RRC Polytech Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) Guidelines

RRC Polytech Statement on Generative Artificial Intelligence

Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) is a powerful tool that has become widely used in our personal and professional lives. It is driving fast moving innovation and disrupting the established ways of doing things at Red River College Polytechnic, in the industries we partner with, and in our teaching and learning. We know that students are already facing new GenAI-driven realities in the Manitoba workplace and that their proficiency in using GenAI will be a critical skill for their future career success. We must work together to embrace this disruption.

As GenAI continues to reshape the economic landscape of our province, we are committed to providing innovative and context-responsive approaches that address the implications of GenAI across various disciplines. This includes creating meaningful learning opportunities that meet the evolving needs of students, employers, and communities, and ensuring that our institutional practices reflect the dynamic demands of our province. At RRC Polytech, we embrace disruption and new technology to help overcome challenges. We are dedicated to fostering a culture of continuous adaptation and innovation to prepare our students to be leaders in a changing world and to empower our own employees to work together to embrace this disruption and develop the competencies needed to navigate our own evolving workplaces.

RRC Polytech supports the responsible and ethical use of GenAI in our teaching and learning, and in our workplace. By integrating GenAI into our programs, we can equip students with the skills needed to thrive in industries that are increasingly adopting these technologies. This will ensure that our students are not only prepared for the current job market but are also equipped to thrive in future workplaces.

We know that GenAI adoption is not without risk. We must ensure that our use of GenAI upholds our safety and privacy standards, is free of bias, and adheres to our organizational values. Our staff and faculty play a crucial role in this transformation.

This guiding document creates a common starting point for members of the RRC Polytech community to explore and use GenAI responsibly and creatively. Together, we can transform our practices to meet emerging needs and leverage the capabilities of this technology to elevate people, industry, and community in Manitoba.

RRC Polytech Approach to Supporting GenAI

To encourage creative, innovative, and responsible use of GenAI by the RRC Polytech community, RRC Polytech commits to:

1. Creating a GenAI Advisory Group to monitor developments in the GenAI space and advise leadership on further actions required, advise and support members of the RRC Polytech community who are exploring GenAI to help ensure that projects are advisable, and share best practices and applications of GenAI for academic and operational areas. This group will function as a central point of contact to facilitate and coordinate as we explore GenAI as an institution.
2. Promoting GenAI literacy and capacity by teaching students, faculty, and staff about the foundational principles and impacts of GenAI. We will work towards integrating GenAI into our curriculum and instruction to ensure that the needs of the future and present Manitoba workplace are being met. We will support professional development in the innovative, responsible, and effective integration of GenAI into our work and our teaching and learning processes. We will provide guidance and resources to students, staff, and faculty on using GenAI safely, effectively, and ethically.
3. Working to minimize bias, protect privacy and security, and uphold the values of academic integrity in our use of GenAI.
4. Making sure that the use of GenAI will align with RRC Polytech’s commitment to Truth and Reconciliation, ensuring First Nations, Métis and Inuit knowledge, cultures and traditions are embraced, respected, and protected, especially concerning the use and transmission of Indigenous knowledge and histories and the Indigenous right to data sovereignty.
5. Revisiting these GenAI guidelines as the technology evolves over the coming months and years.

Guidelines For General Use of GenAI

1. In general, all College policies apply to GenAI, this includes direction on copyright, citation, privacy, inclusiveness etc. The College’s guidelines for GenAI are mostly interpretations of existing guidelines already in place.
2. RRC Polytech staff and faculty are encouraged to explore GenAI usage in their field and to pursue professional development opportunities related to GenAI.
3. RRC Polytech employees are responsible for ensuring that their GenAI use in the course of their work has been discussed with their supervisor and fits within RRC Polytech policy and guidelines.
4. RRC Polytech employees are responsible for any work they produce, including ensuring that any source (like GenAI) is accurate, bias-free, and inclusive, and must appropriately cite sources when quoted in their work.
5. We must always protect the privacy, intellectual property, and copyright of RRC Polytech and of all members of the RRC Polytech community. For GenAI this means taking care to not upload, input, or otherwise communicate private, confidential, restricted, or proprietary information to GenAI tools that are not specifically sanctioned for this use by the College. This includes copyright protected content such as textbooks, videos, diagrams, photographs, etc., owned by third parties and personally identifiable information like student or staff names and email addresses. We must also ensure that Indigenous knowledge and histories are kept in the hands of Indigenous Knowledge Keepers and are not loaded into GenAI tools without permission. Staff need to ensure that the tools they use are sanctioned for how they wish to use them to ensure privacy and security are maintained.
6. Across RRC Polytech, consideration should be given for how to enhance inclusion and reduce bias and discrimination. GenAI tools are known to have inherent biases. Staff and faculty must take actions to mitigate the risk of harm due to bias, discrimination, and inaccuracies present in GenAI output.
7. All GenAI tools used at RRC Polytech must be approved for use. The Software Application, Review, and Approval (SARA) process ensures the right people are involved in selecting software for teaching, research, and operational needs. It guarantees the chosen software aligns with the College’s technical, legal, and procurement policies, meeting all necessary requirements. For more information on submitting software for review, go to the Software Application, Review, and Approval (SARA) site on Staff Forum.

Guidelines for Teaching and Learning with GenAI

1. RRC Polytech encourages faculty and students to explore using GenAI for teaching and learning purposes. RRC Polytech programs and courses should prepare students for a future where GenAI is integrated into their field of study. Programs and faculty are encouraged to engage with industry about the implications and applications of GenAI, and, in consultation with internal stakeholders, industry partners, and Knowledge Keepers, determine the appropriate integration of this technology into teaching and learning for their program.
2. RRC Polytech faculty are responsible for clearly communicating the expectations around GenAI use in academic work to the students in their courses. Program and course expectations for GenAI use must be clearly identified in the course’s Course Outline, in the LEARN course’s introduction module, and in the instructions for each assignment.
3. All academic activity at RRC Polytech, including the use of GenAI, must uphold the values of academic integrity and align with the responsibilities and expectations of Policy A17 – Academic Integrity Procedures.
4. Faculty are encouraged to explore GenAI as a supportive tool to assist in providing formative feedback and help students improve the quality of their work. As human oversight is still a necessity, faculty should always review GenAI-generated content before sharing feedback with students.
5. The use of GenAI detection software is not permitted at RRC Polytech. This software is known to be inaccurate and poses significant privacy risks. Faculty who identify GenAI use that may represent an academic integrity breach should consult Policy A17 Academic Integrity Procedures.

Associated Policies

A10 – Intellectual Property and Copyright
A17 – Academic Integrity Procedures
G3 – Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy
IT1 – Acceptable Use of Information Technology Resource
IT2 – Security of Information Technology Resources
P1 – Principles of Conduct Statement
P5 – Ethical Behaviour
P7 – Fair Dealing (Copyright)

These guidelines were created with input from stakeholders across RRC Polytech, including the Centre for Learning and Program Excellence, RRC’s Chief Information Officer, Information Protection and Compliance, ITS, Legal Services, Library and Academic Services, the School of Indigenous Education, Student Services, Human Resources, Academic Leadership including Chairs and Associate Deans, and from consultation with all faculty and staff.