Note: The following tip was shared as part of a 2/18/25 Faculty Development Center workshop, "Encouraging Academic Integrity in the Era of AI." Please feel free to adapt and make it your own.

Given faculty concerns about AI-assisted or even wholly-authored student papers, faculty could use a simple feature in any Google document, spreadsheet or presentation slide: its version history, which includes a summary or detailed date & time stamp of every addition or edit. As such, the goal is not to detect the presence of AI in student writing, which is currently very difficult due to “false positives,” but more so to detect the absence of originality.

Why & How This Might Work

Unlike the iterative, word-by-word or sentence-by-sentence approach of most original writing, students who use AI or plagiarized material are likely copying & pasting entirely ‘in-tact” content as “whole cloth” blocks, perhaps with minimal or even no changes before submitting as a final draft. If so, requiring students to submit a Google Doc for their paper will contain a version history that faculty can inspect. If version 1 – or any version – contains large blocks of text in a short period of time, one can reasonably assume the work is not original. More importantly, if students know that faculty know there’s a version history that can be inspected – and questioned about – maybe they will think twice.

Issues & Opportunities

• A student could just try to emulate iterative authorship, copying one word or sentence at a time -- but likely not in a hurry before a deadline, which is the use case most common to plagiarism. Still, the attempt would result in an ironic, self-inflicted penalty, by forcing the student to take time to cheat to appear not to have done so.
  

• Some students may complain that being required to use a Google Doc inhibits their creative writing process or doesn’t show “offline” musings written by hand or in other editors, including notes made on their mobile devices. However, faculty could say the Google Doc version history allows them to extend the conditions for how students are assessed over time on any assignment vs at the same time (e.g., answering an essay question on an exam). Also, all Google Docs have mobile apps.
  

• For faculty who are ok with students using AI – as an aid to counter writer’s bloc or if clearly cited in the final version – a version history could be a “teachable moment” for how, where and when to do so. Students could be asked to “name” their versions as AI or “mine” or add a comment to explain where and why they changed any AI output.

Suggested Approach

• Create a Google Doc template you ask students to copy and use for their written assignment. You could even make this a Google Assignment for submission in a Learning Management System (LMS) like Blackboard.
  

• Tell students you’ll only accept their assignment if you are a named editor/collaborator (you need editing privileges to view a Google Doc’s version history).
  

• Tell students you reserve the right to randomly inspect the version history of any Google Doc they submit as their own work. You can also require an oral interview to have students explain any version.
  

• FYI: A sample syllabus statement on use of AI by students is below (source: John Fritz, DoIT):

In early February, the myUMBC team launched my UMBC Answers, an AI-driven search bar to improve experiences for students, faculty, and staff while ensuring security and privacy. Now, all campus members have been enrolled in this new feature! It helps provide fast, accurate answers to common student questions. The common questions focus on the student experience, but future updates will incorporate resources for faculty and staff. There is an option to opt out if users prefer. 

Interactive Feedback Loop:A sophisticated mechanism allows users to contribute qualitative assessments of answer accuracy. University technology architect Collier Jones emphasizes a critical advisory: "While our AI system provides remarkable support, it is not infallible. Students must exercise due diligence by independently verifying critical information."

Privacy and Security: The system has been meticulously designed with privacy protocols, ensuring the protection of sensitive student information throughout every interaction.

What can it do?

The platform empowers students by providing rapid, secure access to essential personal information, including:

• Academic performance records

• Financial billing statements

• Retriever Card balance details

Additional Resources

• Privacy Information: https://privacy.umbc.edu/myumbc-data/

• System Overview: https://my3.my.umbc.edu/groups/doit/posts/147188

The AI-powered answers system exemplifies UMBC's commitment to leveraging cutting-edge technology to enhance student support and institutional efficiency.

The following images show some examples of questions that MyUMBC’s Answers:

Image: A search bar with the question “What’s the last day of classes?” and underneath the question shows a toggle bar with myUMBC Answers “ON” and a disclaimer “Answers aren’t always accurate, double-check anything important.” The answer to the question is displayed as “May 13, 2025 is the last day of classes for the Spring 2025 semester.” Users can click to indicate if the answer provided was helpful. 

The Division of Information Technology (DoIT) at UMBC is committed to providing access to cutting-edge technologies that enhance productivity, teaching, learning, research, and work. We are excited to announce the expanded availability of powerful Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools for the UMBC community.

AI Tools Now Available

• Google Gemini: All UMBC accounts now have access to the free version of Google Gemini. Gemini offers a wide range of AI-powered features that can assist with writing, brainstorming, and information-gathering tasks. There are paid licenses for Gemini Advanced that grant further integration within the Google Workspace suite (Gmail, Docs, Slides, etc); please send us a ticket if you’d like to inquire further about Gemini Advanced. Additionally, Google has made three new AI services free for ALL licensed users.

