[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.27.5″ _module_preset=”default” min_height=”1941.9px” custom_padding=”||0px|||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.5″ _module_preset=”default” min_height=”1587.5px” custom_padding=”||0px|||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.5″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.5″ _module_preset=”default” min_height=”372.2px” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
If you\u00a0teach at\u00a0Western, you might be wondering how\u00a0peer educators\u00a0at the\u00a0WaLC\u00a0(Writing\u00a0and Learning Commons)<\/a>\u00a0navigate conversations around AI with students seeking support.\u00a0The\u00a0WaLC\u00a0team\u00a0would like instructors to know that an\u00a0internal\u00a0AI policy\u00a0exists,\u00a0and\u00a0that\u00a0it was developed to\u00a0be as\u00a0faculty forward as possible\u00a0and\u00a0while\u00a0the policy\u00a0allows for\u00a0some flexibility,\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0conservative in its application.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n By default, peer educators ask students who come to the WaLC what their instructor has written in their syllabus (or assignment instructions) concerning the course\u2019s AI policy. If there is no policy to be found, peer educators won\u2019t encourage students to utilize AI in any way.\u00a0<\/span>If there is a statement that allows for AI use,\u00a0peer educators\u00a0can assist \u201cin areas provided on the syllabus, or if not stated, in areas such as brainstorming, gathering information, interpreting feedback, outlining, and quizzing\u201d (see AI Decision Tree, developed by the\u00a0WaLC).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Additionally, the\u00a0WaLC\u00a0team has\u00a0open\u00a0conversations with their own\u00a0peer educators\u00a0who feel uncomfortable using AI themselves (see Step 1 of the AI decision tree). If they\u00a0encounter\u00a0a student whose professor requires their students to use AI and they neither are familiar nor comfortable using AI, they can refer the student to a\u00a0peer\u00a0educator\u00a0who is.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/affiliate.wcu.edu\/cfc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/87\/2026\/01\/AI-Decision-Tree.jpg” alt=”Decision Tree if peer educators should use AI.” title_text=”AI Decision Tree” show_bottom_space=”off” align=”center” _builder_version=”4.27.5″ _module_preset=”default” z_index=”40″ module_alignment=”center” min_height=”559.6px” custom_margin=”3px|||||” custom_padding=”0px||0px|||” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.5″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n One recommendation both the\u00a0WaLC\u00a0and the CFC have is for instructors to have a conversation with students of what is to be considered\u00a0acceptable\u00a0AI use in addition to having a course specific AI policy in the syllabus.\u00a0For\u00a0example, some\u00a0students\u00a0are still unsure if they can use certain\u00a0software\u00a0(Grammarly\u00a0is a common example) in\u00a0all of\u00a0their course\u00a0work, only for some activities, or not at all.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The\u00a0WaLC\u2019s\u00a0goal is to empower students to achieve their academic goals. To that end,\u00a0the\u00a0WaLC\u2019s\u00a0peer educators\u00a0have\u00a0come up with\u00a0some creative ways in which they\u00a0have\u00a0utilized\u00a0AI\u00a0to help\u00a0students. In one case, a\u00a0recreational therapy major\u00a0struggled using\u00a0person-first language\u00a0when discussing a patient\u2019s disability. With the help of AI, they curated a vocabulary list consisting of words and phrases that helped the student expand their repertoire and become a more confident writer. Another example includes a student who\u00a0couldn\u2019t\u00a0make sense\u00a0of their instructor\u2019s\u00a0track\u00a0changes\u00a0and suggestions\u00a0on their first draft since there\u00a0weren\u2019t\u00a0any\u00a0additional\u00a0comments provided.\u00a0They asked AI why the paper was marked up the way it was and concluded that a lot of their writing had been repetitive.<\/span> If you have questions about the WaLC\u2019s AI policy, feel free to reach out to Haylee Melton at <\/span>wilkieh@wcu.edu<\/span><\/a>; if you would like support on how to approach your own AI policy, reach out to Coulter Faculty Commons at <\/span>cfc@wcu.edu<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.5″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.5″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_testimonial quote_icon=”off” _builder_version=”4.27.5″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
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<\/span>Sometimes, students\u00a0do come\u00a0into\u00a0the\u00a0WaLC\u00a0with\u00a0AI-generated\u00a0writing.\u00a0Peer educators\u00a0are trained to approach those conversations similarly to the conversations about suspected plagiarism. These conversations all begin by asking open-ended,\u00a0non-judgmental\u00a0questions: \u201cDo you know how to cite?\u201d or \u201cDid you forget to add attribution here?\u201d\u00a0to\u00a0detect if\u00a0plagiarism\u00a0they noticed occurred unintentionally due to a lack of knowledge.\u00a0Likewise, when\u00a0a peer educator\u00a0suspects\u00a0AI\u00a0use, they also\u00a0ask probing questions\u00a0to find out if and how AI was used by the student.\u00a0Peer educators\u00a0will always\u00a0advise students to\u00a0adhere to the\u00a0instructor\u2019s\u00a0policy, and\u00a0they remind students if they notice when AI was used, their professors will\u00a0notice\u00a0too.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nNEW: AI Ethics Course Module<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n