News

Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology is rapidly evolving, and the university is currently exploring how AI can be utilized in our educational, research and innovation, and health care endeavors. This guidance will be updated as new tools and vendors are brought into the university’s technical environment. 

The use of generative AI tools, like ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot and others, has increased rapidly over the past year and will continue to grow. While the university has already begun incorporating AI tools into our educational spaces, the Office of Technology and Digital Innovation’s (OTDI) Digital Security and Trust (DST) team is working to better understand how these systems protect the security and privacy of information they collect, especially as it pertains to institutional data. 

Institutional Data and AI Use

Ohio State’s institutional data is information created, collected, maintained, transmitted or recorded by or for the university to conduct university operations. The Institutional Data Policy (IDP) establishes the need to protect institutional data and requires that all institutional data is assigned one of four security classification levels (S1-S4). More information about the IDP, what types of information falls into each institutional data category and a calculator to view classification of different data combinations can be found on OTDI’s IDP webpage.

What AI tools may I use with institutional data?

DST is actively evaluating AI platforms and software augmented with AI tools. This list of approved tools will be updated as software is vetted. 

What data may I use in approved AI tools?

While it is a best practice to only use S1 (public) or S2 (internal) institutional data in approved AI tools, S3 (private) and/or S4 (restricted) data can be included when necessary for your education, business or research use case. Keep in mind that all software carries a risk of data breaches, so only enter the data necessary to achieve your goal.

Users of the full, integrated Microsoft 365 Copilot (the upgraded version that must be purchased) should be aware that the Copilot tool has access to ALL institutional data across Office 365 applications up to S4. The full integrated Copilot cannot be limited to lower data classifications such as S1 or S2. If you know that S3 or S4 data is present in your work files, and do not want it accessed by the tool, you should avoid using the full, integrated version of Microsoft 365 Copilot.

What if I want to use an AI tool not listed on the Approved AI Tools webpage?

University community members should not enter any institutional data that is categorized above the S1 (public) level into unvetted AI tools.

Have questions or need guidance on using AI tools with institutional data?

Contact DST at otdi-dst@osu.edu for assistance.

Privacy and Information Integrity

Those who wish to use the unprotected version of Copilot (meaning you are not logged in with your university username and password) or another, unvetted AI platform should think carefully about what happens to the information entered into these tools before engaging with them. Many AI companies state that that they have access to all information entered into the system, including account information and any inputs used to generate a response. This data could be breached and used by cybercriminals to create malware, phishing email campaigns or other cyber scams. Additionally, information entered in a prompt could be used to train the underlying large language model, meaning that whatever data is in the prompt could then be inadvertently exposed to another user.

When using any generative AI tools, including Copilot, be sure to cross-reference any information the tool gives you to make sure it’s accurate, as these systems have been known to make up, or “hallucinate,” data. You should also consider whether the information you received from an AI tool is copyrighted and thus subject to certain regulations regarding its use.

We are all responsible for keeping our institutional data secure, especially as AI becomes more widely available. If you ever have concerns about your university account being compromised, you can reach out to the IT Service Desk online or by calling at (614) 688-4357 (HELP).

Learn More

Faculty, staff and students can learn more about using AI for work, school or personal purposes by visiting:

• The Teaching and Learning Resource Center’s comprehensive resource to guide AI use in our academic environments.
• The “Learn to Use AI” webpage on the university’s AI website, which covers AI basics, common terms and the pros and cons of using these tools. There is also a list of free online courses by LinkedIn and other industry leaders to help you learn about using AI tools.

Questions about AI usage pertaining to information security and privacy considerations can be directed to the DST team at otdi-dst@osu.edu.

Updated: January 2, 2025

National Payroll Week 2024 begins on Monday, September 2!

Since our organization supports many systems and processes that enable university faculty and staff to be paid, National Payroll Week is important to us all!

In 1996, the American Payroll Association founded National Payroll Week to coincide with the celebration of Labor Day.

NPW pays homage to the working relationship that payroll professionals have with employees, their companies (in our case the university) and key government programs like social security, Medicare, fair labor standards, and child support. Together through payroll withholding, America’s workforce and our payroll professionals contribute, collect and report 70% of the annual revenue of the U.S. Treasury!

How can you celebrate National Payroll Week this September 2-6?

• Extend a thank you and give kudos to our Ohio State Payroll Services staff.
• Read more at nationalpayrollweek.com to learn about the annual NPW campaign.
• Follow the #payrollweek hashtag on social media.

Thank you for reading and thank you to our Ohio State Payroll Services friends!

Microsoft has created several communities to help users connect and learn more about Copilot products.

Club Copilot is a brand-new Microsoft EDU community focused entirely on Copilot for Microsoft 365.

 The community is meeting on the second Tuesday of each month to help users learn how they can integrate the generative AI tools available in M365 Copilot into their workflow. M365 Copilot interacts with Microsoft 365 applications, emails, and files stored to OneDrive for a more personalized experience.

Microsoft Copilot with corporate data protection is the version of Copilot that all Buckeyes can access at no cost. Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365 (M365 Copilot) is a different version of the Copilot tool that is available for an additional cost. Licenses can be purchased by departments on an annual basis by following the instructions posted in the Administrative Resource Center (ARC). 