• NotebookLM - notebooklm.google.com. This tool is great for building simple AI RAG documents and answering questions. 

• Deep Research - a tool for doing a deep dive on a topic and generating a customized research plan very quickly. 

• Google Gems are now available for all accounts.

• Microsoft Copilot: Similarly, all UMBC accounts now have default access to the free version of Microsoft Copilot. Copilot provides a model for brainstorming, email generation, and more. There are paid licenses for Copilot Pro that grant integration with the Microsoft 365 suite (Word, Excel, Teams, etc); please send us a ticket if you’d like to inquire further about Copilot Pro.

• UMBC's Instance of Amplify: In addition to these widely used platforms, UMBC provides access to Amplify, an innovative AI tool developed by Vanderbilt University. Amplify provides access to commercial AI models hosted within UMBC's secure cloud environment, including from OpenAI, such as GPT-4o or o1 series, Meta Llama, or Anthropic Claude models. Access to UMBC's instance of Amplify is available to employees (faculty and staff) upon submission of an access request.

Keeping Information Safe

UMBC has access to several GenAI tools that have been verified as safe to use on UMBC Level 1 and FERPA data, which is intended to keep the information internal to UMBC. Details about what information can be shared on AI tools can be found at GenAI Tools at UMBC. We recommend using the UMBC-approved services first. Services that have not been verified should only be used with public information. Public material is something you would publish on a website for the Internet to see.

Support and Resources

DoIT is committed to supporting the UMBC community in effectively using these AI tools. We encourage you to explore the resources available on the DoIT AI website.

• Guides and tutorials on how to use Gemini, Copilot, and Amplify

• Information on best practices for using AI ethically and responsibly

• FAQs and troubleshooting tips

• Contact information for support assistance

Looking Ahead

DoIT will continue to evaluate and expand our AI tools offerings to meet the evolving needs of the UMBC community. We are excited about the potential of AI to transform our campus and look forward to seeing how you utilize these powerful resources.

Contact Information

If you have any questions or support inquiries about AI tools at UMBC, please visit the DoIT AI support page or contact the Technology Support Center (TSC).

The first draft of the above announcement was generated using AI and edited by the Division of Information Technology Communications and IT teams.

The myUMBC team has been exploring how artificial intelligence (AI) can make the platform better for students, faculty, and staff, all while ensuring security and privacy. We are excited to announce that we are improving the search feature, making it easier and quicker for students to find what they need with AI. This helps provide fast, accurate answers to common student questions.

A key focus is helping students access important personal information—like grades, billing statements, and Retriever Card balances—right from the search bar. This means students can find what they need quickly, without having to dig through the system, while knowing their data is protected.

This is just the beginning! We’re looking at how AI can further improve the myUMBC experience, from academic support to campus life to create a more efficient and personalized platform for students. 

Please remember to verify any information before you take action. At this time, please be aware that answers are focused on student-related scenarios. Faculty/Staff-related answers are still in development. If you identify any mistakes, please let us know using the “Was this useful” feature at the bottom of each answer.

If you have any questions or comments, let us know here.

Recent updates to federal guidelines for digital accessibility underscore the critical need for educators to ensure that all course materials are accessible to every student.

One of the most prevalent accessibility issues in digital course materials is the lack of proper descriptions for images. According to Anthology, nearly one-third of all images flagged by Ally are simply marked as decorative without any descriptive text, which creates a barrier for students who rely on descriptions for their studies.

Properly tagging images not only meets federal guidelines, but also plays a crucial role in creating an inclusive learning environment. Alternative descriptions serve as vital information for students who use screen readers, providing them with textual explanations for images that otherwise visually conveyed. This practice not only supports students with visual impairments, but also benefits those with cognitive disabilities who might struggle to understand the context of images with additional context. 

Ally will flag images that lack a description in a Blackboard course. Instructors can enter a description themselves, mark the image as decorative, or leverage AI tools, powered by Microsoft Azure AI Vision, to scan the image and generate a suggested description. Instructors retain full control over the image and can edit the content to make corrections or clarify the information before saving it.

Image 1: Example of Ally's AI generated image description.

Note: Alternative descriptions are not applied automatically. Each suggestion requires the instructor’s review and approval to ensure that the final output aligns with the instructor’s original purpose for that image.

If the alt text does not meet the instructor’s needs, such as a complex image or diagram, ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot provide excellent tools to create detailed alternative text and long descriptions.

For example, this prompt was shared by the International Ally Users Group. It can be customized for the uploaded image according to context, function and prospective audience (e.g., students). 

When we integrate comprehensive and accurate alt text for all images, we adhere to accessibility standards and legal requirements. We also foster an inclusive and supporting learning environment where every student has the opportunity to succeed.