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Learn how to use AI tools for your work at North Central University (NCU) under the Using AI at Work policy, including what information you can put into AI, which tools are approved, and what to do if you share something you shouldn't.
The short version
NCU encourages employees to use AI to work faster and better. The policy applies to faculty, staff, student employees, contractors, and anyone doing university work. Three rules cover most of it:
1. Protect the data
Check what kind of information it is before you paste it in. Some of it can never go into AI.
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2. Verify everything
AI makes things up and sounds sure of itself. You're responsible for anything you use.
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3. Use approved tools
Microsoft Copilot through your NCU account is approved. Other tools need approval first.
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Student use of AI for coursework follows academic integrity policies and each course's syllabus, not this policy.
What you can put into AI
Once information goes into an AI tool, NCU can't take it back, delete it, or control how it's used. Treat every AI tool as public unless the Office of Innovation & Technology tells you otherwise in writing.
Restricted · Level 3
Never
- Student records: names, IDs, grades, academic or financial info
- HR information: evaluations, pay, personnel files
- SSNs, ID numbers, bank and card numbers
- Health information
- Strategic plans, non-public financials, legal matters, contracts in negotiation
- Research data covered by IRB or non-disclosure agreements
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Confidential · Level 2
Only after removing details
- Internal procedures and workflow docs
- Meeting notes and internal messages
- Project timelines and drafts
First remove names, ID numbers, confidential figures, and anything that identifies a person or situation.
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Public · Level 1
Freely
- NCU website content and press releases
- General questions and best practices
- Writing and editing help with nothing confidential in it
- Spreadsheet formulas and non-sensitive code
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Not sure which level it is? Treat it as the most restricted level that could apply, and ask your supervisor or the Office of Innovation & Technology before you use it.
If your supervisor asks you to put restricted or confidential data into AI, don't. Explain the rule and suggest another way, like removing the details first or doing the task without AI. If they still insist, contact the Office of Human Resources or the Office of Innovation & Technology. The Non-Retaliation policy protects you.
Approved tools
- Microsoft Copilot is available at no cost when you sign in with your NCU account. It has stronger privacy protections than public tools, but the same data rules still apply. Microsoft Copilot Chat at NCU
- Meetings: Copilot is the only AI meeting assistant allowed for university meetings, classes, interviews, and focus groups. Otter.ai, Fireflies, Fathom, Zoom AI Companion, and similar tools are not allowed. Using Copilot doesn't make every recording OK: everyone has to know you're recording, and some settings can't be recorded at all. See Acceptable Use of Information Technology. How To: Record and Transcribe a Teams Meeting
- Free public tools such as ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini aren't approved for university data.
- Any other AI tool needs approval from the Office of Innovation & Technology before you use it for university work, including tools your department paid for.
- Don't sign up with your NCU email. Use a personal email to try out tools that aren't approved, and keep university work out of them.
Connections, extensions, and AI agents
- Don't connect AI tools to your NCU account. That includes your email, calendar, OneDrive, and Teams. Don't approve sign-in or permission prompts that give an AI tool access unless the Office of Innovation & Technology has approved that connection in writing. A connected tool can read everything your account can reach, not just what you type.
- No AI browser extensions, AI browsers, or AI agents on an NCU device or in any browser you use for university work, unless the Office of Innovation & Technology has approved the specific tool in writing. This includes AI extensions and built-in browser assistants like Claude in Chrome and Gemini in Chrome, AI browsers like Perplexity Comet, ChatGPT Atlas, Dia, and Opera Neon, and AI agents like ChatGPT agent that browse, click, type, or submit for you. They can read every page you open, including email, Canvas, and HR and financial systems.
- AI desktop apps, like the Claude or ChatGPT desktop apps, can't be given access to files, folders, your screen, or other apps on an NCU device, or to any folder that syncs NCU data like OneDrive, unless the Office of Innovation & Technology has approved that access in writing. That includes local file access, screen-reading features, and connectors or plug-ins that link the app to other tools.
- Using them at home? Keep them out of any browser profile or session you use for NCU work.
- Found one? Stop using it, remove its access to your NCU account, and report it through Report Information Security Incidents.
Check it before you use it
AI output looks polished whether it's right or wrong.
Before you use it, check:
- Facts: names, dates, numbers, and statistics against a reliable source.
- Sources: every citation actually exists and says what the AI claims.
- Fit: it matches NCU policy, and the tone suits your audience.
- Copyright: it doesn't copy someone else's work. If it looks copied, rewrite it or don't use it.
You don't need to say you used AI for routine internal work. For official communications to students, families, donors, or the public, use judgment about whether to say so. Research and scholarly work follows the disclosure rules of your funder or publisher.
Off-limits uses
- Final decisions about people: hiring, promotion, termination, admissions, or discipline. AI can inform the process; a person decides.
- Grading and evaluations: analyzing student grades, writing student evaluation comments, or drafting performance reviews with names in them. AI can help build a rubric.
- Deceptive content: fake sources or credentials, deepfakes, discriminatory content, or AI images that show real NCU people or events in a misleading way.
- Security: getting around access controls or creating harmful code.
If you put the wrong information in
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Stop. Don't type anything else into the tool, including asking it to delete or forget what you shared.
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Don't delete anything. Keep the chat history and your account as they are. The Office of Innovation & Technology needs them to assess what was exposed.
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Report it within 2 hours through Report Information Security Incidents, or call Information Security at 612.343.4190. Include the tool, about when it happened, and what type of information was involved, without repeating the information itself.
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Reporting quickly and keeping everything counts in your favor. Hiding or deleting it is treated as misconduct.
Questions