AI and assessment

Designing assessment for achievement and demonstration of learning outcomes

A key purpose of assessment is to yield evidence of student learning. This evidence depends on submitted work accurately representing students’ efforts and human abilities and/or knowledge.

Therefore use of generative AI technologies to produce text and other media as part of student submissions (or, indeed, as part of the process of developing such submissions) needs to be thoughtfully supported to ensure responsible use and clear demonstration of human achievements.

The proliferation of AI in education provides valuable opportunities to consider why we are assessing our students, what is being evaluated, and how evidence of learning is being gathered. Providing a clear rationale for assessment design and associated integration of AI will help students to understand why they are undertaking such activities and to see the value in responsible uses of AI technologies.

Chief Examiners, who are responsible for the assessment regimes in units, must specify where and how AI may be used in assessments. AI use also needs to be clearly and openly acknowledged by students, in line with what has been specified by the Chief Examiner. AI use should align with the Monash University institutional position of ethical and responsible AI use and the Academic Integrity Policy. Any restrictions placed on AI use must be for clearly articulated pedagogical or accreditation reasons and accompanied by appropriate assessment security measures.

Considerations for assessment design

In considering the role of AI technologies in assessment, a key starting point is to determine if you will be:

  1. Collecting evidence to confirm unassisted human abilities or to confirm knowledge and skills that can be collaboratively achieved (with other humans and/or other intelligences).
  2. Integrating AI collaboration into the assessment by designing assessment tasks that require and encourage appropriate use of AI.
  3. Designing assessment tasks that make the use of AI less relevant, such as  by focusing on embedded, continuous assessment, highly contextualised and personal experience, or explicit demonstration of human capabilities.
  4. Designing assessment tasks that demonstrate individual and independent human knowledge, or that bracket AI out with appropriate measures in place.

Contributions

This content was produced with contributions from the AI in Education Learning circle: Natalia Antolak-Saper, Kiri Beilby, Brendan Boniface, Dana Bui, Paul Burgess, Aamir Cheema, Michael Crocco, Robbie Fordyce, Kirstie Galbraith, Gaye Lansdell, Caryn Lim, Joel Moore, Amelia Nathania, Sadia Nawaz, Limalini Raveendran, Tridib Saha, Carmen Sapsed, Brendan Shannon, Kimberly Soh, Zach Swiecki, Thao Vu, Peter Wagstaff, Estelle Wallingford, Pauline Wong, Farid Zaid.


Considerations for assessment conditions

The following section provides guidance on the assessment conditions including measures for visible evidence of learning.


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