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AI tools, such as Copilot and ChatGPT, are becoming part of everyday life and work. As a University of Portsmouth student, you have access to Microsoft 365 which includes Copilot, a generative AI assistant designed to help you with a wide range of tasks and questions.
We want you to feel confident and supported in using AI responsibly and effectively. By learning to use it ethically and creatively now, you’ll be preparing yourself for a world where human skills and digital tools work hand in hand.
A wide range of generative AI tools are now available, with some offered free of charge and others requiring a subscription. As a University of Portsmouth student, you have free access to Microsoft 365, which includes Copilot, a generative AI assistant designed to support a broad range of academic and practical tasks. We encourage you to explore and use Copilot responsibly and ethically to support your learning.
Watch our AI guidance video, then check the FAQs below.
Using AI at University of Portsmouth
Guidance on how to use AI at University of Portsmouth.
[Using AI at University]
[Prof. Ale Armellini, Dead of Education and Digital Innovation]
Artificial Intelligence tools like ChatGPT and Copilot are becoming part of everyday life and work.
[AI in Everyday Life]
[AI is everywhere]
[Free Microsoft Copilot]
[Modern study and work]
At the University of Portsmouth you have free access to Microsoft 365, which includes Copilot, a generative AI assistant designed to support a wide range of tasks.
[What AI helps with]
[Generates ideas, plan, improve, explore, manage time]
AI can help you generate ideas, plan projects, improve writing, explore complex topics and manage your time.
[Why AI Skills Matter]
[Future-ready skills, digital confidence, Humans and AI together]
Using AI well now helps prepare you for a workplace where human judgement and digital tools complement each other.
We want you to feel confident using AI responsibly while making sure your work remains your own.
[Responsible Use]
[Your work must be your own]
[AI acknowledgment form in ever assessment]
That’s why every summative assessment in Moodle now includes an AI acknowledgment form. The golden rule is “Own what you submit”.
[Own what you submit]
[What the AI Acknowledgement Form is]
[If/how AI supported you]
[Fairness and trust]
This simple form enables you to acknowledge whether, and if so how, AI has supported your work. It gives you an opportunity to explain the role it played in your learning. This helps your lecturers understand your approach and supports fairness and trust across the University.
[Why the Form Matters]
The form is important. If it is not completed, or not completed accurately, lecturers may need to contact you about your submission. You must not use AI to do the work for you.
[What not to do]
Submitting AI generated work as your own is academic misconduct. You may be asked to discuss your work to demonstrate your understanding.
[Own what you submit]
“Own what you submit” is the golden rule. AI should help you learn, not learn for you.
[Key takeaways; use AI responsibly, complete the AI acknowledgement form honestly]
Use it responsibly, complete the acknowledgment form honestly, and make sure your work always reflects your own unique thinking, understanding and the skills you have developed while studying at university.
[University of Portsmouth Centre for Academic and Digital Innovation]
FAQs
Using AI well can help you generate ideas, plan projects, improve writing, explore complex topics, and prepare for your future career. It can also help you with administrative tasks and time management.
We want to help you understand where AI can support your learning and how your own thinking, understanding, creativity and originality should be evidenced. The goal isn’t to ban AI or ‘catch you out’, but to make sure your work remains your own.
AI can be a great study partner if used wisely. You might use it to:
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Generate ideas or brainstorm topics
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Clarify difficult concepts
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Check grammar or structure
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Explore examples or case studies
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Get feedback on drafts, with your own judgement applied. You may use this feedback to inform and enhance your work. Critically, the work must remain yours, and you should be able to demonstrate full understanding and ownership of what you submit.
You must not AI if you have been told not to do so in the assessment brief. You must not use AI to write or complete your assignments for you. Claiming AI-generated work to be your own is academic misconduct. The principle is simple: you must be able to show mastery of what you submit. Your tutors may ask you to discuss your work in person to assess your understanding of what you submitted.
The University offers workshops, examples and short guides to help you learn how to use AI effectively and responsibly. You can find out about using Microsoft 365 Copilot on MyPort. You can also find skill development learning packages on LinkedIn Learning.
Remember: AI should help you learn, not learn for you. Use it responsibly, stay curious, and keep your learning authentic.
How to acknowledge the use of AI in Moodle
You must acknowledge whenever you use AI to help with an assessment that you complete in your own time. Each summative assessment dropbox in Moodle will allow you to acknowledge if and how you have used AI to help with your assessment. Being open about your use of AI helps your tutors understand how you approach your work and maintain trust and fairness.
The dropbox in Moodle allows students to declare whether generative AI was used and how. Declarations are recorded in Moodle and linked to the submission, so staff can report on AI use and selected categories. Students must select the relevant option before submitting. Submissions are not blocked if it is skipped, but no declaration will be recorded and this can be reported.
Here is a step-by-step guide.
You will choose an option to either state you did or did not use AI in the assessment. If you state you did not use AI, then you can click Submit Response.
If you chose to state that you did use AI, using the dropdown you should select one or more of the following tags to indicate howyou used AI in your work:
- Data analysis – using AI to analyse data sets or interpret results.
- Developing ideas – generating or refining concepts, arguments, or structures.
- Getting feedback on my work – using AI to review drafts and suggest improvements.
- Identifying themes – extracting key themes or patterns from content or notes.
- Improving flow and legibility – enhancing clarity, structure, or readability.
- Proofreading, grammar checking etc. – correcting spelling, punctuation, or grammar.
- Research/information gathering – locating, summarising, or explaining information.
Other (please specify) – declaring any additional type of AI use not covered above.
Once you have selected the tags that fit your AI usage you will be displayed as shown above. If you have selected ‘Other’ you should then specify exactly what usage this was in the Other AI usage text box.
Once completed, you can then click Submit Response.
A confirmation notice will be displayed, summarising what you have declared, along with an option to edit declaration if needed.
Please confirm and then submit your assessment.
If you have any questions regarding this process, please contact: cadi-digital@port.ac.uk
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