AI in Teaching and Learning
ETH Zurich advocates a proactive approach to the use of generative AI (GenAI) within educational contexts, emphasising the responsible use of this technology among students and lecturers.
Generative artificial intelligence
It is crucial for all members of the academic community to understand how GenAI functions, explore its opportunities and be aware of its limitations, in teaching and learning. This is essential to prepare students and lecturers for AI-driven workplaces while upholding academic integrity by adhering to the principles of responsibility, transparency, and fairness.
Investigating the use of AI in teaching and learning is an active field of research and development. The Rectorate is involved in a number of projects, and internal ETH funding for new projects can be obtained via the Innovedum focus on AI in teaching and learning.
Pursue training on how GenAI works, learn, and explore its potential for creativity, idea generation, personalised learning, or even coaching, and remain critical of its output, considering its limitations, ethical implications, and potential biases.
- Responsibility: You are responsible for the content of work you submit. Discuss with your lecturer whether and how you may use GenAI and how exactly you should cite it. Be aware to thoroughly check AI generated contributions for plagiarism. Performance assessments must be conducted independently and personally. GenAI may serve a supplementary role, helping you but not replacing your efforts.
- Transparency: Be transparent about your use of GenAI. Clearly state which tools you have used for which part of your work using the correct style guide.
- Fairness: Respect the privacy and copyright of the content with which you work. Refrain from disclosing copyrighted, private, or confidential information to commercial GenAI clients, unless expressly permitted.
Seek to understand GenAI functionalities, its capabilities, and tools available. Adapt your teaching and assessment strategies accordingly. Explore how GenAI can support your work and assist you as a lecturer in the preparation, delivery and follow-up of lessons and performance assessments. Discuss acceptable or unacceptable use in your professional subject-specific context with your students. Ensure your course objectives reflect authentic competencies in a world that embraces AI.
- Responsibility: As a lecturer you are responsible for the content you provide to your students. This means that teaching materials created with GenAI must be subjected to quality control by you, including checking for possible bias. You determine whether and how GenAI may be used in your courses and for the respective assessments.
- Transparency: Clearly communicate to your students in what circumstances GenAI use is permitted and provide guidance on making its use transparent. Be a good role model and make the use of GenAI visible in your own documents, teaching materials, and whether it’s used for assessing student work.
- Fairness: Ensure that GenAI tools are compliant with data protection regulations and adhere to institutional policies, e.g., for evaluation or personalised feedback purposes.
ETH Zurich promotes responsible usage of generative AI in education, encouraging ingenuity and innovative approaches while prioritising responsibility, transparency, and fairness by adhering to privacy and copyright regulations.
- ETH Zurich supports lecturers and students in acquiring advanced skills for working with generative AI by offering targeted courses.
- ETH Zurich promotes the development and embedding of AI technologies in teaching and learning as well as for academic and administrative work.
- ETH is equipping students and staff for the AI-supported labour market and societies of tomorrow.
- Legal aspects of GenAI uses are covered by the existing rules for performance assessments and, the “declaration of originality,” and other legal guidelines. Violations such as use of unauthorised aids or non-disclosure of their use will continue to be subject to external pagedisciplinary action.