Redesigning Assignments
While the phrase “AI-proof” might feel comforting, it is ultimately a misleading goal in the era of generative AI. These tools are constantly evolving, becoming more sophisticated and nuanced in their output. An assignment designed to be resistant to AI today might be vulnerable tomorrow. Instead of chasing an impossible standard, let’s focus on AI-informed strategies and teaching practices that cultivate critical thinking, creativity, and ethical AI usage alongside these powerful tools.
Redesigning Assignments
While the phrase “AI-proof” might feel comforting, it is ultimately a misleading goal in the era of generative AI. These tools are constantly evolving, becoming more sophisticated and nuanced in their output. An assignment designed to be resistant to AI today might be vulnerable tomorrow. Instead of chasing an impossible standard, let’s focus on AI-informed strategies and teaching practices that cultivate critical thinking, creativity, and ethical AI usage alongside these powerful tools.
Strategies
Below are five examples of how instructors might apply the recommended instructional strategies. Here are the ideas demonstrated in these examples:
Employ Transparent Design Principles
Instructors communicate guidelines for when students should or should not use AI in problem-solving. Explaining the assignment’s rationale includes providing clear instructions and expectations regarding appropriately using AI tools and technologies in the learning process.
Create Collaborative Learning Opportunities
Collaborative learning goes beyond simple busy work. Examples focus on both individual contributions and learning, fostering teamwork, communication, and student cooperation. Rubrics are provided to assess creativity, design, performance, and multimedia elements, ensuring that student’s work is evaluated holistically.
Engage Students in Active, Experiential, and Project-Based Learning
Students are actively involved in their learning through hands-on experiences and projects. The active learning approach promotes a more profound understanding and application of knowledge, allowing students to learn by doing.
Incorporate Visual, Audio, and Creative Design Elements
Activities that are typically text-based are enriched with visual, audio, and innovative design elements. Examples involve using multimedia timelines, concept maps, videos, and websites to engage students and enhance their understanding and expression of ideas.
Design Authentic Assessments
Assessments are designed in a way that encourages critical and creative thinking, particularly in group, peer, and self-assessment settings. These assessments mirror real-world scenarios and tasks to promote meaningful learning experiences: Students are required to connect the information they learn to their own lives, current events, earlier course concepts, relevant readings, case studies, or datasets. This approach helps to authenticate the learning outcomes by demonstrating the practical relevance and application of the knowledge acquired.
Overall, these examples model the importance of communicating clear guidelines, creating authentic assessments, designing active and collaborative learning, allowing for creative expression, and making real-life connections to enhance student learning experience and outcomes.
Additional Resources
In the examples linked below we have taken existing assignments and shown adjustments made using the listed suggestions.
Additional Resources
In the examples linked below we have taken existing assignments and shown adjustments made using the listed suggestions.