The University of Wisconsin System’s updated policy on data classification went into effect Sunday, establishing a framework for classifying the “sensitivity, value, and criticality” of UW System data to system schools.
The policy assesses UW System data using three tiers ranging from lowest to highest risk. These data classifications are “necessary to secure and protect” data, the policy said.
The policy, which UW System President Jay Rothman approved on Dec. 1, 2023, is an updated version of a policy issued in 2016. The policy applies to all UW System data, and it allows for individual system schools to develop their own policies if they comply.
UW-Madison most recently updated its institutional data policy on Nov. 14, 2023, outlining the requirements for the management of institutional data resources, which the university called a “shared university resource.”
The UW-Madison Division for Teaching and Learning also began educating staff on AI and provided public resources regarding AI starting last year, Vice Provost of Learning and Teaching John Zumbrunnen told The Daily Cardinal.
“In Summer 2023, we brought together cross-disciplinary teams including faculty, instructional academic staff, academic technologists and student affairs specialists to take stock of the current landscape and develop frameworks, principles, resources and recommendations around generative AI in teaching and learning,” Zumbrunnen said.
Current UW-Madison policy limits entering protected data like Wiscard and health information into AI tools without approval, but many decisions on academic AI usage are left up to individual departments and professors. Policy also states instructors should refrain from using AI detection tools, which the policy said are often inaccurate and biased against people whose first language is not English.
With these new policies, Zumbrunnen encouraged students to follow instructors’ expectations regarding AI, understand that using AI can share information with the rest of the internet and cite AI if instructors allow its use.
Zumbrunnen also encouraged professors to reflect on the benefits and drawbacks of AI and communicate clear expectations with their students.
Zumbrunnen believes AI can enhance education, though he cautioned it can be used in a positive and negative way. He compared AI to other forms of technology such as calculators.
“Using a calculator may go against our expectations for academic integrity [in some classes], but in other classes or for other assignments, a calculator may be an important learning tool. The same, in a general way, is true of AI,” Zumbrunnen said.
He said he was confident the current policy balanced the power of technology and the human mind, though he said students and faculty need to be aware of AI’s limitations.
“All of us — not just students, but all of us — need to be aware of the possibilities and challenges AI brings. This will allow us to engage critically with an information environment in which AI will be an enduring presence,” Zumbrunnen said.
Mar McKenna is a writer for the Features desk and College News. They are a Philosophy major and a published author. Follow them on Instagram @marmck_writing.
