Tier II Policy: Reasonable Restriction

As with any new technology, it is important for both instructors and students to be aware of Generative AI’s strengths, weaknesses, and appropriate role in language learning and the world language classroom. Instructors who choose to take a measured approach to AI use explicitly allow this tool to be employed as an aid with clearly defined parameters, while also ensuring that major graded work is done primarily or solely without the use of such technology. Instructors choosing this tier, as a general guideline, will likely permit well-defined AI use on low-stakes or medium-stakes graded work, i.e. an assignment that counts for a minor grade for the given course such as a homework assignment, a group work activity, etc. Instructors that are open to allowing Generative AI for extended use, or for high stakes work such as term papers or major presentations, may want to consider adopting policies of Tier I above. 

• Aligned Use: Generative AI use is allowed in these two overarching categories. AI serves as a learning aid or tool for brainstorming, feedback, or practice. Students remain active participants and acknowledge AI's role.
  • Ungraded practice with AI at the student’s own initiative in the target language (unrestricted use).
  • Classwork or graded assignments where the instructor explicitly permits
    AI usage (limited use).
• AI Use that is Not Aligned: Given the fact that exposure to, and effort understanding and producing, language are key to acquisition, students are not allowed to use Generative AI unless the instructor explicitly allows it. AI use that is not aligned with this policy falls into two overarching categories.
  • Classwork or graded assignments where the instructor prohibits, or does not expressly allow, AI use. (disallowed use).
  • Classwork or graded assignments where the student fails to acknowledge or appropriately cite AI-generated work (plagiarized use).

Transparency and Citation

In cases where the instructor clearly indicated in their syllabus or assignment instructions that students are allowed to use AI tools, students may choose to do so provided that each instance of AI use is clearly cited in their work. This includes:

• Specific Citations: Every time an AI tool is used, it must be cited in-text or in the body of the assignment. It is not enough to list AI in a bibliography or at the end of the work. Each usage (e.g., for brainstorming ideas, generating outlines, or refining grammar) should be clearly documented within the context it was used.
• Detailed Explanations: Along with citations, students must include a brief explanation of how the AI was used. This ensures transparency and allows instructors to provide more tailored feedback. Students should also describe how they engaged with the AI-generated content (e.g., what additional steps they took to verify or expand upon the AI's output).
  • Example: “I used ChatGPT to brainstorm the structure of my essay on the cultural impact of Spanish colonialism. The AI suggested three primary areas of focus, which I then refined into my final outline after researching more specific examples.”
  • Example: “I used ChatGPT to correct grammatical errors in my Spanish composition homework. The AI suggested ‘Yo quiero comer pizza’ instead of ‘Yo querer comer pizza.’ I reviewed this correction in my textbook to confirm the proper conjugation.”

Citation Guideline for AI Usage

Students must provide a citation for any use of AI in their coursework, ensuring transparency and usage that aligns with policy. This applies to AI-assisted brainstorming, feedback, revisions, or content generation.

• Bibliography: In cases where there is a References or Bibliography section of a paper, students should include AI in that section as one of their sources. Here is an example of what an entry might look like in a paper for which AI was used twice. In the paper itself, citations must be included in parentheses for portions where AI was used as a resource, e.g. (AI1).
• AI1: Assistance provided by ChatGPT for grammar feedback and suggestions on my draft paragraph. Prompt: 'Check the grammar and suggest improvements for this paragraph: I went to the beach last summer ...' Accessed 12/03/2024. Original and revised versions attached.
• AI2: Assistance provided by ChatGPT for brainstorming ideas for a cultural comparison essay. Prompt: 'List key differences between Día de Muertos and Halloween.' Accessed 3/27/2025.
• Each instructor can set their policy concerning proper citation of AI in student work. Students should check the assignment’s instructions and/or check with their instructor to be sure of the exact format to use.

References

Adams, D., Chuah, K. M., Devadason, E., & Azzis, M. S. A. (2024). From novice to
     navigator: Students’ academic help-seeking behaviour, readiness, and perceived
     usefulness of ChatGPT in learning. Education and Information Technologies, 29(11),
     617-634.

Casheekar, A., Lahiri, A., Rath, K., Prabhakar, K. S., & Srinivasan, K. (2024). A contemporary
      review on chatbots, AI-powered virtual conversational agents, ChatGPT: Applications, open
      challenges and future research directions. Computer Science Review, 52, 632.

