The Touro University System (TUS) Academic Integrity Policy defines plagiarism, cheating, and other unethical conduct, including in the context of use of AI.  The following definitions can be found in the TUS Academic Integrity Policy:

• Plagiarism: Plagiarism is defined as the unauthorized use of the writings, ideas and/or computer-generated material of others without appropriate acknowledgement, and the representation of them as one’s own original work. It also includes the unauthorized use of computer-generated material via AI and other emerging technologies without appropriate acknowledgement and the representation of them as one’s own original work.  Plagiarism encompasses acts of inadvertent failure to acknowledge sources, as well as improper attribution due to poor citation.  Intentional plagiarism includes using computer-generated material via AI and other emerging technologies without attribution.
• Cheating on Examinations and other Class/Fieldwork Assignments: Examples of cheating include exceeding the restrictions put in place for “take home” examinations, such as unauthorized use of library sources or internet sources, unauthorized use of computer-generated material via AI and other emerging technologies, or unauthorized collaboration on answers. Examples of unauthorized assistance include receiving assistance via AI and other emerging technologies without the authorization of the instructor.
• Misleading or fraudulent behavior includes taking credit for accomplishments achieved by another person or computer-generated material via AI and other emerging technologies.

Students who are found to have violated the parameters of academic integrity will be subject to sanctions, following the procedures described in the Policy.

Touro University encourages the responsible use of AI tools to enhance learning and research. We encourage all members of our university community to experiment creatively with AI, provided such activities are conducted ethically and responsibly. A student’s academic work must reflect their own original ideas, organization, and expression. The use of AI tools should be limited to supporting—not replacing—the student’s thinking.

The following guidelines clarify our expectations for students and faculty with regard to graded assessments in coursework.

1. Policy Scope

• University-Wide Standards: These policy guidelines apply across all departments and campuses in the TUS.

2. Appropriate Use

• Default Policy: In the absence of an explicit statement by the instructor regarding the scope of AI use for graded coursework, the following default rules apply:
• Use of AI-generated text or output to write, complete, or substantially develop any portion of a graded assessment is not permitted.
• “Substantially” includes but is not limited to (a) generating full paragraphs, sections, or answers; (b) paraphrasing or rewriting significant portions of text; and (c) using AI to construct arguments, explanations, or problem solutions.
• Use of generative AI tools is permitted for pre-task support activities. These include such activities as: (a) brainstorming topics or ideas; (b) generating outlines; (c) identifying themes or directions for initial research; (d) finding keywords or search terms to guide exploration.
• Such use should be limited to supporting, not replacing, the student’s own thinking and creative efforts.
• Any use of AI for these purposes must be acknowledged in accordance with the Acknowledgement of Use requirements outlined in Section 3 of this policy.
• Use of AI tools is permitted for grammar correction and language editing. This includes spelling, punctuation, word choice, and sentence structure. This does not include the use of AI tools to rewrite or enhance the substance of the student’s writing.
• Use of agentic AI tools, which are AI systems that generate text or outcomes with minimal human direction or oversight, is prohibited for all graded assessments. This includes any AI agents that act autonomously to produce content, solve problems, or make decisions on behalf of the student.
• Instructor Autonomy: At their discretion, instructors may permit unrestricted AI usage, limited AI usage, or ban AI use for specified assignments and graded assessments. Instructors are responsible for making clear to students, in writing, how AI may and may not be used in a course, and students are responsible for ascertaining, understanding, and following each instructor’s policy. Each instructor’s policy must include the Data Privacy Reminder as follows:

• “Only AI tools approved by the university (which are available through the TouroOne Portal) are to be used when working with confidential or personally identifiable information (PII). PII includes, but is not limited to, full names, ID numbers, grades, health data, and any information that could be used to identify someone. Be advised that non-approved software can collect any information from your device without your knowledge or consent, which could result in unintended consequences. Use of non-approved AI platforms is prohibited on TUS machines, and may result in academic, legal, or disciplinary consequences. Please access the full policy here: https://www.touro.edu/students/policies/academic-integrity/.”

• Policy Transparency: Effective January 1, 2026, every course syllabus shall contain a clear and unambiguous statement of the course’s policy on AI use as outlined below. The statement may refer to an easily available departmental or school policy or may be self-contained but must not permit actions otherwise prohibited by the TUS Academic Integrity Policy such as plagiarism, cheating, and other unethical conduct.
• Ethical Use: Students are to use AI tools ethically, ensuring that they respect the privacy, autonomy, and safety of others. AI tools may not be used to deceive, manipulate, or harm others. Submitting AI-generated text, media, or code as one’s own without acknowledgement is a form of plagiarism and subject to disciplinary proceedings and possible sanctions.

