Artificial Intelligence Guidelines at HCC

• Human-centered decision making
  • AI is a tool—not a decision-maker.
    Final responsibility for academic, instructional, and operational decisions rests with people.
• Integrity and accountability
  • Use of AI must align with HCC’s academic integrity expectations. Unauthorized or undisclosed AI use may constitute misconduct.
• Transparency
  • Be open about when and how AI is used in academic or professional work. Proper attribution is expected when AI contributes meaningfully to outputs.
• Accessible
  • AI should support—not hinder—access to learning.
• Privacy and security
  • Protect student, employee, and institutional data at all times. Sensitive information must never be entered into unapproved AI tools.
• Critical thinking first
  • AI can assist—but not replace—learning, analysis, or expertise. Users are responsible for verifying accuracy and avoiding overreliance.

AI Use Spectrum

Faculty may determine A.I. classroom use along this spectrum:

• A.I. Not Allowed (Impermissible)
• Limited Use (Permissible)

Syllabus Statements

Affirmative Statement:

Houston City College (HCC) recognizes the potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a powerful tool to support teaching, learning, and innovation. However, faculty retain the right to determine the appropriate use of AI tools within their courses in alignment with academic standards and learning objectives. Faculty can also opt not to allow AI use in their courses. Student use of AI in ways not explicitly permitted within a course will be considered plagiarism. When AI use is permitted within a course, students must disclose the use of AI and cite all AI-assisted work accordingly. Students must use AI responsibly and comply with HCC's Student Code of Conduct and other applicable policies.

The use of AI tools is permitted in this course, subject to the guidelines outlined below.

Permitted AI Use:

• Brainstorming and idea generation
• Research assistance and information gathering
• Proofreading and grammar checking
• [Instructor to add any additional course-specific permitted uses]

Prohibited AI Use:

• Submitting AI-generated content as your original work without proper attribution
• Using AI to complete assignments when explicitly forbidden
• Sharing prompts or outputs that contain confidential course or personal information
• [Instructor to add any additional course-specific prohibited uses]

This course policy fosters innovation while maintaining academic integrity and ensuring equitable access to educational opportunities. As AI technologies evolve, this course policy may be subject to change. Students are encouraged to discuss any questions or concerns about AI use with the instructor.

Impermissible Statment

Houston City College (HCC) recognizes the potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a powerful tool to support teaching, learning, and innovation. However, HCC also understands the faculty’s role in determining the most eSicacious instructional strategy for its curricula. Faculty retain the right to determine the appropriate use of AI tools within their courses in alignment with academic standards and learning objectives. Faculty can also opt not to allow AI use in their courses. The instructor for this course has determined that AI use is prohibited, given the course’s learning objectives and activities. Student use of AI within this course will be considered plagiarism. Students are encouraged to discuss any questions or concerns about AI use with the instructor.

Purpose: Learn effectively while maintaining integrity and privacy.

Do

• Do follow syllabus rules/instructor guidance
• Do use AI for learning support
• Do verify and cite output
• Do protect personal data
• Do check for bias and accuracy
• Do Disclose AI Use
• Do Adhere to intellectual property and copyright regulations
• Do refer to the Academic Integrity policy in handbook

Do not

• Do not submit AI work when not allowed
• Do not share sensitive data such as confidential or personally identifiable information
• Do not rely blindly on AI outputs
• Do not use AI to deceive (e.g., deepfakes/impersonation and misinformation) or to cause harm (harassment, threats, fraud, or illegal activity)

Purpose: Support teaching, research, and operations while protecting privacy and institutional data.

Do

• Do follow FERPA/HIPAA and data policies
• Do use approved tools
• Do disclose AI Use
• Do minimize and de-identify data
• Do verify and cite outputs
• Do maintain human oversight
• Do check bias and accessibility
• Do Adhere to intellectual property and copyright regulations

Do not

• Do not upload sensitive data such as confidential or personally identifiable information to public tools. Aligned to FERPA/HIPAA and data policies.
• Do not allow AI to make high-stakes decisions
• Do not rely on AI to create citations; verify in library databases
• Do not submit AI work as your own unless permitted**
• Don’t misrepresent authorship
• Do not use unapproved tools
• Do not use AI to deceive (e.g., deepfakes/impersonation and misinformation) or to cause harm (harassment, threats, fraud, or illegal activity)