Assessments

I want to allow students to use Generative AI in their assignments

This resource was remixed from the Centre for Teaching, Learning and Technology at UBC and adapted to Queen’s University context. All content is licensed under CC-BY-SA.

Incorporating the use of an AI tool into assignments

Some faculty may wish to allow or promote the use of generative AI tools by students, to help them learn about such tools, understand their strengths and weaknesses, or to use them productively to improve critical thinking and writing skills. Similar to how researchers use other tools like NVIVO to code data and explain their methodology in research reports, students can use generative AI and explain its use as part of their method in writing assignments.

Please note the privacy and other ethical considerations discussed in this resource, if asking students to use such tools.

Have students analyze AI-generated text or other outputs

One way to include the use of generative AI in assignments, that may or may not involve students creating accounts and engaging with the tools themselves, is to guide students to critique responses provided by generative AI tools. For example, for written texts students could evaluate the accuracy and other strengths and weaknesses of the content created, identify gaps where more needs to be added, examine whether summaries appear to match the original texts, examine the credibility of cited sources, etc. It can be useful to provide a rubric to guide such review of AI outputs, to support students’ learning about how to improve their own writing.

Some faculty members are having their students analyze ChatGPT outputs, not just for written work, but for other outputs such as equations or chemical formulas. Even though generative AI tools may provide incorrect information at times, this presents an opportunity for students to assess the AI’s answers and learn in the process.

Through active discussion with faculty members and fellow students, students can fine-tune their analytical and critical thinking skills using AI-generated responses. More importantly, such active discussion amongst faculty and students fosters a scholarly learning environment in classrooms where students and faculty are communicating and developing ideas together.

Support students using generative AI in their own learning

Some educators are introducing the use of generative AI in written assignments as a new approach in specific academic domains. Students can use this technology and include a reference section to detail their usage. At UCLA, Professor John Villasenor is one of the advocates of this approach and even encourages first-year law students to employ ChatGPT. To create work that combines the strengths of both AI and traditional writing techniques, students must learn to seamlessly blend generative AI into their assignments in a logical and coherent manner.

You could suggest ways for your students to utilize generative AI tools like ChatGPT to enhance their learning experience. Students may use generative AI writing tools to support parts of their ideation, research, and writing processes, while doing other parts themselves grounded in disciplinary and course-specific topics and methods.

In connection with all of the suggestions below, you could require students to submit screenshots of the AI outputs and describe how they built on that. It’s important to remind students that AI can (and at this point often does) make mistakes and provide false information, and that they need to check the AI outputs and correct them as needed.

Ideation and brainstorming

Students could use AI to generate initial ideas for research topics and questions that they then refine and add to themselves. For example, AI could help them move from broad ideas to more specific questions that they then refine and address according to disciplinary and class context.

Initial research

Students could use AI platforms to do basic research to get an overview of a topic, and to help them focus later work based on concepts and keywords they have learned. For example, they can use perplexity.ai or other AI tools for research and analysis by inputting research questions or topics and finding sources and key terms to explore.

Improving grammar and other aspects of writing

Students can input parts of their writing into ChatGPT or other tools to receive feedback on common grammatical errors and tone. ChatGPT can not only edit writing, but explain what it changed and why, which could be a useful way for students to learn.

Adding creative elements to assignments

Students could use generative AI tools to add more creative elements to their work, such as using image generators like Stable Diffusion to create images that they add to slide presentations, games, apps, portfolios, blog posts, and more. There are also AI tools that can generate music or sound effects that could be used for student-created videos or games. Students could also use AI text generators to create draft scripts for videos that they can edit and refine to provide more details and information to better fit with the course context and learning objectives of assignments.

