Based on: https://bit.ly/4aaE90G
Assessment of student writing in the age of AI has become a new challenge nowadays. As AI tools become increasingly capable of generating human-like text, instructors must carefully evaluate the degree to which AI may have influenced or assisted a student’s written work.
What Are We Concerned With?
We can assume our students’ papers are organized correctly, and that grammar and punctuation are correct, so those items no longer appear on our student rubrics. Instead, we are concerned with the following:
- Did students acknowledge their use of AI?
- Are the facts in the students’ pieces of writing correct?
- Did students follow the assignments exactly?
- Do we see evidence of creative integrity, voice, and critical thinking?
- Are the parenthetical citations and the works cited done correctly?
Overreliance on AI can undermine the development of critical thinking, creativity, and authentic expression so we should focus on determining whether students achieve a balance between their original voice and ideas versus the AI-generated content. This balance is essential for maintaining authenticity and achieving the learning goals of the writing assignment.
Students should be transparent with themselves and others about how and why they use AI. In our class, this takes the form of an “AI Use Disclaimer.” Every time they turn in an assignment, they are expected to tell us:
- If they used AI,
- What AI tool(s) they used,
- How they used that tool, and
- Why they used that tool?
Which Rubric Should We Use For Assessment of Student Writing in the Age of AI?
Before AI, we might use rubrics that focus on grammar, punctuation, organization, etc. However, after AI, those were not the basis of our grading any longer. Now, a rubric should focus on:
- Whether students used AI correctly.
- How students displayed control over their own voice and their own creative decisions.
- Whether the assignment requirements have been regarded or AI has overwhelmed the author’s voice.
Even when AI assistance is permitted or encouraged as a tool, it’s crucial that students maintain authorship, engage substantively with the work’s core purpose, and develop their abilities through the act of writing and revising.
Overall, AI should remain a supplemental aid rather than a substitution for a student’s effort and expression.
As AI language technologies continue to advance, educational institutions and instructors will need robust strategies for assessment that uphold academic integrity while recognizing AI’s potential benefits as a productivity tool and writing aid when used judiciously.
Takeaway
Clear guidelines, honour codes, and emphasizing the skills that AI cannot yet replicate will be critical for nurturing student growth in this new age of AI-assisted writing.
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