{"id":26171,"date":"2026-10-27T16:49:33","date_gmt":"2026-10-27T20:49:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/affiliate.wcu.edu\/cfc\/?p=26171"},"modified":"2026-10-27T16:49:33","modified_gmt":"2026-10-27T20:49:33","slug":"rethinking-assessment-in-the-age-of-ai-a-practical-resource-for-faculty","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/affiliate.wcu.edu\/cfc\/blog\/2026\/10\/27\/rethinking-assessment-in-the-age-of-ai-a-practical-resource-for-faculty\/","title":{"rendered":"Rethinking Assessment in the Age of AI: A Practical Resource for Faculty"},"content":{"rendered":"

[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.27.9″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”0px||0px|||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.9″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”|auto|-26px|auto||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.9″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.9″ _module_preset=”default” text_font_size=”18px” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n

Teaching & Learning Tip<\/h2>\n

By Scott Seagle<\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”2_3,1_3″ _builder_version=”4.27.9″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”2_3″ _builder_version=”4.27.9″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.9″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n

Without question, GenAI has redrawn the boundaries of academic assessment. When a student can produce a <\/span>\u201c<\/span>competent<\/span>\u201d<\/span> essay in minutes, the traditional writing assignment raises uncomfortable questions, not <\/span>only <\/span>about student integrity, but <\/span>also <\/span>about what we were measuring in the first place.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Show Your Work: Assessment in the Age of AI<\/span><\/span> (2026), by Kevin Yee, Laurie Uttich, Elizabeth Giltner, and Anastasia Bojanowski, address those questions directly. Rather than staking out a position on whether AI belongs in the classroom, the book offers something more useful: a flexible framework that meets faculty where they are.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”4.27.9″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/affiliate.wcu.edu\/cfc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/87\/2026\/04\/Teaching-Learning-Tip.png” alt=”Coulter Faculty Commons’ Teaching & Learning Tip” title_text=”Teaching & Learning Tip” _builder_version=”4.27.9″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.9″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”0px|||||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.9″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.9″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n

The authors organize their guidance around three approaches. The first helps faculty integrate AI deliberately as a learning tool, making the collaboration itself part of the assignment. Examples include using AI to generate ideas for a project, critique a draft, compare alternative solutions, or support research and revision while requiring students to document and evaluate the AI’s contributions. The second offers strategies for designing work that students complete without AI; not by prohibition alone, but by building assignments where the human process is visible and essential. Examples include scaffolded projects with checkpoint submissions, annotated notes and research logs, in-class writing activities, and drafts that reveal the evolution of a student’s thinking over time. The third identifies alternative assessment formats that sidestep AI’s capabilities altogether, emphasizing skills that are harder to automate: oral defense, real-time problem solving, and reflective practice.<\/span><\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”2_3,1_3″ _builder_version=”4.27.9″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”0px|||||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”2_3″ _builder_version=”4.27.9″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.9″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n

The authors outline three approaches to AI in coursework:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

1. Integrate AI as a learning tool. <\/span><\/b>Make the collaboration part of the assignment, such as using AI to brainstorm, critique drafts, compare solutions, or support research, while requiring students to document and evaluate what the AI contributes.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

2. Design work completed without AI.<\/span><\/b>\u00a0Rather than relying on prohibition, build assignments that make the human process visible and essential, such as scaffolded projects with checkpoints, annotated notes and research logs, in-class writing, and drafts that show how a student’s thinking evolves.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

3. Use alternative assessments.<\/span><\/b>\u00a0Choose formats that emphasize skills harder to automate, such as oral defenses, real-time problem solving, and reflective practice.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”4.27.9″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/affiliate.wcu.edu\/cfc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/87\/2026\/10\/Show-your-work-658×1024.png” title_text=”Show your work” _builder_version=”4.27.9″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.9″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”0px|||||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.9″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.9″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n

Across all three approaches, the book provides more than 50 concrete strategies that faculty can adapt to their own disciplines and course contexts. The emphasis throughout is on building the skills that matter most \u2013 critical thinking, creativity, problem solving, and ethical reasoning \u2013 regardless of which approach a given instructor chooses.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