Here are some examples of ways students could use LLMs to engage with your course

1. Research
   LLMs can provide information on a range of subjects. Ask a clear and specific question, and the LLM will provide you with a detailed answer.
2. Writing
   LLMs can help you brainstorm ideas, improve your writing style, and provide feedback on your essays or papers.
3. Learning new concepts
   LLMs can be used to help you gain an understanding of a complex problem by explaining it in a clear and concise manner.
4. Test preparation
   LLMs can provide you with practice questions and exams to assist you in preparing for an exam.
5. Language learning
   LLMs can be used to assist you with language skills by providing conversation practice, vocabulary words, sentence examples.

Remember

• LLMs requires questions to be specific and clear, and with as much context as possible to provide accurate and detailed responses.
• LLMs may not always have the most up-to-date information or may not be able to provide certain information due to ethical or legal reasons.

Resources

• Use of AI according to a student ChatGPT - Alex's Perspective (WORD, 18KB)
• Exploring the Significance of Generative AI for Students

I don't want students to use Generative AI in assignments

This resource was remixed from the Centre for Teaching, Learning and Technology at UBC and adapted to Queen’s University context. All content is licensed under CC-BY-SA.

Designing assessments to mitigate the use of AI writing tools

Some instructors may wish to design assessments that can help mitigate use of generative AI, to promote fairness and help ensure assessments reflect students’ own knowledge and skills. Some assessment strategies that are designed to promote academic integrity more broadly may also be effective for helping to reduce students’ ability to use generative AI on assignments.

Incorporate in-class assignments

One approach to mitigating the use of ChatGPT in assignment and assessment design is to incorporate more in-class or otherwise synchronous assignments, either written or oral, or change your current grade weighting to emphasize these (Weissman 2023). For example, in-class essays could work in larger classes, and in a small class one might meet with students to discuss texts written on their own time.

Bring parts of assignments into the classroom

While completing all assignments in class may not be feasible, integrating specific elements of assignments can help you monitor student work more closely and reduce the use of ChatGPT and other generative AI tools. For instance, you can have students reflect on the development of an assignment or work collaboratively in groups to solve specific problems related to their assignments.

By incorporating these elements into classroom activities, you can ensure that students are developing their critical thinking and writing skills while promoting academic integrity. This approach may also allow you to offer feedback as students are developing their work, fostering a more engaging and collaborative learning environment.

Design non-textual assessments

Currently, most AI tools that generate text work through textual inputs, though some are developing the capacity to generate texts from images. For example, generative AI tools are developing the capacity to produce text from image prompts. One strategy to mitigate their use, at least for now, could be to ask students to respond to non-textual resources, such as images, diagrams, or videos.

On the other hand , you could also design assessments that allow students to express their learning using methods other than writing. For example, depending on the course learning goals students could be asked to create a mind map, a timeline, an infographic, a video, etc. (Note that the landscape is changing quickly, though, and some of these artifacts may be able to be produced by AI tools very soon, if not already.) Students could also be asked to do presentations in class with Q&A, whether individually or in groups. Though they might use an AI text generator to develop part of what they present, they will still need to understand the material enough to effectively present it and answer questions from other students.

Using different assignment modes can help to support inclusive learning environments. Offering students a choice among modes can be helpful for supporting diverse learners, and adheres to Universal Design for Learning guidelines by providing multiple means for students to express their learning. This can also address the issue that such assessments, and platforms used for them, may not be equally accessible to all students.

Incorporate more disciplinary, situational, and individual-based questions

Another strategy that could be explored to address the issue of students using AI is by creating more personalized, contextualized, or authentic assessments. For example, students could be asked to discuss their own individual experiences or views on course topics, or to provide a specifically disciplinary or course-informed response to real or fictional case studies. You could also design assessments that connect to specific points discussed in class, on discussion boards, and the like, or to other courses students may have taken before.

Resources

• How to create authentic assessments with D2L
• Feedback Fruits: Authentic Assessment
• Wiggins, Grant. (1998). Ensuring authentic performance. Chapter 2 in Educative Assessment: Designing Assessments to Inform and Improve Student Performance. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, pp. 21 – 42.