The inaugural EDU Club Copilot monthly call is on Tuesday, Sept. 10. The goal of the first session is to provide end-users with a look at HOW, WHY, and WHEN to use the various tools within our M365 Copilot suite. Users with a M365 Copilot license will benefit most from this session, but those who do not have access to M365 Copilot are welcome to attend.

Each month will follow a similar set-up:

• Prompt of the Month (5 minutes): Quick tip and practice with prompting to align Copilot results with your expectations
• M365 Copilot Tool (25 minutes): Discussion focuses on 1-2 M365 Copilot features to enable you to use it more effectively.
• Q&A (30 minutes): Take off for the day or stick around to ask some questions.

This group is for non-technical users. Microsoft encourages more technical users to attend MS National Office Hours on Thursdays at 4:00 p.m.

Visit Microsoft’s website for more information and to sign up for Club Copilot.

Before you dive into autumn semester, be sure to learn about the latest updates to teaching and learning tools and other technology services from the Office of Technology and Digital Innovation (OTDI). Learn more about our new proctoring tool, Honorlock; review changes and improvements to CarmenCanvas; check out new features in Mediasite; find out how you and your students can access Adobe Express and Creative Cloud; and so much more.

Ohio State offers several supported and vetted tools to enhance the teaching and learning experience. You can explore these options in the Teaching and Learning Resource Center and visit the Learning Systems page on the it.osu.edu site to find the most recent updates to teaching and learning tools.

CarmenCanvas

CarmenZoom

Mediasite Improvements

OTDI has been working on strategic enhancements to Mediasite, the university’s media platform. This summer, browser-based recording was enabled. This new feature lets users record audio, video and screen content conveniently from a web browser, with no need for hardware or special software. Automated captioning is also enabled by default for all recordings. Keep in mind, AI captioning still needs to be reviewed to ensure full accessibility. Viewers of your content will see a disclaimer that the captions were auto-generated, but you can remove this disclaimer after editing your captions. Remember, when embedding Mediasite content in your course, it is best to use the integration that is built into Canvas. This will provide your students with the best viewing experience.

Top Hat Student Preview

If you are using the polling tool Top Hat in your course, you may notice a new feature. As an instructor, you will now be able to preview what your students will see during a class presentation. This feature is a great way to ensure you have formatted your questions correctly and gives you a glimpse into the student experience. Learn more about using this feature from Top Hat.

Recording and Proctoring Waiver for Minors

Students under the age of 18 must have a waiver on file signed by a parent or guardian to allow them to interact with instructional tools that use a student’s web camera and microphone, as well as tools that require consent to download and install on a student’s device. In addition, minors without this waiver on file will have Zoom accounts with limited functionality—mainly, they will be unable to host meetings of their own without parental consent. If you are teaching a course with at least one student under the age of 18 who does NOT have this waiver on file, you will receive an email from the Registrar’s office with further instructions and considerations.

Connect to eduroam

Over the summer, osuwireless officially retired and we completed the transition to eduroam as the primary secure network for Ohio State students, faculty and staff. Students, faculty and staff can connect their devices to eduroam today by visiting wireless.osu.edu and selecting Connect to eduroam. One of the great benefits of this transition is that users will no longer have to update their Wi-Fi connection each time they update their Ohio State password – the certificate connection on eduroam lasts for five years! By connecting to eduroam, you also join a growing group of eduroam users and can visit institutions throughout the world while maintaining a secure Wi-Fi connection.

Needs-Based Technology Loan Program

The Student Technology Loan Program (STLP) has been serving students at Ohio State by offering short- and long-term loans of Surface Go and iPad Air technology kits. To better serve students with the greatest need, STLP will reserve loan eligibility for students who have limited technology access and identified financial needs. Going forward, only students who have filled out FAFSA and received financial aid will be eligible to request a loaner device. Students can request a loaner device through ScholarshipUniverse, where students can apply for financial aid.

Classroom Updates

AI.osu.edu

Generative AI is a rapidly evolving technology that Ohio State is actively exploring, and we now have a website as a central resource. AI.osu.edu provides information on current AI initiatives, tools, and guidelines for incorporating AI into academic and professional work. The site includes learning materials and sections detailing approved AI tools, policies, and instructional resources. We encourage contributions to the site to ensure it remains a comprehensive and up-to-date resource for the Ohio State community.

Email and Storage Changes

Ohio State is adjusting storage allowances for email, OneDrive and Teams to manage costs due to Microsoft's education licensing price changes. New storage limits will affect all faculty, staff and students. Email forwarding policies also will change due to these increasing costs and new security measures by external email providers that have been causing messages to be blocked. How this affects you depends on your role at the university.

Changes to Microsoft Flip

If you have been using Flip, the video discussion platform, please take note that some changes from Microsoft will affect your ability to use this tool. Flip is no longer a separate application; it has been integrated into Microsoft Teams for Education. Learn more about this change from the College of Arts and Sciences and discover options that could meet your particular use cases.

CarmenBooks, the program that offers digital textbooks and access to publisher homework systems, is now powered by RedShelf. Students will be able to access all their current CarmenBooks titles by selecting the CarmenBooks icon from the global navigation in Canvas or from the CarmenBooks link within a course. Titles from previous semesters can be accessed with the Unizin Engage link within a course.