Teaching and Learning Guidance for the Use of Generative AI at TRU

Working Draft – For Consultation

This draft reflects:

  • TRU’s institutional priorities, including the 10-year Strategic Change Goals (eliminating achievement gaps; honouring truth, reconciliation, and rights; leading in community research; and designing lifelong learning).
  • Input and discussion from TRU’s DSALT Working Group.
  • Review of guidance from peer institutions across Canada.
  • Alignment with TRU policies on academic integrity, intellectual property, privacy, acceptable use of technology, and respect for Indigenous ways of knowing.

Guiding Principles for GenAI in Teaching and Learning

1. Human-Centred Learning and Shared Responsibility

We uphold a learner-centred approach in which humans remain at the heart of teaching, learning, and decision-making. GenAI can support learning and creative expression, but responsibility for submitted work rests with the individual. Faculty and students share responsibility for setting, communicating, and understanding clear expectations.

TRU Guidance:

  • Faculty determine whether and how GenAI is permitted in their courses, subject to program or departmental requirements.
  • Course outlines and assignments should explicitly state permitted and prohibited uses of GenAI, including citation requirements where applicable.
  • Students are responsible for understanding their instructor’s position on GenAI use and should seek clarification when needed.
  • GenAI use should be disclosed where required, but faculty should avoid automated detection tools, which are unreliable and may violate TRU’s privacy policies.

2. Inclusive, Culturally Responsive, and Committed to Indigenization

In the spirit of Kw’seltktnéws—our interconnectedness with nature, one another, and all things—GenAI should be used to foster inclusive, equitable, and accessible learning environments, respecting Indigenous data sovereignty and protecting sacred knowledge.

TRU Guidance:

  • GenAI use must avoid harm from false or biased representations of Indigenous communities, cultures, histories, or knowledges.
  • Faculty and students should be aware that many AI systems reflect Western-dominant ways of knowing and may reproduce inequities.
  • Where Indigenous knowledge is used, TRU community members must follow relevant protocols and respect intellectual property rights.
  • Accessibility and equity of access to GenAI tools must be considered before integrating them into coursework.

3. AI Literacy, Lifelong Learning, and Empowerment

Aligned with TRU’s commitment to lifelong learning and research-informed teaching, GenAI literacy empowers learners to critically engage with emerging technologies in ways that enhance disciplinary fluency, professional growth, and personal learning pathways.

TRU Guidance:

  • Faculty, students, and staff are encouraged to develop foundational knowledge of GenAI’s capabilities, limitations, and ethical implications.
  • GenAI literacy should be embedded in learning activities where appropriate, helping learners evaluate AI-generated outputs critically.
  • TRU will promote sharing of effective practices and case examples from across disciplines, including through CELT and LTI workshops .

4. Ethical, Transparent, and Sustainable Use

We use GenAI ethically, transparently, and sustainably, making informed decisions about when and how to integrate it.

TRU Guidance:

  • Protect privacy and intellectual property: do not input confidential, personal, or proprietary information into GenAI systems unless the tool has been approved through TRU’s privacy and data security processes.
  • Avoid using GenAI detection tools for academic misconduct cases.
  • Consider the environmental impact of GenAI systems, using them only when they add significant value to learning or research.
  • Be transparent about GenAI use in course activities, research, and administrative work where appropriate.

Immediate Recommendations for TRU Instructors

  1. State your policy clearly in course syllabi, including what is permitted, what is prohibited, and expectations for acknowledgment or citation.
  2. Avoid unapproved tools that may breach TRU’s privacy, IP, or data security standards.
  3. Discourage over-reliance on GenAI that replaces, rather than supports, student learning.
  4. Promote discussion and critical engagement with AI tools in ways that align with TRU’s academic integrity standards.

Next Steps for TRU Community Engagement

  • Faculty, staff, and students are invited to provide feedback on the clarity, completeness, and alignment of these principles with TRU’s mission, culture, and teaching values.
  • Examples of discipline-specific best practices and syllabus language are especially welcome.
  • Feedback will inform the finalization of TRU’s Guidelines for Generative AI, to be supported by workshops, sample policies, and discipline-specific case studies.