At a high level, the following summarizes many discussions held by NDSU leaders to guide and support use of AI at NDSU, and we have links to more detailed documents that were created by the work groups. These discussions provided a framework for how AI is approached at NDSU, not a formal policy. All use of AI falls under existing academic integrity, technology and other student/employee policies.

Shared Goals & Values

• AI as a Support Tool: Enhances creativity, learning, and operations but should not replace critical thinking.
• Academic Freedom & Integrity: Instructors set course policies (including if AI use is allowed at all); all AI contributions must be credited.
• Ethics & Responsibility: Users are accountable for reliability, accuracy, and privacy (e.g., FERPA compliance).
• Purposeful Integration: AI should be discipline-specific, support personalized learning, creativity, and workforce readiness.

Shared Goals and Values Statement

Teaching & Learning: Instructor Guidance

• AI as Learning Partner: Encourage critical evaluation, not passive reliance.
• Academic Integrity: Sample syllabus statements clarify acceptable use aligned with NDSU policies.
• Assignments & Reflection: Projects explore AI’s benefits, risks, and limitations.
• Skill Building: Students develop prompt design, output evaluation, and AI literacy as professional competencies.
• Transparency & Privacy: Both instructors and students must document AI use and safeguard sensitive data.

Instructor Guidance Document

Student Guidance: Responsible AI Use

• Follow Policies: Misuse violates academic honesty.
• Check Instructor Expectations: Policies differ by course.
• Transparency & Disclosure: Cite or explain AI use in assignments.
• Critical Engagement: AI should support—not replace—independent thought.
• Bias Awareness: Always fact-check outputs.
• Privacy & IP: Protect personal data and respect copyright.
• AI Fluency: Tool selection, prompt writing, bias evaluation, and adaptability.

Student Guidance Document

Research & Innovation: Current State and Needs

• NDSU supports 62+ research groups using AI across all colleges.
• Strengths: Interdisciplinary expertise, collaboration, and computing support via CCAST.
• Challenges: Limited visibility, siloed efforts, infrastructure gaps (GPUs, storage).
• Opportunities: Leadership in responsible AI, precision agriculture, healthcare, and unique ND datasets.
• Needs: High-performance computing, staff support, graduate funding, and a centralized AI strategy/center.

AI Research Work Group Summary

AI Research Work Group Full Report

List of AI Research Work

Contact VPIT Marc Wallman with questions on these efforts at marc.wallman@ndsu.edu.