MANILA, Philippines — Committed to providing accessible and quality education to the Filipino youth, Far Eastern University (FEU) was founded by Nicanor Reyes Sr. in 1928. Today, it continues to stand as a beacon of academic excellence, sustainability and cultural heritage in the Philippines.
The school recognizes the growing importance of digital tools in the evolving education landscape, and so it adapts to innovative technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI) in the academic setting.
To fully utilize its benefits without compromising academic standards, the university updated its academic integrity policies with a set of guidelines on the responsible and ethical use of AI for its faculty and students.
The guidelines aim to implement policies regarding transparency and limitations of use and place utmost importance on maintaining FEU’s principle of student-centered pedagogy and learning.
FEU Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Maria Teresa Trinidad P. Tinio.
“AI has been here for a long time, and FEU welcomes its use as an educational tool. However, it should not serve as a replacement for actual students’ performance. That’s why we needed to come up with a policy highlighting academic integrity, and we also conduct workshops to guide students on the proper use of AI tools,” said Maria Teresa Trinidad P. Tinio, FEU Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs.
As part of its commitment to uphold academic standards, FEU recently staged its annual Academic Integrity Day. It turned out to be an opportunity for students and faculty to engage in a discourse about integrity across different industries and innovations.
Psychology students in class.
AI as an educational tool
According to the 2024 Work Trend Index conducted by Microsoft Philippines and LinkedIn, 86% of knowledge workers in the Philippines use AI tools. This signals a growing industry demand for graduates who are equipped with necessary AI skills and therefore calls on its integration into the higher education learning process.
Under FEU’s new directives, the use of AI as an educational tool is encouraged in so far as it promotes “persuasive communication, intellectual curiosity, critical thinking, creative problem solving, professionalism, and responsible digital citizenship” among students.
This is in line with FEU’s continuing vision to produce quality graduates who are responsive to the ever-evolving industry trends.
FEU also ensures that its faculty members receive training and workshops that increase their familiarity and competence with AI technologies. This equips them to incorporate AI capabilities in designing pedagogical activities and materials and empowers them to effectively guide students in using the tools as well.
Transparency and limitations
While fully acknowledging the opportunities that AI presents to advance quality education, FEU warns against the indiscriminate use of the technology and raises awareness on its limitations.
Among its limitations is its tendency for “hallucination,” which involves creating false citations, making incorrect calculations, and providing incorrect data, all of which are potentially harmful to students who become overly reliant on the technology.
“The teachers also have to be wise, and they need to know their students’ capabilities, including their writing styles, among others. When they assess their students, they have to ensure that the use of AI is still aligned with the students’ learning outcomes,” Tinio explained.
FEU’s guidelines require students to be transparent with the AI tools used in their outputs and assessments. Continued non-compliance may potentially lead to being flagged for academic dishonesty.
Aside from issuing guidelines on the responsible use of AI in school, the FEU Center for Learning Enhancement and Research Services conducts academic integrity workshops for students who might need guidance and education on the matter.
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