Dr Mary Fitzpatrick, University of Limerick
There is a realisation that the emergence of Generative Artificial Intelligence (Gen AI) is already having a profound impact on Irish Academia. Inevitably, there are both challenges and opportunities, specifically in terms of developing and implementing effective good practice and governance strategies. The University of Limerick (UL) is committed to upholding the highest standards of academic integrity. Accordingly, the Academic Integrity Unit at UL have led on a project to develop a set of Gen AI principles, the first in an Irish context, that would be applicable across the institution. These principles present an explicit set of commitments to which UL as an institution can commit; thus, ensuring integrity. They were identified and developed with reference to national, European and international guidance and policy documents and were designed to reflect the roles and responsibilities of the institution, staff, researchers and students. They are designed to provide an overarching framework for all stakeholders to reflect on their use of Gen AI.
The five principles are:
- Generative AI Literacy
- Integrity
- Innovation
- Equity
- Ethical and Secure Use
The principles have been mapped to the UL Graduate Attributes (Agile, Articulate, Curious, Courageous, Responsible) to demonstrate the inherent link of Gen AI in all aspects of teaching, learning and assessment. In addition, aligning these principles to graduate attributes creates a degree of harmony across university strategies. There is also overlap with the more recently released HEA and the Teaching and Learning Forum’s “The Ten Considerations for Generative Artificial Intelligence Adoption in Irish Higher Education”