One of the book’s more useful features is that it requires no particular stance on AI. Faculty who find generative tools genuinely valuable in their fields, those who have serious reservations, and those still working out their position will all find relevant material here.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Show Your Work<\/span><\/i><\/a> is available under a Creative Commons license, making it freely accessible. For faculty navigating one of the more consequential shifts in higher education in recent memory, it is a practical and timely starting point.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Teaching & Learning Tip By Scott SeagleWithout question, GenAI has redrawn the boundaries of academic assessment. When a student can produce a \u201ccompetent\u201d essay in minutes, the traditional writing assignment […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3392,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"[et_pb_section fb_built=\"1\" _builder_version=\"4.27.9\" _module_preset=\"default\" custom_padding=\"0px||0px|||\" global_colors_info=\"{}\"][et_pb_row _builder_version=\"4.27.9\" _module_preset=\"default\" custom_margin=\"|auto|-26px|auto||\" global_colors_info=\"{}\"][et_pb_column type=\"4_4\" _builder_version=\"4.27.9\" _module_preset=\"default\" global_colors_info=\"{}\"][et_pb_text _builder_version=\"4.27.9\" _module_preset=\"default\" text_font_size=\"18px\" global_colors_info=\"{}\"]

Teaching & Learning Tip<\/h2>\n

Guest post by Mosisah Mavity (Associate Director, Office of Student Retention) and Kirby Orr (Educational Initiatives Specialist, Office of Student Retention)<\/p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=\"3_4,1_4\" _builder_version=\"4.27.9\" _module_preset=\"default\" global_colors_info=\"{}\"][et_pb_column type=\"3_4\" _builder_version=\"4.27.9\" _module_preset=\"default\" global_colors_info=\"{}\"][et_pb_text _builder_version=\"4.27.9\" _module_preset=\"default\" hover_enabled=\"0\" global_colors_info=\"{}\" sticky_enabled=\"0\"]

By the f<\/span>ifth w<\/span>eek of th<\/span>e semes<\/span>ter, students have had enough experience to form a sense of how the term is going. <\/span>They\u2019ve<\/span> <\/span>submitted<\/span> assignments, taken exams, received feedback, and started drawing conclusions about themselves as students. Fifth-week grades offer an important opportunity to compare those <\/span>perceptions<\/span> with some actual academic evidence. Sometimes the two align; sometimes they <\/span>don\u2019t<\/span>. Either way, there is enough information to reflect, and <\/span>still<\/span> plenty of time to act.<\/span><\/p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=\"1_4\" _builder_version=\"4.27.9\" _module_preset=\"default\" global_colors_info=\"{}\"][et_pb_image src=\"https:\/\/affiliate.wcu.edu\/cfc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/87\/2026\/04\/Teaching-Learning-Tip.png\" alt=\"Coulter Faculty Commons' Teaching & Learning Tip\" title_text=\"Teaching & Learning Tip\" _builder_version=\"4.27.9\" _module_preset=\"default\" global_colors_info=\"{}\"][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=\"4.27.9\" _module_preset=\"default\" custom_padding=\"0px|||||\" global_colors_info=\"{}\"][et_pb_column type=\"4_4\" _builder_version=\"4.27.9\" _module_preset=\"default\" global_colors_info=\"{}\"][et_pb_text _builder_version=\"4.27.9\" _module_preset=\"default\" hover_enabled=\"0\" global_colors_info=\"{}\" sticky_enabled=\"0\"]

That makes fifth-week grades a useful opportunity for meaningful reflection and course correction where needed, rather than just an early warning sign. Instead of framing fifth-week grades as a predictive red flag, we can help students see them as a <\/span>data point<\/span><\/i>, not a verdict. The grade itself is only a starting point. It is information about their performance right now, under their current circumstances and approaches. It is not a prediction of how the semester will end, nor a statement about their ability to succeed.<\/span><\/p>\n