Citation Format:

"Assistance provided by [AI tool] for [specific task, e.g., brainstorming ideas, providing feedback, grammar suggestions, etc.]. Prompt: '[exact or paraphrased query].' Accessed [date]. [Original and revised versions attached, if applicable.]"

Example Citations

1. For brainstorming ideas:

"Assistance provided by ChatGPT for brainstorming ideas for a cultural comparison essay. Prompt: 'List key differences between Día de Muertos and Halloween.' Accessed 12/03/2025."

2. For feedback and revisions:

"Assistance provided by ChatGPT for grammar feedback and suggestions on my draft paragraph. Prompt: 'Check the grammar and suggest improvements for this paragraph: I went to the beach last summer ...' Accessed 12/03/2025. Original and revised versions attached."

3. For generating content:

"Assistance provided by ChatGPT for generating practice questions about restaurant vocabulary. Prompt: 'Create beginner-level questions for ordering food at a restaurant in French.' Accessed 12/03/2025."

Elementary Courses (1000-level)

The following are a handful of many possible examples of allowed or disallowed use cases. It is up to the instructor to clearly define, through explicit instructions and/or examples, what students are or are not allowed to do with AI.

Examples of Use Aligned with Policy:

• Unrestricted use: Translating individual unfamiliar words from a vocabulary list and then practicing sentences with those words.
• Unrestricted use: Asking a chatbot to serve as a language tutor outside of class to suggest study strategies or other assistance with reviewing a topic for an upcoming quiz or test.
• Limited use: Completing specific instructor-guided class activities, such as getting vocabulary assistance on a group activity talking about the students’ future profession.
• Limited use: Brainstorming ideas to help choose a cultural topic for a presentation the student will prepare on their own.

Examples of Use Not Aligned with Policy:

• Disallowed use: Writing answers in English for a class activity and having the chatbot translate them into the target language, without the instructor saying AI can be used.
• Disallowed use: Copying an AI-generated translation of all or part of a paragraph assignment when the instructions say not to use AI.
• Plagiarized use: Having an AI create a conversation in a target language and submitting it without any student edits or acknowledgment.
• Plagiarized use: Creating PowerPoint slides written by an AI tool on an assignment where the instructor allowed some form of AI use, but the student failed to acknowledge or cite their use of AI.

Intermediate Courses (2000-level)

The following are a handful of many possible examples of allowed or disallowed use cases. It is up to the instructor to clearly define, through explicit instructions and/or examples, what students are or are not allowed to do with AI.

Examples of Use Aligned with Policy:

• All examples listed for elementary courses.
• Unrestricted use: Using AI as a conversation partner for general practice to improve aural comprehension and oral expression in the target language
• Unrestricted use: Asking AI for synonyms or sentence structures to enhance the complexity of a student-written paragraph.
• Limited use: Using AI to brainstorm ideas for a cultural reflection essay by asking, “What topics might I include when comparing holiday traditions in Spain and the U.S.?”
• Limited use: Having AI summarize an article in the target language to assist in reading comprehension, then writing a student-generated summary.

Examples of Use Not Aligned with Policy:

• All examples listed for elementary courses.
• Disallowed use: Asking AI to write the entirety of a reflective essay or cultural comparison and submitting it without edits
• Disallowed use: Accessing AI tools for any portion of summative assessments for online course, such as for graded examinations.
• Plagiarized use: Prompting AI to provide synonyms or sentence structures for an essay where AI use is allowed, but the student failed to acknowledge or cite their use of AI.
• Plagiarized use: Using AI to summarize an article and then copying the AI-generated summary instead of writing an original response.

3000-Level Courses

The following are a handful of many possible examples of allowed or disallowed use cases. It is up to the instructor to clearly define, through explicit instructions and/or examples, what students are or are not allowed to do with AI.

Examples of Use Aligned with Policy:

• All examples listed for elementary and intermediate courses.
• Unrestricted use: Reviewing basic vocabulary and structures with AI-created explanations or sample sentences to solidify a students’ knowledge of language fundamentals.
• Unrestricted use: Asking AI to generate possible conversation topics for a roleplay exercise and using them in class practice.
• Limited use: Using AI to create practice questions for a class presentation, then answering them independently.
• Limited use: Using AI to identify gaps in a draft of a research paper by asking for feedback on flow and organization, then making revisions.

