AI and Students
Students should make sure they understand AI guidelines for their classes and other academic projects (e.g. Clinic, thesis). Students must consult with the instructor and course policies – seeking clarification as needed – before using AI for academic work. The operational guidelines referenced on this site are intended to complement—not replace—the specific instructions and expectations set by individual faculty members. Some HMC faculty are making use of suggested language for AI use in courses; students should make sure they are familiar with which AI Use policy is in place for the class in question.
Harvey Mudd College students have access to AI that meets college data protection requirements for AI tools, included in Google Workspace (Gemini and NotebookLM) and Microsoft 365 (Copilot). If a student is using AI for an approved use, they are strongly encouraged to use these tools as opposed to consumer versions (whether free or paid) and especially if they are working with college data. Use of tools that have been purchased by the college ensures that your data is private and is not used to train large language models. It also improves cybersecurity, especially with respect to data leakage.
If you are working with college data, it is really important to understand how the college classifies data and how that affects which AI tools can be used. Please make sure to read the section on Using AI with HMC data.
Be mindful of copyright and whether you have permission to use other people’s content (eg course materials or another student’s work). Please keep your obligations under the honor code in mind.
The resources currently available for students at HMC include: