The use of AI-based applications in teaching and examinations - conditions and recommendations

Integrating AI into teaching and learning can be both meaningful and beneficial, particularly in terms of developing a work culture and ensuring these innovative technologies are used correctly. For instance, AI can be used as a tool, addressed as a subject of study, or examined in the context of the subject. Course content and teaching methods are designed individually by lecturers to meet specific learning objectives. Consequently, the teaching and learning objectives pursued within the various courses are equally diverse. Whether or how the achievement of teaching and learning objectives is facilitated or hindered by the use of AI-based applications must therefore be decided individually by the respective lecturer for each course, taking into account the specific teaching context. For each academic discipline and for each course, it must be clarified how AI can be used as a tool and to what extent the possibilities of artificial intelligence are suitable as a subject of study.

However, it is important to note in all cases that no personal data should be used in prompts or uploads, as these are stored and cannot be deleted by the user.

Important: Via ChatAI in the Academic Cloud, several AI-based Large Language Models (LLMs) are available to all Leuphana university members; these have been reviewed for compliance with data protection regulations. Other AI tools and providers must not be made mandatory for use in teaching.

Information on examples of educational applications, best practices and the limitations of AI tools can be found on our website on AI events and links.

There you will also find an overview of regular external training courses and self-study courses. Internal training courses, such as the workshops in the series “AI Skills for Lecturers”, can be found on the Teaching Service workshop portal.

Uploading copyright-protected teaching and learning materials to AI tools is a legally sensitive matter and is not permitted without the consent of the rights holders. Under Section 15(1)(1) and Section 16 of the Copyright Act (UrhG), the exclusive right of reproduction is vested solely in the author or rights holder. Transmitting content to AI providers constitutes such reproduction, as the files are stored on the servers and further processed. Without the express permission of the rights holders, uploading is therefore prohibited – this applies equally to students who input materials into AI tools for analysis, editing or the creation of work, as well as to teachers who process their own or third-party materials in this way.

The exceptions provided for in copyright law for text and data mining (Sections 40b, 60d UrhG) do not generally apply in this context, as these require the systematic analysis of large volumes of data within the framework of scientific research. A single seminar or use within the context of student learning or teaching activities typically does not meet these requirements.

In practice, this means: Students may only use copyright-protected content in AI tools if they have clear permission from the rights holders or if the content is licensed under a licence that explicitly permits such use. When using AI tools with materials, lecturers must likewise ensure that they are either the sole rights holder, have the necessary rights of use, or that the content is freely licensed. Without this, there is a risk of copyright infringement.

Student work – whether in the form of texts, images, videos or other outputs – reflects an individual learning process and often represents the first steps in academic work. Its production is therefore subject to the principles of academic integrity, as set out in the Rules of Safeguarding Good Scientific Practice.

The increasingly widespread use of AI tools presents teachers with the challenge of critically re-evaluating assessment formats. The key recommendation is: design assessment tasks in such a way that they require students to demonstrate their own independent work. Suitable tasks include those that build on specific course content or experiences, require individual reflection or argumentation, or are completed orally. Tasks of this kind cannot be adequately completed by AI alone and thus reduce the need to clarify retrospectively whether a piece of work was produced independently.

Further information can be found on the website on the subject of assessment.

Examination work must be completed independently and using only approved aids. The use of AI tools is therefore subject to this requirement of independence: the examiner determines whether and to what extent AI applications are permitted. The manner of use is also crucial, as is transparent disclosure, in accordance with good academic practice. The basis remains, at all times, ethically responsible conduct and taking responsibility for one’s own learning process.

If examination work is carried out entirely or predominantly by others – whether people or digital tools – this violates the principle of independence and is not permitted. Such work must be graded as ‘unsatisfactory’ (5.0) or ‘fail’ (see, for example, RPO-BA §16, para. 4, sentence 1).

In principle, however, the use of digital technologies is conceivable, provided that it is clearly identified and remains limited to clearly defined sub-processes – for example, to assist with research, to provide orientation within a subject area, or to offer feedback on one’s own drafts. Insofar as AI tools contribute in this way to the revision and further development of one’s own work, this can be understood as a legitimate component of academic work and as a contribution to professional development within the discipline.

Declaration of Originality

With the declaration of originality, authors of academic papers confirm that they have prepared them themselves - in accordance with the principles of good academic practice. The requirements for the declaration of originality, which students must enclose with the assessment, are defined in the Framework Examination Regulations (Rahmenprüfungsordnung, RPO) § 7, Paragraph 9:

In any written work [...] that is not written under supervision, all passages that are taken verbatim from publications or other sources must be given the necessary identification. The citation must be given in direct connection with the quotation. The citation must be given for the analogous transfer from publications or other sources. The written work must contain the signed declaration that the work - in the case of group work, the part of the work marked accordingly - has been written independently and that no sources or aids other than those indicated have been used, and all passages in the thesis which have been taken verbatim or in spirit from other sources have been marked as such.

The § 7 para. 9 (RPO) cited here also applies to the use of AI tools. Unlike traditional sources, for which standardised citation methods exist, it has not yet been uniformly clarified for AI applications how AI should be acknowledged. Instructions for documenting the use of the AI tool can be found below.

Further information on the declaration of autonomy can be found on the website of the writing centre.

As with other academic sources, the use of AI-generated content (e.g. text, images, programming code) is the responsibility of the user (whether a student or a lecturer). The user must independently assess and/or verify the quality of the content and cannot attribute any errors in the content to the source of the information.

The assessment and marking of an examination paper must be carried out by lecturers themselves. Examiners may make use of human and technical assistance when marking examination papers, provided that the limits set by examination law, copyright law and data protection law are observed. It is important that examiners review this preliminary marking and ultimately assess and take responsibility for the paper themselves.

The Teaching Service is available to answer didactic questions regarding the use of AI in teaching and examinations. For administrative questions and questions regarding examination law related to the use of AI in examinations, please contact the relevant student service. In the event of conflicts and problems, please contact the ombudsperson for students and teachers. For further legal questions, please contact the legal office or the data protection officer (accessible via VPN).