Guidelines for Responsible Use of Technology
Adopted August 2024
The purpose of these guidelines is to ensure that all UPrep community members use technology, including AI text and image-generation tools, in a responsible, ethical, and respectful manner. These guidelines are aligned with the school’s Mission Statement and Values, which emphasize respect, responsibility, and integrity.
Responsible technology users:
- Are thoughtful and intentional; they:
- Maintain focus on their task and environment, and don’t let technology interfere with face-to-face social interactions or conversations
- Manage their own habits around technology use and turn off devices or redirect their attention away from the screen when appropriate
- Think before they post or send online communications, considering how their message might be misunderstood and understanding that information posted online can last a long time or forever
- Use technology in a way that is consistent with the school’s values, including avoiding violent, explicit, or hurtful content
- Respect all community members’ right to privacy and the importance of consent, and ask permission before taking pictures, audio, or video of people, and before sharing that media
- Critically evaluate information; they:
- Evaluate the information they find online, looking for things such as bias, reliability, timeliness, and credibility
- Understand and respect intellectual property, including copyright and any fair use
- Cite the sources of information, media, or resources that they find online
- Communicate responsibly; they:
- Respect appropriate boundaries. Faculty-student communication is through a school-managed system
- Check and respond to their UPrep email daily
- Use UPrep accounts for school purposes, using UPrep email, Schoology, and school social media accounts when appropriate
- Display respect, responsibility, and integrity in all communications, understanding that our community expectations and values extend beyond the UPrep network and campus
- Are aware of their digital footprint and how the information and material linked to their accounts may be available online to future colleges, employers, or social connections
- Students and families are encouraged to review the comprehensive guidelines on appropriate social media use outlined in the Family Handbook. These guidelines provide detailed expectations on how to responsibly manage personal and school-affiliated social media accounts.
- Manage and care for their devices and data; they:
- Have an active backup that archives the data on their device on a regular basis
- Have an active anti-virus program as appropriate and update it to keep the security current
- Keep software and hardware safe and in good working condition
- Maintain a system of organization for files and digital information
- Respect the devices and data of others, including those owned by the school and other community members
- Return borrowed equipment on time
- Practice good password management and account security, maintain strong passwords, and do not give access to their accounts to other people
AI (Artificial Intelligence) Ethical Use Policy
In addition to the guidelines above, the following guidelines apply specifically to the use of AI text- and image-generation tools:
- Use AI text- and image-generation tools only when they are permitted or required by the teacher for a specific academic purpose, and with the teacher’s explicit permission.
- Always identify when AI text- or image-generation tools were used in any work submitted for grading, along with which specific tool was used and any prompts or dialogue used to generate the content.
- Verify the accuracy and credibility of any content generated by AI tools, including checking sources and factchecking.
- Be aware of potential bias and discrimination issues that can arise with the use of AI text- and image generation tools. Consider how the content generated aligns with UPrep’s commitment to equity, inclusion, and diversity.
- Respect intellectual property rights by appropriately citing any sources used in your AI-generated work.
- Follow UPrep’s data privacy policies when using AI text- and image-generation tools and be mindful of how any data generated or collected by these tools is used or shared.