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Artificial Intelligence in Education

Welcome to the SMUHSD AI Guidance Page, where we aim to help our educators, students, and community navigate the evolving landscape of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in education.

What is AI and Its Role in Education?

Artificial Intelligence (AI) refers to systems designed to perform tasks that typically require human intelligence, such as recognizing speech, solving problems, or generating content. In education, AI can support personalized learning, enhance creativity, and improve efficiency in teaching and learning processes. If you would like more general  information about AI, please visit the following resources:

SMUHSD’s Approach to AI

At SMUHSD, AI is seen as a tool to augment, not replace, the human elements of teaching and learning. It can provide tailored support to meet diverse learning needs and help students break down complex concepts. However, it is crucial that AI is used responsibly and ethically, with clear guidelines on when and how it should be employed. The District hosted a Board Study Session on May 16, 2024, to engage the School Board and Community in understanding these new resources:

Our Key Principles

  • Data Privacy: Protecting the privacy of students and staff is paramount. We advise against inputting personally identifiable information (PII) into AI systems.
  • Academic Integrity: AI should not be used to complete assignments or assessments on behalf of students. Instead, it should be a tool to support learning and understanding.
  • Ethical Use: We encourage educators and students to critically evaluate AI outputs and ensure they do not rely solely on AI-generated content without verification.

  • Innovation and Learning Enhancement: We recognize the potential of generative AI tools to enhance learning and foster innovation while respecting the boundaries of ethical use.

  • Support Teacher Decision-Making: We empower instructors to make informed decisions about the use of generative AI tools within their courses, respecting their expertise and preferences in pursuit of student learning and development.

  • Transparency and Accountability: We emphasize transparency and accountability by requiring students to acknowledge their use of generative AI tools in their work and by encouraging communication between students and instructors regarding acceptable use in their classroom.

How Students Can Use AI

Students should consult with their teachers before using AI tools for schoolwork. They are encouraged to track their use of AI and cite it appropriately in their assignments when permitted. 

AI is evolving technology that has the potential to support teaching and learning in our schools.

What is Generative AI?

Artificial Intelligence (AI) refers to systems designed to complete specific tasks. Your smartphone’s facial recognition, virtual assistants like Alexa and Siri, and social media algorithms all use AI. Modern AI has been linked back to the invention of the programmable digital computer in the 1940s. Generative AI (GenAI) is a newer technology that generates original content, including text, images, and music, by learning from existing data. It enables the creation of customized educational materials, which may foster creativity and enhance learning.

What is AI’s Role in the SMUHSD Classroom?

AI’s purpose in our learning environment is to augment, not replace, the effort put into teaching and learning. Its use is intended to facilitate, not to complete tasks on your behalf. AI can offer tailored support to meet diverse learning needs, by breaking down complex concepts or summarizing information, thereby enriching the educational experience.

Data Privacy and Security

Ensuring data privacy and security is paramount when using GenAI tools. It is essential to avoid inputting any personally identifiable information (PII) or confidential information into AI systems to safeguard privacy. This includes student and staff contact information, demographic information and rosters. By strictly adhering to this guideline, we can utilize GenAI technologies effectively while protecting the integrity of personal data, since we have no control over the data once it is in those systems.

Students: How to Know If and When to Use GenAI

  • Start by asking your teacher if you can use GenAI on the work you are assigned.
  • Track your usage of the tool. You can do this by copying and pasting your conversation into a Google document.
  • Always cite the tool when you submit your assignment.

Appropriate AI Usage

  • Research Assistance: Helping students gather knowledge and information for a topic, assignment, or assessment.
  • Creative Projects: Generating art, music, or creative writing ideas as a starting point for projects.
  • Practice and Revision: Utilizing AI for practice exercises, grammar checks, and feedback.
  • Personalized Learning: Providing students with a tutor to help them learn at their own pace and in their own way.

Inappropriate AI Usage

  • Not Asking Permission: Submitting work without confirming that GenAI is permitted to be used.
  • Submitting AI-Generated Work: Turning in assignments entirely created by AI as a student’s own work without disclosure or modification.
  • Plagiarism: Using AI to rephrase existing content without proper citation to bypass plagiarism detection tools.
  • Misinformation: Relying on unchecked AI-generated information for academic work without verifying its accuracy.

Support and Resources

SMUHSD will continue to provide professional development for teachers and staff on the powerful opportunities for efficiency and support that AI tools can provide. In addition, we will engage in a series of outreach and collaboration activities across the District to solicit input from our educational partners as we establish goals and policy priorities related to this ever-evolving technology. Please return to this website for information about becoming involved and participating in these events.