Appendix C: AI Use and Disclosure

This appendix restates the course AI policy from the syllabus. When in doubt, disclose.

The General Principle

In this course, students learn to use and collaborate with AI tools. Their use is permitted on all assignments except as noted below.

Because learning about AI is the very purpose of this course, you are expected to engage with AI tools thoughtfully, honestly, and in accordance with the guidelines below.

AI tools may be used on select assignments, as instructed, provided their use is disclosed and properly cited. Undisclosed use on any assignment where it is permitted — or any use where it is restricted — constitutes a violation of academic integrity and will be treated accordingly.

Assignment-Specific Guidelines

Assignment Type	AI Use	Requirements
Homework assignments	Permitted with disclosure	Cite which tool was used and describe how
Labs / hands-on activities	Required	AI tools are a core part of lab activities
Quizzes	Not permitted	All work must be your own
Midterm exam	Not permitted	Closed-book, no AI tools of any kind
Capstone project	Permitted with disclosure	Final analysis, arguments, and conclusions must reflect your own thinking; AI may assist with research and drafting only

Note

Note the second row. On the ⚙️ Hands-On activities throughout this book, using an AI assistant is not merely allowed — it is expected. Asking an assistant to explain a confusion matrix, interpret a loss curve, or unpack an error message is part of the exercise. That is a different skill from asking it to do the work, and this course is trying to build the first one.

Disclosure Format

When AI use is permitted and you have used it, include this at the end of your submission:

AI Disclosure: I used [Tool Name] to [brief description of how it was used — e.g., brainstorm ideas, check grammar, summarize a source]. The final responses and conclusions are my own.

Examples

AI Disclosure: I used Claude to explain the difference between precision and recall after I got confused by the Unit 3 confusion matrix. I wrote the analysis myself.

AI Disclosure: I used ChatGPT to generate five candidate capstone topics and to check my draft for unclear sentences. Topic selection, data analysis, and all conclusions are my own.

AI Disclosure: I used Gemini to interpret a ValueError in the Unit 5 code and to suggest what to check. The experiment design and interpretation of results are mine.

Be specific. “I used AI to help” is not a disclosure. Name the tool and name the task.

Using AI Well in This Course

A practical distinction that maps onto how the policy is written:

Productive use	Counterproductive use
“Explain what this error means”	“Fix my code”
“What am I missing in this argument?”	“Write my position paper”
“Give me three counterarguments to my thesis”	“What should my thesis be?”
“Is my explanation of overfitting accurate?”	“Explain overfitting for my homework”
“Quiz me on Unit 4 terminology”	“Answer these Unit 4 questions”

The left column produces learning. The right column produces submitted text and no learning — and it is exactly what the exams and Q&A are designed to detect.

A Note on Academic Integrity

This course is designed to help you develop genuine AI fluency, a skill requiring you to think critically, not just generate output. Submitting AI-generated work as your own without disclosure does not demonstrate learning — it undermines it. Students found in violation are subject to the institution’s academic integrity procedures.

Why This Policy Exists

AI tools are powerful, and knowing how to use them responsibly is itself a career skill (see Unit 8). This policy is not designed to restrict you. It is designed to ensure you graduate with real knowledge and real capabilities that no AI tool can replace.

Important

Consider the structure of this course. In Unit 5 you make a neural network fail. In Unit 9 you catch a data leak. In Unit 10 you build a discriminatory model and try to fix it. An AI assistant can describe all of these to you. It cannot give you the experience of having done them — and that experience is what will still be useful to you in twenty years, when every tool mentioned in this book has been replaced.

University Policies

FGCU maintains central policies on recording class sessions, academic integrity and grievances, student accessibility services, academic disruption, and religious observances. Review them at:

www.fgcu.edu/about/officeoftheprovost/coresyllabus-policy-statements

Submission Reminders

• All assignments are submitted via Canvas. Assignments sent by email, on paper, or by any other means will not be accepted.

• Late work requires written permission from the instructor obtained before the due date. Late penalties begin at 10% of the grade value and increase by 1% per day.

• If difficulty is affecting your academic performance, talk to the professor as early as possible. Office hours are M W 2:00–4:00 PM in ETI 112D.