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Assessment & Feedback
Deciding how AI tools can be incorporated into assessment requires balancing innovation with the integrity of learning outcomes. Instructors should first safeguard the core competencies their course aims to develop, restricting AI use in areas where it might replace the very skills students are meant to master. When AI use is restricted, the rationale should be transparent, ensuring students understand how the limitation supports their skill development and academic growth. This section provides key factors instructors should consider in deciding whether Gen AI tools should be incorporated in assessment.
Factors that instructors should consider in deciding when AI should be permitted
- Core Skills: What core skills and knowledge do the assignment aim to develop?
- AI as a Tool: Can AI be used in ways that support, rather than replace, the intended skill development?
- Knowledge vs. Process: Is the assessment testing the student’s ability to derive the right answers or the process of reaching the right answers
- Complexity and Creativity: Will AI’s involvement risk oversimplifying the task, or can it enhance creativity and exploration?
- Current Guidelines: What are your current guidelines for AI use in assessment? Are they well-defined and clearly articulated to students?
- Tool Availability: Do all students have equitable access to AI tools? Would privileged access to certain tools give some students an advantage in the assessment?
- AI Skill Support: Have students been taught how to use AI tools responsibly and critically?
The table below outlines common assessment types in SMU, providing a brief description of each to help instructors and students understand their purpose and expectations.
| Assessment Format | Description |
|---|---|
| Take-home Essay | A written assignment completed outside class, requiring students to research, analyse, and present arguments on a given topic. |
| Coding Projects | Practical programming tasks where students design, implement, and test code to solve specific problems or create applications. |
| Problem Sets | A collection of structured exercises—often in math, science, or quantitative fields—requiring students to apply concepts to solve defined problems. |
Sample Constituent Tasks for Different Assessment Types
The table below outlines sample constituent tasks for take-home essays, coding projects, and problem sets, illustrating the typical steps students may undertake to complete each format effectively.
| Take-home Essays | Coding Tasks / Projects | Problem Sets |
|---|---|---|
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The sample table below outlines when AI is permitted, permitted with disclosure, or prohibited for common tasks. Instructors should use this table to plan and clarify the use of AI with clear rationale to guide both instructors and students for each constituent task.
Permit → recommended ways students should use AI for this task
Permit with disclosure → what is required from the student to fulfil the disclosure obligation
Prohibit → Measure to disincentivise or prohibit AI use
| Task | Permit | Permit with disclosure | Prohibit | Details (instructor to provide further direction on task based on the level of AI usage indicated) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ideation | ✓ | Set aside time for students to generate and discuss ideas in class without the use of AI; submit a summary at the end of the discussion | ||
| Draft outline | ✓ | Students are required to start with a generated outline, which they then critique and improve. Disclosure through submitting the generated outline. | ||
| Information/literature search | ✓ | Use Gen AI to search for relevant articles/publications (using tools such as ChatGPT’s web search) |
Use these links to download templates for Take-home Essays, Coding Projects, and Problem Sets.
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