Co-written by Ann Wilson and Rosalie Goldsmith
Have you talked to your students about using GenAI in their learning and assessment? Have you thought about whether they can use it in their assignments and communicated this to them?
In considering the use (or not) of GenAI in assessments and learning you might find the following interactive guide helpful in thinking through your position on this.
Feeling lost? Try our interactive guide
H5P activity adapted from Barnard Center for Engaged Pedagogy, New York
The first of 2 key decisions explored in the interactive is whether it is possible for students to use GenAI in your assignment. If the answer is ‘Yes’, we can build in some of the principles that TEQSA has identified as important for a world with GenAI, that:
- Assessment and learning experiences equip students to participate ethically and actively in a society pervaded with AI
- Forming trustworthy judgements about student learning in a time of AI requires multiple, inclusive and contextualised approaches to assessment
The question is therefore, are you providing an assessment that informs a trustworthy decision about student learning? Or is this assessment about the student providing evidence that they can work productively in a society pervaded with GenAI? You will want to have a mix of these assessments, (some GenAI, some not) across your subject and course, and think about how your students will be supported in using GenAI. Also consider:
- Do they know how to interrogate GenAI?
- Do they know how to write good prompts?
- Can they trust their own judgement about what is appropriate use of GenAI?
There will be a broad range of levels of knowledge, competence and confidence in your student cohort, so that needs to be kept in mind. Not all digital natives are equally proficient!
Closed, Restricted, Conditional or Open?
A simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ for integrating and using GenAI may to be too simplistic a guide for your students. There will often be a middle ground to consider, as the Faculty of Health have recently shown with a ‘traffic light’ system. In our interactive guide, we offer 4 options:
- Closed – consider the use of GenAI would jeopardise the achievement of the learning outcomes, so GenAI is not to be used
- Restricted – students can use GenAI for specified activities
- Conditional – similar to ‘Restricted’ but be more specific about how/why they might use GenAI
- Open – actively encourage students to use GenAI
By involving your students in these discussions about assessment in the age of GenAI you move towards integrating GenAI into your subject and course. You want your assessments to be secure and reflective of students’ ability, but also to be authentic and job-ready so that students are confident and skilled in the use of GenAI in your discipline. You also want to assure that students achievements reflect the Course intended learning outcomes.
More to explore
Explore more ideas and tips for integrating GenAI into assessments at UTS, with our Assessment in the age of GenAI series, focusing on when GenAI can assist, be integral to the assessment or cannot be used.