified, as there are currently no generally accepted standards for such identification. 

When submitting a term paper or thesis, you must disclose the permitted resources. If AI tools are not included in the list of permitted resources, they may not be used. Creative use of AI is permitted as long as your own intellectual contribution clearly predominates in the solution of the assigment. 

As an instructor, you decide this, provided there are no relevant regulations, such as in the examination regulations. 

The permitted aids must be specified in the assignment instructions. If you allow AI tools as aids, please state this explicitly and inform students which AI tools are permitted, if any, and how AI-generated content should be specifically identified in exams and coursework. 

If you do not allow AI tools as aids, you should also state this explicitly. 

If you have permitted the use of AI tools as aids, their use must be disclosed. You determine the method of disclosure. Please discuss this with the students.

If you do not permit the use of AI tools, students are not allowed to use them. The signed declaration of originality for academic work then serves as proof that the student did not use AI tools—otherwise, it would constitute an attempt at deception.

Yes, especially since there is currently still a great deal of uncertainty among students regarding the use of AI tools. Please communicate well in advance of upcoming exams whether you permit or prohibit the use of AI tools to avoid any misunderstandings. It is also essential that you discuss how any AI-generated text, images, or videos should be labeled in exam submissions, as there are currently no generally accepted standards for labeling.

The Higher Education Act requires that examiners evaluate examination performance personally.  The legal basis provided by constitutional law and the examination regulations stipulates that you must evaluate an examination based on your own thoughts, qualifications, and assessments. If the AI tool is used as a supplement to provide an additional assessment of the examination, such that this assessment only indirectly influences the final grade, this is permissible.

Since the use of AI tools to examine content generally results in the examined elements being transferred to other IT systems that are outside our control, this constitutes a violation of the copyright of those who produced the exam performance.

In most disciplines, standards for citation are still in the early stages of development. The following options are currently being discussed:

Citation in the text or in a footnote:
The citation should include the name of the provider, the software, and the version of the AI tool used, the prompt used (verbatim), and the date of the query. Here is an example using a query to ChatGPT:

(OpenAI: ChatGPT (Version 3.5): “How is the use of AI tools in a written exam paper scientifically correctly cited and documented?”, July 14, 2023)
 

³OpenAI: ChatGPT (Version 3.5): “How is the use of AI tools in a written exam paper scientifically correctly cited and documented?”, August 7, 2023

• Archiving prompts and responses:
  Since content generated using AI tools cannot be reproduced word-for-word even if the prompt is repeated verbatim, it is recommended to save the entire chat history related to the question or topic and, if necessary, include it as an appendix in your academic paper.

ChatGPT now offers the option to generate a permanent link to a chat history. chat.openai.com/share/80159419-9249-46fd-a6ed-5abe637e8b8e
Alternatively, the chat history can be saved as a file, for example by copying and pasting it into a file, or—if no other option is available—archived using screenshots.

An overview of “citation styles” according to various guidelines can be found, for example, here: www.scribbr.de/ki-tools-nutzen/chatgpt-zitieren/