Guidelines for the use of GenAI in Biomedical education

AI policy Utrecht University en bachelor BMS uitklapper, klik om te openen

Utrecht University’s AI policy is currently under development. The most recent information can be found on the website https://www.uu.nl/en/organisation/ai-policy.  

In short, Utrecht University’s vision is that AI offers opportunities for innovation and support in education, but must always be used responsibly, ethically, and critically. We recommend to inspect the following pages:

• Complete the e-module “AI Literacy for teachers” (on the UU intranet; login required). This e-module was developed by the University of Amsterdam (UvA). Modules developed by Utrecht University (UU) will also be available on the linked page in the course of 2026.
• Visit the page “AI Tool Library for teachers and educational support staff” (on the UU intranet; login required and page only available in Dutch). This page provides an overview of various AI tools that you may or may not use (sometimes under certain conditions).
• Review the BMW-specific AI index [PDF]. The index is used to clarify for students the level at which AI use is allowed. The purpose of the AI index is not to monitor for misuse of AI; that is not possible. Instructors are expected to use the AI index.
• In this context, dialogue with students is very important. Why do you choose to use—or not use—AI? How do you do so responsibly? An open discussion on this topic is essential for us to jointly make a responsible, ethical, and critical assessment.
• When submitting course descriptions for the Osiris Course catalog, you will be asked to indicate for each assessment, which level of the AI index applies. The use of AI in courses is also discussed during the CKT meetings. 

Conditions for students' use of AI tools uitklapper, klik om te openen

• At the start of the course and in your course syllabus, specify which AI Index level is allowed for each assignment and why.
• Only use AI tools in education when all students have equal access to the same version of the AI tool. The assignment must therefore be completable using the free version of an AI tool or an AI tool for which UU holds a license.
• Do not require students to use AI, as ChatGPT and other AI tools are not provided by UU in a secure environment. Work is currently underway to establish a secure environment in which various LLMs (Large Language Models) are available. Students may also decide, based on their own (ethical) considerations, not to use AI, even if its use is allowed (opt-out).
• Ensure that the assessment of your assignment is independent of AI use. When AI use is allowed, there must be no disparity in assessment resulting from differences in the extent to which a student does or does not use AI.
• Please be aware that students must have completed the e-module “Responsible use of generative AI” (UU) when they are asked to use AI. This cannot be verified (at this time), but it is the student's own responsibility.

AI index summary to use in the course syllabus

Additions to the AI policy for the bachelor Biomedical Sciences uitklapper, klik om te openen

AI-generated texts may not be submitted as one’s own work, unless the course examiner decides otherwise.
The OER (Dutch web page) states this as follows: fraud includes, among other things, having software generate (parts of) a course assignment and submitting it as if it were one’s own work, unless this is explicitly allowed in the course in question (Article 5.14). If you have any doubts about the appropriate use of AI, you can always contact the examination board (informally).

This does not mean that we want to discourage the use of AI. On the contrary, AI will become an important tool in the future, and we expect the academics we train to be able to evaluate information—including AI-generated texts.

Students can use AI primarily for literature searches, writing, and programming. Throughout the bachelor’s program, these skills are addressed at various points, for example during the Tumors & Metastases project, Bioinformatics, and the Research Project.

We will need to teach students how to use AI sensibly. Consider, for example, guidance on writing prompts (assignments and questions) or how AI can serve as a valuable source of inspiration. Ultimately, students must also learn how to process and evaluate the information they receive from AI. It is therefore also important that students learn to reflect on their own use of AI. Students must become AI-literate. The educational opportunities outlined above provide instructors with the chance to engage in dialogue with students and practice responsible AI use.

In addition, as a program, we want to encourage teachers to experiment with AI use in their own courses. We also aim to offer training sessions tailored to teachers’ needs regarding the use of AI in education. Do you have ideas for a training session or need help developing educational content related to AI use? Please contact beleidsmedewerkersBMW@umcutrecht.nl.

Inspiring examples
On this page, we’ve compiled examples of best practices from teachers from the faculty regarding the use of AI in education:

• In “Early Life Events” (a third-year BMW elective course) students write their writing plans in the classroom during the seminar without using AI. Later adjustments are allowed, provided they can be properly justified. In this way, students lay the foundation for their text without using AI. For more information, contact Laurens Witter.
• A workshop on how search engines (e.g., Google) and LLMs (Large Language Models) work and differ from one another when searching for scientific literature is being created by Adrien Melquiond (coordinator of Advanced Bioinformatics). 
• AI as a Socrative Buddy: a specially designed AI tool can prompt students to reflect by asking questions about their learning process or submitted work. For more information, contact Marnick van Lith (investigating how humans and AI can be responsibly positioned in higher Biomedical education) -
• In the course Research Design and Analysis (a third-year BMW elective course), AI is used as a Socrative Buddy specifically while students are going through the research cycle. For more information, contact Krijn Vrijsen.
• In the bachelor’s program Zorg, Gezondheid en Samenleving (Care, Health, and Society)) students use AI to generate a manuscript on a specific medical topic. They then review each other’s manuscripts (without AI) and critically evaluate one another’s texts. For more information, contact Laurens Witter.
• The Biology program explored how AI-generated texts can be used to improve students' writing skills.
• While taking a course in the History and Philosophy of Science minor, a BMW student observed that an AI-generated essay was compared with student essays during class. Based on this, a discussion took place about what GenAI can and cannot do (well) and why the use of AI does not align with the course’s learning objectives. It helps students understand why (and to what extent) the use of AI is or is not allowed. 
• There is also a cookbook for using AI in higher education that covers various topics, such as how instructors can use AI to develop and improve teaching materials, and how to promote student learning in the areas of assessment and AI literacy. For more information, visit the “AI in Higher Education Cookbook” website from the Teaching and Learning collection.