Need help preparing for the first weeks of class? Join CTL colleagues for faculty drop-in hours on Wednesday, Aug. 26 from 10:00 AM–2:00 PM in Lucas 592. Bring your teaching, Canvas, AI, or course design questions. No registration necessary.

Whether you plan to keep AI out of your coursework, permit it for specific tasks, or make it part of your course learning outcomes, students need to know what you have decided. That can be harder than it sounds. AI features now appear in search engines, writing software, library platforms, web browsers, and common productivity tools. A statement such as “AI is not allowed” may leave students wondering whether that includes Grammarly, Microsoft Word’s writing support, Google AI summaries, or tools embedded in research platforms. A statement that permits AI can raise different questions: Which tools? For what purposes? On every assignment? With what kind of disclosure?

Students need to know what AI use means in the context of your course. A policy should explain whether AI is permitted, which tools and uses are covered, whether expectations change by assignment, and what students should do when they are unsure. We encourage faculty to establish AI expectations regardless of whether AI is prohibited, permitted in limited ways, or integrated into learning activities.

To help with this process, the CTL developed a Course AI Policy Builder Checklist, which shifts the broad question, “What is my AI policy?” into five more manageable decisions:

• What role, if any, will AI have in this course?
• Which tools and built-in features does the policy cover?
• Which uses are allowed, limited, or prohibited?
• What disclosure, citation, or process documentation is expected?
• Where and when will students encounter the policy?

Once you have made the central decisions, the next step is putting them into language students can understand and apply. Your policy should align with your learning outcomes, assignments, discipline, and departmental expectations. It should also be specific enough that students can tell what is permitted without having to guess whether a particular tool or use falls within the policy.

To support this process, the CTL offers the Artificial Intelligence Course Policy Examples, which mirror the checklist, and the Sample Generative AI Syllabus Statements, which provide historical language from courses at UMSL and peer institutions. These resources are intended as starting points rather than ready-made policies. Faculty should adapt the language to fit their teaching context.

If you permit AI, the AI Disclosure Options resource provides several ways for students to explain how a tool contributed to their work, ranging from a brief acknowledgment to a process reflection or documentation of an AI conversation.

A syllabus policy gives students a starting point, but they may need more information when beginning a particular assignment. A short reminder in an assignment prompt, rubric, Canvas announcement, or class discussion can help students apply the course policy to the work in front of them.

Before an assignment begins, consider whether students can answer these questions:

• May I use AI for this assignment?
• Which tools and features count as AI?
• What kinds of use are acceptable?
• What work must I complete independently?
• Do I need to disclose or document my use?
• Who should I ask if I am unsure?

The Revisiting AI Expectations in Assignment Briefs resource provides a communication checklist and sample language that can help faculty restate expectations and explain how students should disclose permitted use.

Concerns about possible AI misuse can be difficult for both faculty and students. Before drawing a conclusion, return to the course policy, assignment instructions, and the information you can observe in the work.

AI detection tools are not reliable evidence that a student used AI and should not be used to determine misconduct. Instead, consider identifying the specific features that require clarification:

• Are cited sources missing, inaccurate, or unverifiable?
• Does the submission respond to the assignment?
• Are claims unsupported by evidence?
• Does the work demonstrate the skills the assignment was designed to assess?
• Can the student explain the reasoning, evidence, or process behind the work?

The Suspected AI Use Quick Conversation Guide helps faculty prepare for a direct, non-accusatory conversation with the student. The purpose of the conversation is to understand how the work was completed, not to confirm a conclusion made in advance. This approach is consistent with UMSL's academic dishonesty guidance, which directs faculty to present the specific information prompting concern and provide students an opportunity to share their perspective.

We hope these resources serve as useful starting tools that empower instructors at UMSL to set and communicate expectations in their courses. If these resources have been helpful, consider sharing your success stories with us so we can continue building a repository of language and approaches that have worked. We also encourage you to connect with us through consultations and share ideas for future tools and resources that can support your teaching journey.

This article was written and resources developed by CTL Teaching Innovation Specialist, Reggie Luna Gacad.

Renaldo “Reggie” Luna Gacad has joined the CTL team as the new Teaching Innovation Specialist. Reggie supports faculty development and works to advance evidence-based, student-centered teaching, pedagogy, and practice across campus.

Reggie brings a decade of experience in higher education and student affairs and teaches courses around topics of student development, instructional and programmatic design, and educational leadership. His research interests include professional socialization of student affairs and higher education administration professionals, student learning, and universal design in higher education.  He earned his B.A. in Psychological and Brain Sciences from Washington University in St. Louis, an M.Ed in College Student Affairs Administration from the University of Georgia, and a Ph.D in Higher Education Administration from Saint Louis University.

