Northern State University embraces AI as an educational tool, and its use must remain consistent with the university’s mission of developing knowledgeable, ethical, and responsible graduates. Artificial intelligence offers powerful opportunities for learning, research, creativity, and administrative efficiency, while simultaneously raising significant ethical questions. These questions concern authorship, transparency, intellectual growth, and academic integrity.
This page provides guidance on the ethical use of AI and links to additional learning resources for students, instructors, and staff.
Frequently Asked Questions
What AI training or workshops are available at Northern?
Northern State University offers micro-credentials for faculty, staff, and students. Micro-credentials are short, free, and on-demand courses that certify learners have developed specific skills by awarding a digital badge upon completion.
- Students:
- Writing Ethically with AI (2025 – Peter Ramey)
- Cite it Right (2025 – Lucas Wiscons)
- Practical Chat GPT Prompts and Study Agents (2026 – Amanda Garrison)
- AI Output Auditor (2026 - Meng Tian)
- Faculty and Staff:
- AI in Teaching: Making Informed Decisions for Higher Education Faculty (2026 – Hannah Walters, Nicole Schutter, Jason Knowles)
- Working with AI: Essential Skills and Concepts for Staff (2026 – Jason Henslee, Tetiana White, Jennifer Deutsch)
- AI Output Auditor (2026 - Meng Tian)
- Northern Innovation and Startup Center
- Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning
Additional training opportunities are available directly from Microsoft.
Introduction to generative AI - Exploring the basics - Training | Microsoft Learn
- Students:
How can students ensure their use of AI remains ethical?
Because the appropriate use of AI varies by course and assignment, students should always begin by consulting the course syllabus and assignment instructions. These documents will provide the specific expectations for when, how, and whether AI may be used.
More generally, AI use remains ethical when it functions as a tool rather than as an author. AI can support brainstorming, explain concepts, suggest revisions, or provide feedback, but relying on it to produce coursework will undermine learning, diminish students’ agency, and compromise the authenticity of the assignments. A useful rule of thumb is to ask: If a friend or family member did exactly what I'm asking AI to do, would I still consider this my own work?
Where AI use is permitted, students must follow the instructor's citation requirements and acknowledge AI assistance when appropriate. Transparency allows instructors to distinguish between acceptable assistance and misrepresented authorship.
Finally, all students should understand the South Dakota Board of Regents AI and Emergent Technology Policy (Policy 7.9), especially the prohibited uses described in Section G. These rules establish the ethical minimum for AI use on campus. They prohibit using AI to create malware or phishing attacks, bypass security controls, impersonate others or conceal AI-generated content, misrepresent AI-generated work as your own, or infringe on the intellectual property rights of others. Regardless of the assignment, these standards apply to all uses of AI in the university community.
What broader ethical risks should be considered when using AI tools?
AI is a powerful tool, but it is not always accurate, objective, or transparent. It can confidently generate false information, reflect biases present in its training data, and produce conclusions without explaining how they were reached. In higher education, these limitations mean AI should never replace careful human judgment, especially in tasks involving evaluation or decision-making.
AI also has broader social impacts. Training and operating AI systems requires significant energy and computing resources, and AI-generated content may raise copyright or intellectual-property concerns. Responsible AI use includes verifying information, respecting the intellectual property of others, and using AI in ways that are transparent and consistent with university policy.
Is it necessary to cite AI use, and if so, how?
When AI use is permitted, students must follow the instructor's citation requirements. Citation style differs based on academic discipline, and information can be found below:
What informs Northern's approach?
See AI Data, Policies, and Contacts: “What Policies and Frameworks inform Northern’s Approach to AI?”