Cheating Defined FAQ

We all use tools and resources to help us get through life. We use our smart phones so we don’t have to remember phone numbers. We make to-do lists so we don’t have to recall our tasks from memory. We ask for help from our doctors, dentists, friends and family members.

Because getting “help” is so common in our day-to-day lives, it can be tricky to recognize when getting help crosses the line from the ethical to the unethical. I would ask my friend to help me figure out a trick to get to the next level in my favorite video game, so what’s the difference if I ask them to help me during that online test? I would go to the Writing Hub on campus for help with my essay assignment, so why not use that online “tutor” who has been messaging me offering to help? In fact, the university tells me to “seek help” and “use your resources”, so shouldn’t I get help from anywhere I can and use whatever resources I have access to?

The answer is – it depends. It depends on what you mean by “help” and what that person or resource is doing for you. If they are helping you understand the content of the course, then that’s great. Or, they’re helping you become a better writer by teaching you writing skills, fantastic! But if that “help” looks like them doing any part of the assignment or test for you, then that’s where you cross the line from ethical to unethical.

Read through some of the questions below for more help answering this question.

Identifying the ethical and unethical is even more tricky now with advancements in artificial intelligence and machine learning. Machine learning/ Artificial intelligence is behind the spelling, grammar and wording suggestions made by your email and word processing programs (e.g., Gmail, Google docs). It is also fuels Alexa, Siri, and the chatbot at your favorite online store. It really is everywhere. And now, there are specific artificial intelligence programs that you might be tempted to use to “help” you complete your academic assignments – GPT, DALL-E, PhotoMath,Co-Pilot, Caktus, Elicit, Perplexity, Fermat, Minerva, Grammarly, ResearchRabbit and Obsidian, just to name a few.

How do you know when it is okay to use artificial intelligence (also referred to as "machines") and when it’s not?

It’s complicated but here are two simple rules of thumb:

1. Is the resource/tool doing the thing for you that is being assessed? For example, if you’re taking a language class and you’re using Google Translate, the tool, rather than you, is demonstrating its language skills. The teacher isn’t trying to teach the tool how to be fluent in another language – they’re interested in helping you developing those skills. So, take a look at the learning objectives for the course, as well as for the assignment/test – make sure you’re doing the work that is being assessed. If spelling, for example, isn’t being assessed, then you can use a spell checker. If you are unsure, ask your instructor!
2. Is the resource/tool allowed by the course instructor? Each course instructor will make different decisions about the tools/resources that are allowed, and which ones aren’t, based on the learning objectives for the course. So, in one course, a professor may allow or invite you to use ChatGPT, but others will prohibit its use. If you use a tool/resource that has been prohibited OR if you use one that is not explicitly allowed, then you might be cheating. If the instructor isn’t clear – ask! Do not assume you can use a tool/resource to do your academic work for you. And, keep in mind when professors prohibit certain things, they may use general terms – e.g., “no use of artificial intelligence” – because it is impossible for them to list every single tool/resource.

In the end, think about it this way – you are expected to complete the work assigned to you so the professor can see if you are learning and what you’ve learned; they’re not interested in knowing what your artificial intelligence tool can do or what it knows.

NOTE: The information above is behind an updated Academic Integrity Policy that was implemented FA23. It states that:

• No student shall allow any academic work or academic credit to be completed or obtained, in part or in whole, for themselves by another (human or machine/artificial intelligence [i]).
• No student shall plagiarize or copy the work of others (human or machine) and submit it as their own work.

• No student shall employ aids (including artificial intelligence) in undertaking course work or in completing any assessments [i] that are not authorized by the instructor.

It depends.

Are you using the free version of Grammarly that just checks spelling, grammar and suggests alternate phrasing? Or, are you using the paid version that is generative artificial intelligence and rewrites (or writes) things for you? Did the professor prohibit any use of tools that alters your writing?

In other words, you have to think critically:

1. what is the point of the course/assignment?
2. what are you being assessed on?
3. was the tool authorized by the professor?
4. did you ask the professor your question (instead of asking your friends or the internet for example)?
5. are you comfortable telling your professor that you used it?

Sometimes using Grammarly is fine; other times it might be a violation of integrity.

The standard sanction for altering a graded examination and submitting it for a regrade is a 1-year suspension.

UC San Diego instructors won't verbalize every unauthorized behavior. As a Triton, you're expected to know some of the basics of excelling with integrity. For example:

• Cite your sources.
• Complete in-class tests and take-home tests independently.
• Complete your own homework assignments.

In general, the AI Office recommends that before you engage in an action related to academic course work, assignments or exams, run your action through the following three tests:

• VALUES - is the action honest, responsible, respectful, fair and trustworthy?
• STANDARDS - does the action honor the integrity standards set by the university and/or by the course instructor?
• EXPOSURE - if my action was exposed to the course instructor or the AI Office, would I be okay with that or would they approve?

NO! Avoid these websites. They are definite red flags and should not be trusted. Not only are most of the things they would do for you either violations of law (e.g., copyright law) or violations of academic integrity, but they have also been known to steal students' identities and personal and financial information. If the website's services sound "too good to be true" and/or the university or instructor are not telling you about the sites, then you shouldn't be using them. 

Numerous students who have used these sites have been reported to the AI Office for integrity violations and the violations almost always end in suspension or dismissal from the University. Use UC San Diego resources instead!