Outside of his professional endeavors, Reggie enjoys collaborative storytelling, tabletop role-playing games, and is an avid board game and video game enthusiast. He loves engaging with St. Louis culture and staples like the Muny, Botanical Gardens, and Tower Grove Park, and can often be seen at the farmer’s market with his husband Davis and two rescue Shiba Inus, Bert and Kari.

What excites you most about your new position? I love the opportunity to engage with teaching and learning in a meaningful and reflective way. This role offers me an opportunity to engage with faculty around good teaching, pedagogy, and learning frameworks.

What aspect of educational support do you find the most interesting? I think that educational support work is often about helping folk name and anchor their work; when it comes to teaching, many faculty already practice great pedagogy so being able to help connect those to framework and formal theory has always been fascinating to me. 

What’s your hidden talent or unusual hobby? My husband and I like to joke around that I have a particular talent for finding frogs in displays at the zoos and amphibianaries. At the very least I consistently find them faster than he does!

How do you see your role fitting into the bigger picture of student success? I believe that teaching is relational and that our students are navigating so many factors that aid or complicate student success, persistence, and thriving. Helping faculty reflect on innovative teaching that centers learner engagement, focuses on creating an environment where learning is best able to happen, and creating structure to assist faculty to reach their teaching goals ultimately leaves a great impact on students and their sense of belonging in and outside of the classroom. 

What’s the last book you read or show you binged? The last few books I read for fun was the most recent in the Dungeon Crawler Carl series, A Parade of Horribles by Matt Dinneman, followed quickly by Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller.  As for shows, I have enjoyed X-men ‘97 Season 2 and Game Changer on Dropout. 

As we prepare for the fall semester, consider implementing one or more of these academic teaching tools that can support your teaching life, make your class more engaging, speed up grading, or improve accessibility! These tools are free for UMSL students and faculty and are already being used to great success in many UMSL classrooms and online courses. 

Kahoot! is a teaching software that allows for both live and asynchronous polling, quizzing, and games that make for fun and interactive activities for students. It’s especially helpful for faculty teaching in the HyFlex modality and in large lectures where you’d like more student engagement. 

With 100 licenses, we’re looking for faculty who will commit to using it in their courses this year. Interested? Email Ana Quiring.

Do you ever find yourself staring at an ever-growing pile of assignments? Do you wonder about the consistency of grading over time or across sections? Do you want to give more feedback to students but simply do not have the time? Gradescope is a digital tool instructors use to grade paper-based exams. It streamlines the grading process and provides tailored tools to meet the grading needs of different subjects and disciplines. Interested? Email Reggie Luna Gacad.

UMSL has joined Missouri S&T’s pilot of Mathpix software, designed to help faculty convert mathematical and scientific documents into accessible formats. Currently, 30 faculty members are piloting this tool that transforms handwritten or printed mathematical notation, tables, and chemistry diagrams into editable, searchable formats. Interested in joining the pilot? Email Keeta Holmes.

Registration for Fall Reflective Teaching Communities is still open! The program is designed to fit busy schedules, requiring only a few group meetings and two peer observations during the semester. Participation can also provide valuable evidence of teaching development for promotion and review materials. Faculty of all ranks, full- and part-time, from every UMSL college are welcome.

“Honestly, it’s just really nice to feel part of a supportive group of colleagues who care about good teaching. Teaching can sometimes feel like a solo endeavor, so being able to connect with others who are also reflecting, experimenting, and trying new things makes a big difference.” –SP25 participant

Mid-Semester Feedback is an optional, anonymous survey administered through CoursEval that provides instructors with early student feedback on 16-week courses, helping them make meaningful adjustments while the semester is still in progress.

The Certificate in University Teaching (CUT) program, jointly sponsored by the CTL and the Graduate School, helps graduate students and part-time faculty strengthen their teaching and prepare for current or future instructional roles. The Graduate School reimburses registration fees upon completion of each unit, and fees are waived for part-time faculty. Registration for Fall Unit F: Higher Education Foundations is still open–please share this opportunity with your graduate students! 

Need initial certification to teach online at UMSL? The Online Teaching Certification Seminar (OTCS) is a six-week, fully online Canvas course designed for first-time online instructors. Participants explore course design, learning objectives, student engagement, instructional technologies, and peer feedback while collaborating with colleagues. Upcoming cohorts begin September 7 and October 5, 2026.

The Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL), a division of the Office of Academic Affairs, supports the professional development of those who teach and learn at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. Our goals–to promote engagement in courses, on campus, and in the community–enhance the University as we align our activities, services, and consultations with the campus goals to promote excellence in teaching, research, and service.

Center for Teaching and Learning
University of Missouri–St. Louis
5th Floor, Lucas Hall 
25 Lucas Rd.
St. Louis, MO 63121
ctl@umsl.edu • umsl.edu/ctl