Decision checker
AI assignment policy & disclosure checker
Describe your assignment rules and how you want to use AI. This tool cannot read or interpret your actual syllabus, grant permission, or determine whether past use was compliant. Nothing is uploaded to NM.
Your next step
Confirm permission before relying on AI assistance
Your selections do not establish that this particular use is authorized. The instructor or assignment policy must resolve the uncertainty.
Prepare a clarification request
Only include facts that are true. This text is editable and does not authorize AI use.
If your instructor specifies a disclosure format or citation style, use that instead. Never invent prompts, verification steps, or AI contributions. A disclosure does not cure prohibited use.
Why This Decision Matters
There is no universal list of AI uses that every college permits. A syllabus may prohibit generative AI, allow it for specific activities, require acknowledgment, or delegate decisions to individual assignments. Even helpful-seeming activities can be restricted when the learning objective is to perform that work independently.
The safest approach is to identify the exact rule, describe the assistance honestly, and obtain clarification before proceeding when permission is uncertain. The interactive tool organizes those steps; it cannot certify compliance.
Assignment Rules
The assignment-specific policy comes first.
Link copiedCheck the assignment instructions, syllabus, departmental guidance, and institutional academic-integrity policy. More specific instructions may add restrictions. If the documents conflict or are silent, ask your instructor rather than treating silence as permission.
Permission and disclosure are separate questions
A statement acknowledging AI use is not permission to use it. If an activity is prohibited, documenting that activity does not make it acceptable. Conversely, even an allowed use may require a specific acknowledgment, citation, or appendix.
Practical Examples
The same tool can be acceptable for one task and prohibited for another.
Link copiedBrainstorming and outlining
Generating possible topics or organizing your own ideas may be allowed in some courses. If independent idea generation is the learning objective, it may not be.
Proofreading and rewriting
Correcting spelling is different from substantially rewriting arguments or paragraphs. Check whether the policy distinguishes mechanical edits from generated prose.
Coding and debugging
Explaining an error, suggesting a test, and writing an assessed function are different levels of assistance. In programming courses, ask which activities and tools are allowed.
Summaries and research
AI summaries can omit or invent details. Do not cite a source you have not consulted, and do not replace required reading if the assignment expects your independent analysis.
Attribution
Disclose what AI did, not just which tool you opened.
Link copiedWhen your course requires an acknowledgment, describe the tool, how it was used, which portions of the work were affected, and what you independently checked or revised. Do not claim verification you did not perform. Follow any required institutional format.
A narrative AI-use disclosure and a formal citation serve different purposes. Your instructor may require one, both, or neither. Citation rules vary by style and by the nature of the AI output, so follow the assigned citation guide rather than treating a generated disclosure as a substitute.
Example of a factual disclosure
I used an AI assistant to brainstorm three possible topics for this essay. I selected the final topic independently and wrote the submitted text myself. I checked the factual claims against the assigned readings.
Use this only if every statement accurately describes what happened.
Worked Scenarios
Three situations, three different next steps.
Link copiedPolicy explicitly prohibits AI
Do not use AI for the assignment without a written exception. If you already did, ask the instructor or academic-integrity office how to address the situation; disclosure alone does not resolve it.
Policy permits brainstorming with disclosure
Stay within brainstorming, document the assistance accurately, and follow the required disclosure format. Do not infer that generated final paragraphs are also permitted.
Syllabus is silent about debugging
Ask whether AI-assisted debugging is permitted, whether code suggestions may be incorporated, and whether the interaction must be documented. Do this before relying on the assistance.
Before You Submit
Take these steps before making your decision.
- Read the assignment-specific AI instructions and syllabus.
- Identify whether the exact activity is explicitly permitted.
- Record which AI tool you used and what it contributed.
- Verify all claims, sources, and code independently where required.
- Keep your own drafts and working notes if your course requires them.
- Use the required disclosure or citation format.
- Ask the instructor when the policy is unclear or contradictory.
- Do not assume disclosure excuses prohibited assistance.
Questions to Ask Your Instructor
Have a better conversation.
Ask about the precise activity and assignment, not whether AI is generally good or bad.
Is brainstorming with AI allowed for this assignment?
May I use AI for proofreading, or is substantive rewriting prohibited?
Can I use AI to debug code without submitting AI-generated code?
Do I need to disclose prompts, tools, or the extent of assistance?
Should I include an AI citation, an acknowledgment, or both?
If I already used AI under unclear rules, what is the appropriate next step?
Key Takeaways
- Your assignment and instructor determine permitted AI assistance.
- Different activities can have different permissions even with the same AI tool.
- Disclosure does not make prohibited AI use permissible.
- Accurate attribution describes the actual assistance and verification.
- When the policy is unclear, ask before relying on AI-generated work.
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