Office of the Provost
Artificial Intelligence
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USM X MAIN | An Artificial Intelligence Initiative
USM Responsible Use of Artificial Intelligence Guidelines
T抖阴app (USM) recognizes the transformative potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in enhancing education, research, and administrative functions.
These guidelines establish a framework for the ethical, secure, and responsible use of AI at USM. The goal is to ensure AI tools and systems are used in alignment with the university鈥檚 values of academic integrity, data privacy, and transparency while fostering innovation.
USM AI Syllabus Policy
It is crucial to respect the diverse disciplines and varied viewpoints and priorities of our faculty, researchers, administrators, students, and the broader community impacted by T抖阴app. While some courses and fields can use artificial intelligence as a meaningful tool, it is essential to consider that, like any other tool, it cannot be used for every type of educational endeavor and can likewise be misused or used in a way that does not further meaningful learning, development, and engagement within some fields.
The university values offering student experiences that demonstrate academic rigor, creativity, original research, and other aspects that are appropriate to each field, while ensuring aspects of shared governance, accountability, and academic freedom in regard to the work of the colleges, faculty, and the core of instruction. Instructors are encouraged to guide discussions with students about ethical use within the discipline and course perspective as well as to highlight the varied uses across courses at USM.
Over the past three semesters, reported academic integrity violations have increased significantly due to unauthorized use and misuse of artificial intelligence. Consider the challenges in artificial intelligence applications. One notable challenge lies in the sourcing and attribution of information. Uncited or improperly attributed material used by artificial intelligence algorithms undermines academic integrity and raises ethical concerns regarding the accuracy, creativity, and reliability of generated content. As such, it requires courses to have a defined policy on whether using artificial intelligence is permissible and, if permitted, a statement on how it will be cited when used to ensure the proper maintenance of academic integrity. Further challenges arise through the use of unreliable sources or 鈥渉allucinations,鈥� which are the result of outputs that are inaccurate and based on perceived patterns in the large language models of artificial intelligence.
Given the nature of discussions and lack thereof between programs about the ethical use of, access to, and engagement with artificial intelligence, this addendum to the syllabus requirement is added to use as a preface to the existing usage level options for artificial intelligence (full usage, limited or outline usage, and no usage permitted). By including this preface in individual courses, we intend to ensure the varied use and acceptance of artificial intelligence is communicated across all fields to all students. This underscores the importance of each individual faculty member鈥檚 role in examining the policy as it is made in each course, and considering how this process may be problematic in certain creative endeavors.
Artificial Intelligence Usage Policy for Instruction 鈥� Implemented Spring 2024Policy as of July 31, 2024:For Students, to Be Included in Syllabus
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Mississippi Artificial Intelligence Network (MAIN) and USM Partnership
USM began its partnership with MAIN in fall 2024. As the first and only statewide
AI initiative, MAIN takes a holistic approach to AI by focusing on AI education, workforce
training, and AI awareness initiatives.
Through our partnership, MAIN offers courses focused on AI for workforce in various
sectors, including K-12 education, higher education, business and industry. Participants
will learn about AI and gain the skills needed to integrate this knowledge into their
classrooms, research projects, awareness initiatives and business operations.
AI Courses
We are pleased to offer four courses through the MAIN and USM partnership:
Introduction to Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Introduction to Generative AI
Applied Ethics for AI
AI for Cybersecurity
These courses are available to University faculty, staff and students.
The courses include an intake form that requests data about demographics and employment. The MAIN grant is supported by AccelerateMS (the Office of Workforce Development), and this data will be used to assess the grant鈥檚 impact on the state鈥檚 workforce.
MAIN AI Lab
As a partner with MAIN, Southern Miss has established the MAIN AI Lab in Room 204
of Cook Library on the Hattiesburg campus.
The space is open during Cook Library office hours and faculty can reserve the space
for a class meetings.
The purpose of the AI lab, as described by MAIN, is 鈥渢o provide a strong foundation
for institutions to grow organically over time, creating AI-ready workspaces that
are built for the future.鈥�
The AI Lab at USM includes 6 computer workstations with the capacity to support the
integration and expansion of AI curricula.
