This page attempts to reflect the content within the current Student Handbook (1.16 Academic Integrity and Artificial Intelligence). DTS is committed to academic honesty, fairness, and integrity as essential expressions of Christian character. Because ministry leaders are called to walk in truth and faithfulness, students are expected to conduct themselves with integrity in all academic endeavors and to submit work that accurately represents their own learning, research, writing, and ministry competencies.
Plagiarism occurs in research whenever a writer appropriates material that falls outside the sphere of common knowledge and is from any source not one’s own without properly acknowledging the source. The theft may have to do with substance (i.e., ideas or information taken from a source without acknowledgment in the form of proper documentation), or it may have to do with verbal expression (i.e., wording or phraseology taken from a source without acknowledgment in the form of proper documentation and quotation marks around the quoted material), or it may involve using text written by an artificial intelligence tool as one’s own work (e.g., using AI output in a paper without a professor’s permission and without citation).
Students should review the DTS Academic Style Guide provided by the Writing Center (https://students.dts.edu/services/writing/) for the latest information on citations (including citing artificial intelligence software).
In any of these forms, plagiarism constitutes a serious academic and ethical impropriety. For this reason, any work submitted that gives clear evidence of plagiarism, whether committed deliberately or naively, will receive a grade of zero. The professor will report suspected violations to the Dean of Students, who will review them in accordance with institutional policies and procedures. Depending on the circumstances, the student may be subject to additional disciplinary action. Students who inappropriately use artificial intelligence tools (as defined in 1.16.4) may be subject to a grade reduction, a grade of zero on the assignment, or additional disciplinary action at the discretion of the professor and the Dean of Students.
Cheating involves dishonest or deceptive attempts to gain credit for academic work by using notes, unauthorized aids, artificial intelligence tools, computer resources, or the assistance of others in ways expressly prohibited by the instructor.
Where it is determined that there is clear evidence of cheating, the assignment or exam in which the cheating occurred will receive a grade of zero. Suspected violations will be reported to the Dean of Students and reviewed in accordance with institutional policies and procedures. Depending on the circumstances, the student may be subject to additional disciplinary action.
Students are expected to complete all examinations, whether proctored or unproctored, with honesty, integrity, and independent effort. Faculty members may require students to affirm an academic integrity statement before beginning an examination. Unless expressly authorized in writing by the professor, students may not use artificial intelligence tools, external assistance, unauthorized resources, or collaboration with others during quizzes, examinations, competency assessments, comprehensive examinations, or any other evaluative exercise. Any suspected violation will be referred to the Dean of Students for review under institutional policies and procedures. Violations may result in academic penalties, disciplinary action, or both.
AI Usage Policy (1.16.4)
Updated as of July 21, 2026
Students may not use generative artificial intelligence (AI) in connection with an assignment unless both of the following conditions are met:
- The student’s professor has given explicit permission to use AI for the assignment.
- The student appropriately discloses and correctly cites the generated material (permission + disclosure + citation).
This policy applies to current and future artificial intelligence technologies, including generative AI systems, large language models, AI-assisted writing and editing tools, image generation tools, translation tools, and substantially similar technologies. Individual professors may establish more restrictive requirements for AI use within their courses. Course-specific policies supersede the general policy stated here.
Students may not upload course materials, class recordings, professor created content, unpublished research, discussion board content, examinations, quizzes, assignments, or other Seminary educational materials into publicly available artificial intelligence systems unless expressly authorized by the professor. Publicly available artificial intelligence systems include AI platforms that operate outside Seminary controlled systems. Because submitted content may be retained, processed, stored, used for model training, or otherwise handled in accordance with the provider’s data practices, users should not assume information entered into such systems remains within the Seminary’s control and thus constitutes a violation of this policy.
Course assignments at DTS are intentionally designed to cultivate biblical knowledge, theological understanding, ministry skills, spiritual maturity, and wise discernment. The value of an assignment lies not merely in the final product submitted, but in the learning, reflection, research, and ministry formation developed through the process of completing it.
