Rethinking assessment methods in the age of AI has become essential for anyone involved in higher education or K-12 settings. For example, tasks such as assignments and homework need to be reevaluated. These product-based assessment activities should be reshaped and reformulated through more authentic methods, such as case studies, peer-to-peer discussions in class, mind mapping, oral presentations, recorded videos, and podcasts. Additionally, we should incorporate critical thinking assignments where the critical thinking components are visually presented in a public speaking context, such as peer-to-peer interactions.
Assessments in courses focusing on writing, essays, translation, or commentary should be combined with other authentic activities. Typically, this involves integrating oral or audiovisual artifacts with traditional assessment techniques. Another innovative approach would involve assessing the process a student undergoes to produce their work. For instance, providing a scanned version of their use of prompts would allow educators to see the intellectual investment and reasoning that led to the final submission.
Implementing these changes, however, requires significant pedagogical and philosophical shifts within the education sector, whether in K-12 or higher education. This might involve providing direct teaching assistants or tutors to maintain high student admission rates per class or reducing the teaching load to allocate sufficient time for faculty to create corresponding authentic and quality learning environments.
Returning to the realities of modern higher education, especially in regions like the GCC, we can see a pressing need for political will within institutions to adopt this approach. Faculty development opportunities must be established, and classroom sizes and faculty workloads should be reconsidered to align with the new assessment methods. Adopting a new educational philosophy is imperative to achieve these goals.
Fouad
