AI has introduced a new dimension to academic integrity, making the boundary between ethical assistance and intellectual dishonesty unclear for many learners. Without explicit guidance on appropriate and inappropriate AI use, students risk bypassing critical thinking, relying on inaccurate outputs, and inadvertently committing academic misconduct. Clear instruction transforms AI from a potential shortcut into a transparent tool for authentic learning and workforce readiness.
In this article, we cover four ways instructors can explicitly teach appropriate vs. inappropriate AI use directly within Canvas by Instructure, utilizing the collaborative digital whiteboard, Lucid.
- Open Dialogue
- Evaluate Scenarios
- Analyze AI Output
- Co-Create Agreement
Open Dialogue: Kick off with an AI-Readiness Conversation
Before diving into rules or policies, start by gauging your students' current mindsets and AI habits. Holding an open discussion sets a foundational tone and shifts the conversation from "avoiding punishment" to understanding how improper AI use dilutes critical thinking. Starting here uncovers student misconceptions early and builds the shared vocabulary needed.
Get Started: This ready-made Canvas lesson gives students a) a structured roadmap for a successful discussion and b) a tangible workspace to keep track of and revisit their ideas. Use as is or customize.
—> Open and embed this Lucid template onto any Canvas page or assignment (How to).
Evaluate AI Scenarios: Apply concepts to grey-area real-world examples
Student AI use lives in a world of greys. Is it helpful, harmful or somewhere in between? Analyzing real-world scenarios helps learners build essential AI literacy by transforming abstract ethical guidelines into concrete judgment calls. By evaluating edge cases and determining boundaries, students develop critical thinking skills to leverage AI tools effectively without skipping the learning process.
Get Started: This ready-made Canvas lesson allows all students to gather their thoughts, actively share their opinions with the group in real time, and visualize everyone’s thinking in one collaborative space. Use as is or customize.
—> Open and embed this Lucid template onto any Canvas page or assignment (How to).
Analyze AI Output: Develop AI output verification and validation habits
As students lean into AI to support their learning, they are often trusting AI output without verifying its authenticity. AI systems can produce plausible-sounding errors, false citations, and biased information. It’s important for students to see AI as a helpful resource, and not an absolute authority who never makes mistakes. This is where instructors come in to help teach students how to verify and validate the outputs of their AI searches.
Get Started: This ready-made Canvas lesson introduces students to a 4-step process to verify the accuracy of the information and sources that AI provides.
—> Open and embed this Lucid template on any Canvas page or assignment
Build an AI class agreement with students: Formalize shared classroom norms
In a recent study, Designing an AI policy: An experiment in co-creation (Debelius et al., 2025), researchers from Georgetown University explored the idea of co-creating an AI use policy with students. One finding from their study shows that “Involving students as partners and other forms of engaged learning are the best response to concerns about AI taking away students’ opportunities to think critically.”
Get Started: This ready-made Canvas lesson allows instructors and students to build an acceptable AI use contract together, transforming rules into shared values, and shifting their mindset from compliance to active ownership of their learning.
—> Open and embed this Lucid template on any Canvas page or assignment.
❓️ How are you helping students understand the boundaries between beneficial and harmful AI use in the classroom❓️
