Using AI for good: U of GH students learn about academic integrity, responsible AI use

We often think academic integrity simply means, ‘don’t cheat,’ but it’s so much more than that." - Dr. Victoria Chen Academic Technology Specialist at Guelph-Humber

Students at the University of Guelph-Humber (U of GH) are learning not to fear artificial intelligence, but to embrace it and use it ethically. 

The message Dr. Victoria Chen, Academic Technology Specialist at U of GH and leader of the AI Hub wants to instill unto students is that AI isn’t inherently negative (think: cheating) but it can be used to their benefit when used responsibly.

“[I learned] AI can enhance my work, but it can’t replace my work,” fourth-year Kinesiology student Teresa Yeboah said.

One of the recent ways Guelph-Humber is promoting this lesson is through an event called the AI Prompt Battle, open to all students. Here, students learned about academic integrity, responsible artificial intelligence usage, and how to create strong AI briefs.

The event, which took place in January, was a partnership between the Kinesiology Society and the AI Hub. The group set up a booth in the atrium, welcoming all students to compete to see who could write a stronger AI image prompt on Microsoft’s Copilot revolving around kinesiology themes. 

“We often think academic integrity simply means, ‘don’t cheat,’ but it’s so much more than that,” Dr. Chen said. “Using AI to write a discussion post might not seem like a big deal, but those assignments are designed with a purpose to help you build skills and understanding. When you take shortcuts, you miss out on that growth.”

The idea for the event was the result of a collaboration with a team of staff from U of GH – Dr. Chen, librarian Sue Hunter and Media Technologies Specialist Michael Samartzis – and Humber Polytechnic when they developed an ethical AI use guide for students and instructors over summer 2025, Dr. Chen said. The prompt battle itself was inspired by work Samartzis has done on writing effective prompts for image generation. 

Yeboah, who helped run the event, said she joined because she wanted to promote the Kinesiology Society while also taking a personal interest in AI. During the event, she noticed when students were writing their prompts, sometimes the generated image didn’t turn out as expected. This taught her that when using AI, you must be specific and descriptive, but sometimes information provided by AI can be incorrect; the tool isn’t perfect. 

Fellow fourth-year Kinesiology student Beatrice Abiog, who helped initiate the collaboration with the Kinesiology Society and played a central role in organizing and running the event, and Yeboah agreed that in the Kinesiology field, using AI could aid in the organization of data to help ensure results are more accurate. 

“It makes data more cohesive rather than having to go through it all again. It saves you time, and it’s almost like a second opinion,” Abiog said with the caveat of being responsible and checking over your work.

As for Yeboah, she drew parallels between AI use and kinesiology; learning about AI reinforced key skills she leverages in the Kinesiology program: critical thinking and clear communication. When it comes to inputting AI prompts, or even working with clients or running tests in a lab, these are key skillsets required.   Moreover, Abiog said she felt leaning about responsible AI use will put her at an advantage in the job market because she won’t be afraid to use the power of AI to supplement her work. Going forward, she’ll use it to enhance her work, but it cannot replace human judgement.

“What you do now will impact how you act in the workplace and even in relationships. Integrity can help you build resilience and self-respect and do the right thing when no one is watching you,” Dr. Chen said. 

To learn more about the AI Hub at Guelph-Humber, click here.