3. Acknowledgement of Use

• Acknowledgement: As noted above, any use of AI tools in student work must be acknowledged; see guidelines below.
• Unacknowledged use: To avoid all doubt, if a student uses AI and does not acknowledge said use, regardless of any statements made or not made in the syllabus, it is considered plagiarism and subject to disciplinary proceedings and sanctions.
• Citation and Reference: For written assignments, acknowledgement will generally be in the form of a footnote or citation (indicating what section(s) of the text were produced by/with the AI tool) with associated bibliographic reference; in other media, this may be a caption or other text included in the submission; and for code this will typically be a comment indicating which function or snippet was produced by an AI tool and in what manner. Citation style may vary by discipline. Students should use the citation format appropriate to the assignment as instructed by their faculty. The exact prompt given to the AI tool should be specified.
• Examples of Acknowledgement:
  • “This assignment was generated with support from Copilot (Microsoft, 2025) to assist with initial brainstorming and proofreading.”
  • “This paragraph was drafted with assistance from Copilot (Microsoft, March 2025), prompt: “Summarize the main arguments of X.”

• Examples of Reference:
• MLA: “Describe the symbolism of the green light in the book The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald” prompt. Copilot, 13 Feb. version, Microsoft, 8 Mar. 2023, chat.microsoftcopilot.com/chat.
• Chicago: Copilot, response to "Explain how to make pizza dough from common household ingredients," Microsoft, March 7, 2023, https://chat.microsoftcopilot.com/chat. 
• APA: Microsoft. (2023). Copilot (Mar 14 version) [Large language model]. https://chat.microsoftcopilot.com/chat

4. Data Privacy and Security

• Data Security Notice: Per the Information Security Policy on Generative AI TUS faculty, staff, and students may only use AI tools that have been vetted and approved by the TUS when handling confidential or personally identifiable information (PII) about any individual or the university. Confidential information includes any Touro-affiliated contact information (phone numbers, email addresses, physical addresses, etc.) or data not intended for public disclosure. PII includes names, ID numbers, email addresses, grades, financial account numbers, employment history, school or department affiliation, device identifiers (device address or serial numbers),  health information, or patterns of information that could lead to identification, including but not limited to: zip code, age, job title, disability status, political affiliation, race, ethnicity, or religion. Use of non-approved AI platforms for academic work is discouraged. The university maintains vetted AI platforms that comply with institutional policies and relevant legal frameworks, including FERPA, COPPA, and GDPR. These platforms are selected based on their adherence to data governance and security, accessibility, and ethical use. Open-source, public, and/or downloadable AI tools may collect such information from your device, biometric data, or other sensitive information without one's knowledge or consent, which could result in unintended consequences. Students, faculty, or staff who use AI platforms that are not approved by TUS assume full responsibility for any academic, legal, or ethical consequences resulting from such use. It is prohibited to use AI tools that are not approved by TUS on any TUS machine. Failure to comply with this policy is a violation of TUS policy and may result in disciplinary action, up to and including expulsion, per such policy. It may also constitute a violation of federal law.

• Intellectual Property: Be mindful that some AI tools store user queries and outputs, which can affect future publication or patenting. In addition, the use of AI tools in the creation of text, images or code may impact the ownership of such intellectual property, as well as the creator’s ability to register their rights in and to such intellectual property with the relevant governmental authorities.

5. Addressing Suspected Violations

• Allegations of impermissible AI use are to be addressed with the same procedures and standards as any other suspected breach of the Touro University System Academic Integrity Policy.
• Periodic updates on AI detection tools, their company policies and disclaimers, and their effective use will be posted on the TouroOne Portal by the Office of the Provost for Artificial Intelligence

6. Enforcement and Updates

Violations of these AI guidelines fall under the broader Touro University System Academic Integrity Policy and may result in sanctions, up to and including expulsion, per that policy. As AI technologies evolve, the university will periodically review and update this addendum. Changes will be communicated through official channels, and students must remain informed and in compliance.

Acknowledgement

Portions of this document are based on AI summaries of best practices from leading universities and academic societies.

References:

• OpenAI. (2023). ChatGPT (accessed Feb 27, 2025; version o1) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com/chat
• Microsoft CoPilot. (2024). Accessed Feb 27, 2025. https://copilot.microsoft.com/