From Restriction to Responsibility: AI Guideline Development in a Project-based English Program

This study examines the development of guidelines for the use of AI-based machine translation (MT) and generative AI (GenAI) within the Project-based English Program (PEP) at a Japanese university. While these AI tools provide opportunities for translation, writing support, and idea generation, they also raise concerns about overreliance, plagiarism, and the loss of critical thinking. Unlike existing institutional guidelines that tend to be top-down rules and regulations, this study highlights guideline development as a collaborative and participatory process. Drawing on a faculty survey, draft guidelines, faculty feedback, and the final version, we trace how the guidelines developed within PEP evolved from the rule-oriented policies of the draft to the emphasis on encouragement and responsibility in the final version, to better align with the program's educational philosophy. The study demonstrates that such documents are not static sets of rules but mirrors that reflect the educational culture and values of the programs that develop them, remaining open to adaptation as contexts change.