Gateway Business College has updated its assessment policies to address the opportunities and challenges of generative artificial intelligence (AI). Our goal is to make assessment and feedback more meaningful, supportive and fair, while protecting academic integrity and the value of your Gateway qualification.
Many AI-powered tools can support your studies, but there are also situations where using them is not appropriate. Using AI responsibly means using these tools ethically, understanding their limitations, and keeping a balance between technology and traditional approaches to learning. It remains important to develop your own critical thinking, communication and written-communication skills, and to conduct independent research, rather than relying solely on AI tools.
What is generative AI?
At Gateway, we define generative AI as a rapidly evolving class of computer algorithms capable of creating digital content — including text, images, video, music and computer code.
These algorithms work by deriving patterns from large sets of training data that become encoded into predictive mathematical models, a process commonly referred to as “learning”. These models do not keep a copy of the data they were trained on; instead, they generate novel content from the patterns they encode. People then use AI interfaces such as ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini, Claude or MidJourney to enter ‘prompts’ — typically instructions in plain language — to make these models produce outputs.
AI for learning
Learning to use AI tools productively and responsibly is an important part of developing digital literacy, and we want you to have the skills to adapt and thrive in a changing world. At the same time, you need to understand when AI use is unethical, inappropriate, or breaches Gateway's rules on academic integrity. Submitting assessments that are not your own original work — including work produced by AI — may be a breach of academic integrity.
For general learning purposes, as opposed to assessments, you are permitted to use generative AI tools, as long as you follow all Gateway policies when doing so, including the Academic Integrity Policy, the Acceptable Use of ICT Resources Policy and the Student Code of Conduct.
How to tell whether AI is allowed: your unit outlines
Each unit outline includes a “Use of AI” column that shows whether you can use AI for each assessment. The options are:
| Label | What it means |
|---|---|
| AI prohibited | You may not use AI tools for this assessment. |
| AI allowed | You may use AI tools, provided you use them responsibly and acknowledge them. |
| AI limited | AI may be used only in the specific way your unit coordinator stipulates — for example, a particular tool used in a particular way for certain in-person tasks. |
| Not applicable | AI use is not relevant to this assessment. |
When you can and can't use AI
Allowed: open assessments
You can use AI in open (unsupervised) assessments. These are unsupervised and may be completed in class, online or in your own study time; they give you feedback on your learning, including responsible use of AI. Because they support the development of both disciplinary knowledge and AI literacy, you are encouraged to use AI tools productively and responsibly as part of your learning experience. Your teachers will guide you on the most appropriate types of AI use. When you submit an open assessment, you must appropriately acknowledge any AI use so as not to breach academic integrity.
Prohibited: secure assessments
You generally cannot use AI in secure (supervised) assessments. These are supervised and completed in person — for example in class, in exams or in industry settings — and help verify that you have met specific learning outcomes. The exception is where your unit coordinator has given express permission in the unit outline. Using AI when it isn't allowed could amount to a breach of academic integrity, for which you could be investigated. Your unit outline will have information about using AI for these assessments.
Misuse of AI
Misusing AI can breach the Academic Integrity Policy. Examples of misuse include:
- submitting AI-generated work without appropriate acknowledgement;
- using AI where it has been prohibited in a secure assessment, such as during a supervised exam; and
- entering teaching or course materials (from Gateway or other providers), content generated by another student, intellectual property from external partners, or any person's personal or health information into an AI tool.
Acknowledging AI use
If you use AI in your assessments, you are required to acknowledge it. This includes any tools that use generative AI, such as translation tools, paraphrasing tools or referencing tools. You are not required to acknowledge tools used only for word processing, or which only correct basic spelling and grammar. Failing to provide acknowledgement, or any other misuse, can lead to a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy.
What your acknowledgement must include
Where your unit outline permits you to use automated writing tools or generative AI, include a statement in your submitted work explaining:
- that you have used AI tools in completing the work;
- the name and version of the tools you used;
- the publisher;
- the URL; and
- a brief description of how you used them.
If your unit coordinator has set additional requirements — for example, submitting a log of the AI inputs and outputs used while preparing your assessment — follow those as well.
Best practices
- Follow the guidelines given for your unit and assessment.
- Where AI use is permitted, keep track throughout your assignment of all the ways you used generative AI, and keep copies of AI outputs as evidence of your research and writing process.
- Take ownership of your final work.
- Acknowledge any software or tools you used, and reference all sources.
Sample acknowledgements
I acknowledge the use of [AI tool + version, publisher and URL] to generate [summary of what was generated].
I acknowledge the use of [AI tool + version, publisher and URL] to summarise [source], which I then [describe the action taken].
I input the prompt [prompt in quotation marks or italics] into [AI tool + version, publisher and URL], which produced the output provided in Appendix A. I then [describe how you used any part of the output for your assessment].
How AI use is detected
Turnitin includes a tool for detecting the use of AI in student work. If a marker or teacher suspects that part or all of an assessment has been generated using AI where this was not permitted, or where its use was not acknowledged, the Turnitin AI detection tool may be used to help evaluate the situation. The AI detection score is never the only evidence relied on in an academic integrity case — it is considered alongside other relevant evidence.