Examples of Use Not Aligned with Policy:

• All examples listed for elementary and intermediate courses.
• Disallowed use: Using AI to generate portions of a script for a recorded oral assignment where AI use is allowed for brainstorming and preparation, but not to create the final product.
• Disallowed use: Generating AI-supplied answers for comprehension questions from course materials without reading the materials.
• Plagiarized use: Copy-pasting AI-generated research arguments for a class debate without verifying or understanding the content.
• Plagiarized use: Using AI to write a full draft of a research paper and then making edits to obscure the use of AI and present it as one’s own work.

Advanced Courses (4000-level and above)

The following are a handful of many possible examples of allowed or disallowed use cases. It is up to the instructor to clearly define, through explicit instructions and/or examples, what students are or are not allowed to do with AI.

Examples of Use Aligned with Policy:

• All examples listed for elementary, intermediate, and 3000-level courses.
• Unrestricted use: Using AI to create a summary of a YouTube or other video that the student is interested in viewing during their own leisure time to enrich their cultural knowledge.
• Unrestricted use: Creating general review questions about a text that the student has read for an exam that will include questions about that work and chatting with AI to get feedback on their answers.
• Limited use: Using AI to locate key quotes from a text for a literary analysis and integrating them into a paper with proper citation.
• Limited use: Asking AI to provide initial overall feedback on a composition they’ve written entirely on their own.

Examples of Use Not Aligned with Policy:

• All examples listed for elementary, intermediate, and 3000-level courses.
• Disallowed use: Using AI to generate responses for class discussion prompts without engaging with the reading material
• Disallowed use: Asking AI to write a response to an advanced writing prompt (e.g., analyzing the impact of social media on language learning) instead of developing one’s own arguments and getting targeted feedback or suggestions.
• Plagiarized use: Copying an AI-generated annotated bibliography without reading or assessing the sources yourself.
• Plagiarized use: Asking AI to write a complete literary analysis or historical essay and submitting it without revisions or acknowledgment.

Instructor’s Role in Tier II

Since instructors adopting this tier are placing greater restrictions on students than Tier I, it is as important — and perhaps even more so — for the instructor to be explicit about when the use of artificial intelligence is allowed or encouraged. Instructors adopting Tier II policies play a central role in guiding students toward responsible and beneficial use of AI tools within clearly defined boundaries. The goal is not to encourage unfettered AI use but to help students recognize when and how limited AI integration can support them on their language learning journey without replacing independent thought or acquiring the language.

• Structured Support and Clear Boundaries: Instructors should provide students with explicit instructions in their syllabus and on assignments about where and how AI may be used in the course. This means defining not only assignments or tasks where AI use is allowed, but also specifically what forms of interaction with AI are allowed (e.g., brainstorming only, no text generation). Instructors can offer examples of acceptable tools and prompts to use with them, and required citation practices, while reinforcing that AI use is supplementary, not central, to any graded work.
• Feedback on Allowed Use: Even in cases where allowed AI use may be minimal, instructors should still provide feedback on how students are incorporating it. This can include providing positive feedback on when AI was used appropriately, giving examples from the students’ assignment. At the same time, the instructor can point out when reliance on AI may be hindering development of key skills (e.g., writing fluency, vocabulary retention). As a whole class activity, the instructor can encourage reflection on how AI helped—or didn’t help—the class to achieve learning outcomes on a given assignment.
• Pedagogical Intentionality. Instructors should choose when to allow AI use based on clear rationale for its inclusion. AI use should not be the default, rather it should be used when it can enhance learning (e.g., as a brainstorming tool in early drafts). Particularly at lower levels, it is important to avoid allowing AI usage where it may compromise skill development (e.g., cases where students may just translate words or sentences without knowing the fundamental vocabulary or structures underlying them). Instructors can integrate AI in optional ways (e.g., non-graded exercises, guided homework) that reinforce ethical, beneficial usage while still preserving academic integrity.

Consequences of Misuse

Because Tier II only allows controlled use of AI under specific conditions, any misuse or failure to properly cite AI usage will result in significant consequences:

• Failure to Cite AI: If a student fails to acknowledge AI usage, they will be subject to academic misconduct procedures and may be reported to the Office of Student Accountability.
• Plagiarism: Claiming AI-generated work as one’s own, or using AI in ways not aligned with course policy, will lead to academic consequences, which may include failure of the assignment or course.

Students may use AI tools under these guidelines, but if they do, they must remain diligent in citing and explaining their use. This tier is designed for AI use to be a targeted aid in learning, while major graded work is done primarily or solely without the use of such technology.