This framing also helps students separate an academic outcome from a judgment about themselves. \u201cI earned a D on this exam\u201d can quickly become \u201cI\u2019m bad at chemistry.\u201d Instead, we can help students slow that leap down: What contributed to this outcome? Which of those factors are within my control? What could I try differently? And the same reflection matters when things are going well. A strong grade is an opportunity to identify the habits, strategies, decisions, and supports that are worth continuing.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The real opportunity is helping students move from feedback to reflection to action. A few questions can help:<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  • What\u2019s working?<\/span><\/b> Reflection matters when things are going well, too. What habits, strategies, choices, or supports contributed to a positive result? Don\u2019t forget that celebrating the wins is just as important as recognizing changes that need to be made.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
      \n
    • What contributed to the result?<\/span><\/b> Looking beyond the letter grade can help students identify behaviors, circumstances, challenges, and decisions that affected their performance and that may need to be adjusted.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
        \n
      • What might need to change?<\/span><\/b> Rather than jumping straight to a solution, students can consider which contributing factors are within their control and what realistic adjustments are possible.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
          \n
        • How are we thinking about this?<\/span><\/b> Encourage students to take their fixed mindset thoughts and turn them into growth mindset thoughts, so the message goes from \u201cI knew I wasn\u2019t a science person; that\u2019s why I\u2019m failing\u201d to \u201cI\u2019ve struggled in chemistry so far, but I can improve if I get tutoring and set aside time to study each week.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
            \n
          • What comes next?<\/span><\/b> Reflection becomes more useful when it ends with a concrete next step, whether that means changing a study strategy, communicating with an instructor, seeking support, addressing a barrier, or continuing something that is already working.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

            The goal isn\u2019t to turn every fifth-week grade into a problem to solve. It\u2019s to help students practice interpreting feedback without turning it into a judgment about themselves, recognize where they have agency, and make intentional decisions about what comes next.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]","_et_gb_content_width":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[710,705,57,732,729],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-26171","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ai","category-assessment","category-blog","category-student-success","category-teaching-learning-tip"],"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":22015,"url":"https:\/\/affiliate.wcu.edu\/cfc\/blog\/2025\/01\/15\/etle-spring-2025\/","url_meta":{"origin":26171,"position":0},"title":"ETLE – Spring 2025","author":"Anabel Livengood","date":"January 15, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"","rel":"","context":"In "AI"","block_context":{"text":"AI","link":"https:\/\/affiliate.wcu.edu\/cfc\/blog\/category\/ai\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"QR code to registration form.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/affiliate.wcu.edu\/cfc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/87\/2025\/01\/ETLE-2025-reg-SV_9ohl1hG2sh0Hp2e-qrcode.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":21131,"url":"https:\/\/affiliate.wcu.edu\/cfc\/blog\/2023\/02\/24\/summer-institute-for-teaching-learning-sitl-2023\/","url_meta":{"origin":26171,"position":1},"title":"Summer Institute for Teaching & Learning (SITL) 2023","author":"","date":"February 24, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"","rel":"","context":"In "Blog"","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/affiliate.wcu.edu\/cfc\/blog\/category\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/affiliate.wcu.edu\/cfc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/87\/2023\/02\/Bradshaw.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":18380,"url":"https:\/\/affiliate.wcu.edu\/cfc\/blog\/2021\/03\/03\/notifications-and-preferences\/","url_meta":{"origin":26171,"position":2},"title":"Canvas Notifications and Preferences","author":"","date":"March 3, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"","rel":"","context":"In "Blog"","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/affiliate.wcu.edu\/cfc\/blog\/category\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Canvas logo","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/affiliate.wcu.edu\/cfc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/87\/2020\/09\/Canvas-no-text-feature-image.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":24154,"url":"https:\/\/affiliate.wcu.edu\/cfc\/blog\/2026\/01\/07\/things-instructors-should-know-about-the-walcs-ai-policy\/","url_meta":{"origin":26171,"position":3},"title":"Things instructors should know about the WaLC\u2019s AI policy","author":"Anabel Livengood","date":"January 7, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"","rel":"","context":"In "Academic Integrity"","block_context":{"text":"Academic Integrity","link":"https:\/\/affiliate.wcu.edu\/cfc\/blog\/category\/academic-integrity\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":22956,"url":"https:\/\/affiliate.wcu.edu\/cfc\/blog\/2025\/03\/31\/call-for-applications-e-learning-faculty-fellow\/","url_meta":{"origin":26171,"position":4},"title":"Call for Applications: E-Learning Faculty Fellow","author":"April Tallant","date":"March 31, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"","rel":"","context":"In "AI"","block_context":{"text":"AI","link":"https:\/\/affiliate.wcu.edu\/cfc\/blog\/category\/ai\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":139,"url":"https:\/\/affiliate.wcu.edu\/cfc\/blog\/2016\/02\/01\/gettingstartedwithpanopto\/","url_meta":{"origin":26171,"position":5},"title":"Getting Started with Panopto","author":"Jonathan Wade","date":"February 1, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Creating flipped videos (videos intended to be viewed by students outside of class) can be a great way to provide learning resources for students and free up face-to-face time for discussion and higher order learning. 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