DTS expects students to engage personally and thoughtfully with Scripture, theological sources, ministry practice, and course materials. Because preparation for Christian ministry requires the development of sound judgment, spiritual discernment, and faithful reflection, artificial intelligence tools should not replace the student’s own intellectual, theological, or ministerial work. Artificial intelligence tools may assist with research, source discovery, language support, and other learning activities, but they do not possess spiritual discernment, theological judgment, moral responsibility, or the ability to interpret Scripture faithfully. Excessive reliance on generative artificial intelligence to perform work intended to develop a student’s knowledge, reasoning, writing, ministry skills, or theological reflection may hinder the educational and spiritual formation DTS seeks to foster. Therefore, DTS generally discourages the use of generative AI in completing course assignments unless expressly authorized by the professor. Students should view AI as a tool that may assist learning in limited ways, not as a substitute for the personal growth, critical thinking, theological reasoning, and ministry preparation central to theological education.
Students may use spelling and grammar correction tools. However, AI powered editing features that substantially rewrite, paraphrase, restructure, summarize, expand, shorten, or transform a student’s original writing (including features available within Grammarly, Microsoft Copilot, and similar tools) should be used with caution. Excessive reliance on such features may constitute unauthorized assistance, particularly when they substantially alter the student’s original work or generate content on the student’s behalf. Faculty may request documentation demonstrating the development of an assignment, including outlines, drafts, revision histories, research notes, or other evidence of original authorship.
Inappropriate use of AI may result in a grade reduction, a grade of zero on the assignment, or additional disciplinary action at the discretion of the professor and the Dean of Students.
Permitted
- Spell-checking and grammar correction only (including the spelling and grammar functions of Grammarly, Microsoft Word, Google Docs, and similar tools)
- Approved accessibility technologies, including text-to-speech, speech-to-text, screen readers, captioning tools, language accessibility features, and other accommodations authorized through Seminary procedures
- Citation management and reference organization tools (e.g., Zotero, EndNote, RefWorks, and similar tools)
- Database, library, and research-platform searches for locating sources, including AI-assisted search, discovery, and retrieval features available through library databases, Logos, and similar research platforms
Not Permitted Unless Explicitly Authorized by the Professor
- Generating ideas, creating outlines, or developing thesis statements.
- Drafting text
- Revising or restructuring written work
- Translating assignments from another language
- Summarizing assigned readings
- Generating images, graphics, illustrations, slides, or other visual content for academic assignments, presentations, or ministry resources
- Completing any portion of an assignment intended to assess a student’s own thinking, research, writing, ministry, or theological reasoning skills.
Use with Caution
- Revising: overreliance and heavy editing could result in a grade reduction
- Research summarization: AI-generated content may contain factual errors, fabricated sources, inaccurate citations, or theological inaccuracies. Students should consult and read original sources before citing or relying upon them.
Students who are unsure whether a particular use of AI is permitted should obtain clarification from the professor before using it. Failure to seek clarification does not exempt a student from responsibility for unauthorized use.
When individual professors permit AI use, students must disclose such use in a manner specified by the professor and consistent with current DTS Academic Style Guide. The disclosure should identify the AI tool used, how it was used, and its role in the final submission. A general statement such as “AI was used” is ordinarily insufficient. See section C.5.15 in the DTS Academic Style Guide for guidance on how to cite AI tools.
Students must independently locate, read, verify, and accurately cite all sources referenced in submitted work and may not rely on AI-generated citations, quotations, page numbers, bibliographic entries, or references without verification. Students remain fully responsible for all content submitted for academic credit, including the accuracy of claims, citations, quotations, summaries, translations, interpretations, arguments, conclusions, documentation, theological interpretations, biblical judgments, doctrinal conclusions, and ministry applications. Any errors, omissions, inaccuracies, misrepresentations, or fabricated information generated by artificial intelligence tools remain the student’s responsibility.
Because theological education involves the formation of ministry leaders, students should view AI as a tool to support learning rather than a substitute for the intellectual, spiritual, and ministerial growth cultivated through coursework.
