Westminster Policy on Artificial Intelligence
Westminster’s approach to educational technology generally—and to ‘AI’-based tools specifically—comes from our belief that we are embodied learners, finite, and bound to one another by grace and truth in a theological learning community. This means, among other things, that we value, welcome, and embrace the hard work necessary for genuine theological formation, and submit ourselves to a learning process filled with integrity. We desire to serve one another in love, trust, and humility.
Accordingly, students are not permitted to use Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools for the research and production of any course assignments (inclusive of papers, tests, and other written projects). Any exceptions to this policy must be formally approved by the professor of each particular course and such use should be footnoted on the paper. For any assignment to be turned in, students may not use AI tools to translate material (their own or by others) originally written in a different language.
Students may use online editorial tools (such as Grammarly, ProWritingAid, and Quillbot) for checking grammar, punctuation, spelling, and style. These editorial tools may not be used to alter content and presentation in a manner that does not represent the student’s own thinking and style. Such determination is largely the responsibility of the student, and should be made with a view to each student’s responsibility to learn not only the content of study, but also to develop skill as a thinker and communicator. Editorial tools should not usurp the student’s development of personal writing skills and English language proficiency, and should be employed with a view to lesser reliance on digital helps for editing.
Students may also use digital assistance to ensure that their citations follow the style and standards expected by Westminster Theological Seminary and its faculty. However, the student’s use of these tools in no way mitigates personal responsibility for proper referencing and formatting. The faculty will grade every assignment with full expectation that the student is responsible for what is submitted.
In short, use of AI must be expressly permitted by the professor and be disclosed by students in their work. Unauthorized use of AI will be treated as plagiarism (see, Honor Code). To disclose authorized use, students should include the prompt used, the name of the AI tool and model used (e.g., GPT-5.0), date generated, and a URL (if available) in a footnote or in-text citation. As with discerning other forms of plagiarism, faculty may analyze student work for use of AI. Any use of AI that is not expressly addressed in this statement must be approved by your professor/instructor directly. All policies regarding the use of AI are subject to change, and we will make reasonable efforts to notify you in advance of any change.
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