Events
Friday, Jan. 31, 2025
9-10:15 a.m.
Sharing Our Perspective: Student Conversations on AI
Students will share their experiences, insights and cautions regarding the use of AI in their courses and training. All students, faculty and staff are invited to attend this panel discussion.
Wednesday Feb. 5, 2025
Noon-1:30 p.m.
AI in Higher Education: Balancing Innovation and Human Values
Guest speaker Mustafa Akben is an assistant professor of Management and Director of Artificial Intelligence Integration at Elon University in North Carolina. This virtual session outlines the current state of AI, its ramifications for higher education and potential trajectories.
Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025
2:30-3:45 p.m.
Balancing Innovation and Regulation: AI Policies and Guidelines at USM
Join us for an insightful panel where campus leaders share their experiences, discuss the implications, and address concerns regarding the regulation of Artificial Intelligence tools in coursework, research, and administrative tasks.
Ongoing
USM Executive Education Classes
Designed to foster entrepreneurship for the business professional and business owner, Executive Education offers a number of AI trainings, including Design Thinking, Knowledge Harvesting, Web Page Development, and Digital Marketing Bootcamp.
View Executive Education Schedule
Teaching with AI
- - Cornell Center for Teaching and Learning
- from Teaching with AI by Jose Antonio Bowen and C. Edward Watson
- Includes descriptions and links to several generative AI tools and prompts for several tasks for instructors and researchers
- - University of Sydney
- Includes background information on generative AI and prompts for learning, creating, and job seeking
- by Elon University
Rethinking Course Assignments and Assessments
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- This resource by Oregon State University includes to consider which types of assignments should likely be amended given AI capabilities.
ChatGPT Resources
AI Tools
- - Oregon State University
AI Taskforce
The AI Taskforce is composed of USM faculty who consider the challenges and impacts of artificial intelligence. The advice, concerns, and ideas from the AI Taskforce aid in the development of resources, events, and support for faculty, staff, and students at USM.
OFFICE OF THE PROVOST |
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Kelly Lester |
Taskforce Chair |
Associate Provost for Faculty Success |
COLLEGE OF ARTS & SCIENCES |
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Rabab Abdelfattah |
Computing Science and Computer Engineering |
Assistant Professor |
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Hugh Broome |
MANS |
Associate Teaching Professor |
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David Cochran |
BEES |
Associate Dean for Research |
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Mary Funk |
Leadership |
Associate Teaching Professor |
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Joyce Inman |
Humanities |
Dean, Honors College |
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Hilary Scales-Lewis |
Performing and Visual Arts |
Assistant Professor |
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Jason McCormick |
Humanities |
Assistant Professor |
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Michelle McLeese |
Social Science and Global Studies |
Associate Teaching Professor |
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Jose Martinez Cruz |
Computing Science and Computer Engineering |
Assistant Teaching Professor |
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Jennifer Peterson |
Humanities |
Assistant Professor |
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Rebecca Powell |
Humanities |
Associate Professor |
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Jae-Hwa Shin |
Media and Communications |
Professor |
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Kayla Stan |
BEES |
Assistant Professor |
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Kelly Vera |
BEES |
Instructor |
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Maria Wallace |
STEM Ed |
Associate Professor |
COLLEGE OF BUSINESS & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT |
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Jamie Gavin |
Finance |
Assistant Teaching Professor |
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Melinda McLelland |
Marketing |
Associate Professor |
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Joanne Tran |
Marketing |
Associate Professor |
COLLEGE OF EDUCATION AND HUMAN SCIENCES |
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Mya Rome |
Child and Family Sciences |
Instructor |
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Zachary Taylor |
Education |
Assistant Professor |
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James Thomas |
Education |
Assistant Professor |
iTECH |
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Nick Williams |
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CENTER FOR FACULTY DEVELOPMENT |
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Melanie Leuty |
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Director |
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Ashley Allen |
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Associate Director |
