If your syllabus is silent on AI, your students already have an answer to “is this okay?” — and it’s probably not the one you’d pick.
A written AI policy, shared from the beginning, is the cheapest insurance you’ll buy all semester: it heads off integrity issues before they start, and it’s what backs you up if you need to enforce a violation later. The catch is that writing one from scratch feels like one more thing on an already full plate.
It doesn’t have to be. The Office of Instructional Resources built an AI Policy Builder widget right into Blackboard and also made it available on the Kansas Academic Resource Network. Pick a few options for your course, and it generates ready-to-use, editable policy language (covering student use and your own use as instructor) that you can paste straight into your syllabus. No blank page, no legalese to draft yourself.
How to find it on Blackboard: In your Blackboard course, go to the right-side menu “Details & Actions” – “Books & Tools” – “Syllabus” – scroll to “Generative AI Policy – “Build Policy.” Select your preferences, then copy the generated text from the preview box into your syllabus or a standalone AI policy document.
Watch a detailed demonstration of the widget from the May ARC: “Building an AI Policy for your Class“
More AI-related course resources:
OIR resource page: Designing and Redesigning Courses in the Age of AI
ARC Sessions:
- “What are You Going to do About AI?” (session for new faculty)
- “Assessments in a World Without a Scarlet AI“
- “Claude Workflows for Course Improvement-20260805_140035-Meeting Recording“
- Using AI in Grading Workflows (No recording, but slides are available from oir@wichita.edu)
- “Exploring AI (and Other) Tools for Research“
- “Using AI to Create Full Program Reviews“
Contact oir@wichita.edu with any questions. AI disclosure: This announcement was co-written with Claude.