AI and collaboration policy

The vast majority of your grade in this course comes from in-person tests and the final exam. Because of this, we can be fairly lenient about collaboration and the use of AI. However, even though AI is not strictly prohibited, it can quickly become a slippery slope: you may feel like you understand the material, but in reality you may be relying on AI without developing your own understanding. The result is often poor test performance and disappointing grades.

If you want to do well in this class, we recommend the following approach:

• Lecture: Do the required reading before lecture. Ask questions in person during class, or later on Campuswire. You may use AI to help you understand the lecture material, but stay vigilant: it is very easy to let AI replace your own thinking. A good way to think of AI is as a “solution sheet.” You can consult it when needed, but it cannot replace the learning that comes from working through ideas yourself slowly, carefully, and with real effort.
• Lab Assignments:
  • Do the programming assignments independently and without using AI. The labs are designed as “puzzles” to help you learn the course material. That learning only happens if you investigate, experiment, debug, and refine the solution yourself. If you offload that process to AI (or to friends), you will miss the learning, and it will show up later on lab-related test questions.
  • Acknowledge any sources or influences (AI, a friend, or online materials) in the work you turn in. This is a basic academic integrity practice.

Learning is hard work, and it is always tempting to take shortcuts. Today’s AI is so powerful and accessible that the shortcut is sitting right in front of you 24/7. But shortcuts come with a cost: you can end up finishing the course without truly learning the material. That said, AI can also be used in ways that support learning rather than replace it, e.g. helping you clarify concepts, generate practice questions, or point out mistakes in your reasoning. We allow free use of AI in that spirit, and we trust you to use it responsibly.