3.5.2sr - SRTC Procedure: Responsible Use for Generative AI

I. PURPOSE

Southern Regional Technical College (SRTC) supports the responsible use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) to strengthen teaching, learning, workforce readiness, and efficiency. AI must be used safely, ethically, lawfully, and with appropriate human judgment.

II. SCOPE

This procedure applies to students, faculty, staff, contractors, and other authorized users who use generative AI for college-related purposes. All existing SRTC and TCSG policies remain in effect. If another policy, law, grant requirement, accreditation standard, course rule, or professional standard is more restrictive, that requirement applies.

III. CORE EXPECTATIONS

Users must:

1. Remain responsible for all work, communications, decisions, and actions involving AI.
2. Verify AI-generated facts, calculations, citations, quotations, and sources, recognizing that AI may produce inaccurate, biased, outdated, or fabricated information.
3. Protect confidential, personal, and restricted information and use only the minimum information necessary.
4. Disclose AI assistance when required by the College, instructor, supervisor, publisher, grant, accreditor, or professional standard.
5. Use AI to support—not replace—human judgment, original work, professional expertise, and meaningful review.
6. Respect privacy, copyright, licensing, intellectual property, and the rights of others.
7. Never use AI to deceive, discriminate, harass, impersonate, harm, or engage in unlawful activity.

IV. APPROPRIATE USES

When permitted and properly reviewed, AI may be used for:

1. Brainstorming, outlining, revising, summarizing, translating, and adjusting tone or reading level.
2. Creating study materials, practice questions, explanations, examples, and learning feedback.
3. Drafting routine communications, plans, agendas, procedures, training materials, code, and data-analysis approaches.
4. Exploring careers, workplace scenarios, and industry applications of AI.
5. Supporting accessibility and usability in accordance with approved College processes.
6. Analyzing de-identified or appropriately authorized information for approved College purposes.

V. PROHIBITED AND RESTRICTED USES

Users must not:

1. Submit AI-generated work as their own when prohibited or when disclosure is required.
2. Use AI on tests, quizzes, assignments, certifications, or other assessments unless specifically authorized.
3. Enter passwords, authentication codes, financial information, Social Security numbers, medical information, or other restricted data into AI systems unless the system and use have been specifically approved.
4. Enter identifiable student or employee information when de-identified information will meet the need. All FERPA, privacy, records, and security requirements must be followed.
5. Create or distribute false, deceptive, discriminatory, threatening, sexually exploitative, unlawful, or harmful content.
6. Impersonate others, create deceptive synthetic media, bypass security, obtain unauthorized access, or expose confidential information.
7. Upload copyrighted, licensed, proprietary, or third-party materials unless permitted and appropriate safeguards are in place.
8. Use personal AI accounts for college information that must remain in an approved institutional environment.

VI. STUDENT ACADEMIC USE

Instructors determine whether and how AI may be used in their courses and assignments. Students must follow course-specific instructions and ask the instructor when expectations are unclear.

Unauthorized AI use, false attribution, fabricated citations, or failure to disclose required AI assistance may be addressed through applicable academic-integrity or student-conduct procedures.

VII. FACULTY AND STAFF USE

Faculty and staff must review AI-assisted work before using or sharing it. Employees remain responsible for decisions affecting students, employees, finances, safety, compliance, or institutional obligations.

Identifiable student work or records may not be entered into AI tools unless the use is authorized and complies with privacy and records requirements.

VIII. PRIVACY, SECURITY, AND RECORDS

1. Use the SRTC-provided ChatGPT Edu workspace for approved College work when available.
2. Share only the minimum information necessary and remove identifiers whenever possible.
3. Do not assume deleting an AI conversation satisfies College records-retention requirements. Official records must be maintained in the approved system of record.
4. Confirm that external services, applications, integrations, and permissions are College-approved before use.
5. Promptly report suspected exposure of confidential information, harmful AI output, misuse, or security concerns to the appropriate College contact.

IX. ACCURACY AND INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

Users are responsible for verifying information and AI-generated citations against reliable original sources. All copyright, licensing, attribution, trademark, intellectual-property, and plagiarism requirements must be followed.

X. ACCESSIBILITY AND EQUAL OPPORTUNITY

AI-generated materials must be reviewed for accessibility, clarity, bias, and unintended barriers. AI does not replace SRTC’s formal accessibility or disability-accommodation processes.

XI. REPORTING AND ENFORCEMENT

Questions or concerns should be directed to the appropriate instructor, supervisor, AI support contact, or information-security contact.

Suspected violations will be addressed under existing College procedures and may result in education, correction, access restrictions, disciplinary action, or referral under applicable policy or law.

Responsibility:
The Vice President for Academic Affairs has the overall responsibility for ensuring this procedure is implemented.

Status:
Adopted: 10-01-2026