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Lesson Plan: Academic Integrity in the Age of AI

Ann S. Michaelsen

My core message in “The Ultimate Plagiarism Guide: How to Detect and Prevent It” (Ann S. Michaelsen, November 4, 2021) is that plagiarism prevention works best when we teach it proactively, build students’ habits early, and treat mistakes as learning opportunities rather than purely disciplinary moments. What is considered a game-changer these days are AI tools, which can generate, remix, and polish text in seconds—making it even more important to clarify ethical boundaries, teach transparent use, and expand academic integrity beyond plagiarism alone. This updated resource, therefore, pairs the practical classroom strategies from my original guide with new perspectives from “Academic Integrity and Copyrights in the World of AI” from Fiddler AI, shared with me through Joyce Kelly and student teacher Kim, to help students navigate originality, attribution, and responsible AI use with confidence.

When the emphasis is on prevention

We talk about it all the time in school, it seems. How to detect plagiarism. Every learning management system needs to have control and assume it is the norm, not the exception, to test for plagiarism.  When we catch a first-year student plagiarising at my school,  I usually say it is a good thing they did it now, and not in their senior year, or at college or university. Because at that stage it gets serious. In the early high school years, let’s treat it as a teachable moment. And prevent further events by discussing and modeling.

When I wrote my book, “The Digital Classroom Transforming the Way We Learn”, I used the paid version of Grammarly. Because you never know if you accidentally write something previously written and published. You might remember it from somewhere you read, mistaking it for your own brilliant ideas. Better safe than sorry. The digital classroom. 

I am sharing a part from the Website, Academic Integrity, Copyrights, and responsible use of AI from FIdler.ai below. Read more on their webpage.

What Is Academic Integrity?

Academic integrity refers to the principles that uphold honesty, responsibility, and fairness in learning environments. It means producing your own work, acknowledging the ideas of others, and adhering to ethical and institutional guidelines when completing assignments, conducting research, or using digital tools.

At its core, academic integrity is grounded in:

Here are some exercises to discuss and use in the classroom:

If AI helped you…

Essential questions (discussion + essay prompts)

  1. What do we owe our readers when we use ideas, words, and images that we found using AI?
  2. How does AI change the meaning of “original work” without changing the ethics of honesty?
  3. When does helpful AI support become academic dishonesty?
  4. Should schools treat AI misuse like plagiarism, like tutoring, or as something new? Defend your view.
  5. If AI-generated content isn’t fully copyrightable, what does that mean for students who want to publish or monetize creative work? fiddler.ai

The prevention toolbox, upgraded for AI

Use your “Guide to Avoiding Plagiarism” as the backbone, then add an AI lens to each habit:

  1. Never copy and paste online text into a draft without marking it clearly as a quote to be cited or removed later. annmichaelsen.com
  2. Outline your own ideas first, then research to support or challenge them. (This is the simplest way to ensure your thinking is visible.) annmichaelsen.com
  3. Clearly distinguish who said what—especially when AI blends your prose with paraphrased source language. annmichaelsen.com
  4. Learn to paraphrase while still citing the original author. annmichaelsen.com
  5. Evaluate source credibility—AI output is not a source; it’s a tool that may point you toward sources. annmichaelsen.com
  6. Use plagiarism detection tools as a learning mirror, not just a policing device. annmichaelsen.com

Tasks for students

1. Your Original Outline (before research)

Write a quick outline with:

Rule: This outline must be written before you read sources or use AI.

2. Your Source Notes (with credibility check)

Find 2–3 credible sources.

For each source, include:

Reminder: AI is not a source. If AI helps you find sources, you still must verify them yourself.

3. Your Draft with “Who Said What” Labels

Write your draft and add quick labels in brackets for at least 4 places, like:

This makes your thinking visible and prevents accidental blending.

AI Use Rules for This Task

You may use AI for:

You may not use AI to:

If you use AI, add a short note at the end:

AI Transparency Note (2–3 sentences):

I used ChatGPT to help me with the last part of this lesson plan. I used some of the suggestions from it and also added to it so that I was comfortable with the result. ChatGPT helps me generate ideas that I use for brainstorming part of the work. I also use the paid version of Grammarly to help me with spelling and language.  Ann S. Michaelsen.

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