Set student AI guidelines for learners in Teams Assignments

Student AI Guidelines in Microsoft Teams Assignments lets educators define AI use expectations for each assignment. When learners open the assignment, the guidelines appear alongside the assignment instructions, rubrics, and due dates.

Define AI use levels

The Student AI Guidelines feature offers preset levels that represent common approaches to AI use in academic work. Educators can select the level that best matches their instructional intent, then customize the title, description, color indicator, and default setting if needed. These guidelines are informational: they communicate educator expectations, but they don’t technically prevent learners from using AI tools outside the assignment.

Default Student AI Guidelines are provided for the educator but are fully editable and customizable.

• Full AI use allowed: You may use AI tools, but you're still responsible for the accuracy and originality of your submission.
• AI use for editing only: You may use AI tools to help with grammar, clarity, tone, or formatting. Don't use AI to generate new content or ideas.
• AI use for brainstorming only: You may use AI tools to help you brainstorm ideas and outline your thoughts. Don't use AI to write or revise your work.
• No AI use allowed: You must complete this assignment entirely on your own. Don't use any AI tools at any stage of the process.

Customize AI guidance text

While preset levels provide a starting point, educators can edit the guidance text to match specific expectations. This flexibility allows for nuanced instructions based on the assignment's purpose.

For example:

• A history educator might allow AI for summarizing primary sources but require learners to form their own arguments, noting which summarization tools are acceptable.
• A world language instructor might prohibit AI translation on a speaking assessment but allow it for vocabulary practice, clarifying expectations for each assignment type.
• An art educator might encourage AI image generators for inspiration during brainstorming but require original work for the final project, referencing the school's academic integrity policy.

The customized text replaces or supplements the default language, giving educators full control over the message learners receive.

To customize or manage a guideline:

1. Open Manage AI guidelines.
2. Select the guideline level you want to change.
3. In the Edit details panel, update the Title, Description, and, if needed, the color indicator.
4. To make the guideline the default for future assignments, select Set as default in the Edit details panel.
5. Select the checkmark to confirm your edits.
6. Select Done to save all changes.

Set default student AI use guidelines

Educators can set a default AI use level that applies to new assignments automatically. This feature saves time and promotes consistency across a course. When a different level is needed, like allowing more AI support for a practice activity than a summative assessment, educators can simply override the default for that assignment.

Defaults are especially helpful for educators who use a consistent approach to AI across most assignments, with occasional exceptions for specific learning activities. To reset customized descriptions, select Reset guidelines in the Manage AI guidelines window. To remove a guideline from an assignment, choose No selection from the dropdown.

Learner view of a Teams assignment with AI guidelines

When learners open an assignment with Student AI Guidelines, the educator's selection for the assignment appears with other assignment information such as instructions, points, rubric, and due date. Learners can also use Student preview on the assignment creation screen to see how the experience appears to students. If the selected guideline is No AI use allowed, the Copilot launch option isn't shown.

Build shared expectations

Consistent use of the AI guide helps establish class norms. When learners regularly encounter clear guidelines, they come to expect this clarity and can focus on their work rather than guessing about boundaries.

Reflection: How might your AI guidelines differ between a formative practice activity and a summative assessment?