Rethinking online assessment strategies: Authenticity versus AI chatbot intervention

Abstract

As artificial intelligence (AI) and chatbot technologies like ChatGPT continue to evolve, educators grapple with the risks and benefits these advances bring to online assessment. The democratisation of AI-based technologies, while offering personalised learning experiences, threatens online assessment legitimacy and academic integrity. This paper critically examines the intersection of AI chatbots and online assessments, in the context of their impact on the design of authentic online assessments. The widespread usage of AI chatbots has caused serious problems for the validity of online tests because of the possibility of student abuse. This underlines the need for 'authentic assessments' that concentrate on higher-order cognitive skills, problem-solving, creative thinking, and collaborative talents and calls for a reevaluation of conventional assessment methods. These types of assessments not only align with the evolving pedagogical needs of the 21st century but also present tasks that are significantly challenging for AI chatbots to replicate, thereby preserving their integrity. Conversely, the paper also explores how AI can facilitate the assessment process by automating certain tasks, providing personalised learning experiences, and supporting collaborative assessments. The era of AI chatbots presents an opportunity to rethink and enhance online assessments, making them more authentic, meaningful, and resistant to AI-assisted malpractice.

AI and student assessment in human-centered education

“…In the face of the new challenges presented by AI, assessments that require creativity or critical thinking are often cited as possible solutions (Ifelebuegu, 2023;Kasneci et al, 2023;Rudolph et al, 2023b). In fact, these capabilities were seen as desirable graduate outcomes long before the arrival of ChatGPT.…”

“…It is, besides, a type of graduate outcome that education providers have been seeking to address (Biggs and Tang, 2011). Some commentators have identified collaborative assessment as a means of protecting academic integrity from the threat of AI (Ifelebuegu, 2023;Rasul et al, 2023;Rudolph et al, 2023a). Their main justification for adopting collaborative forms of assessment is found in "social constructivist theory's emphasis on collaboration and social interaction in learning" (Rasul et al, 2023, p. 46).…”

“…Although these may at times require solutions that are simple and unique, they are for the most part complicated and "ill-structured", allowing for a multiplicity of possible solutions (Herrington and Herrington, 1998). Students therefore need to apply higher-order thinking skills to deal with this complexity (Ifelebuegu, 2023), and to have "ownership of the task and the process to develop a solution" (Gulikers et al, 2004, p. 71). This in turn affects the way that student work is assessed, as well as how the role of AI is perceived.…”

Teaching the difficult heritage of Italian Fascism

“…The PBL assignment offers another alternative, which resists easy responses from AI and pushes students to engage in deep, authentic learning. Creativity, critical thinking, empathy and originalityall features with which AI struggleslie at the heart of PBL assignments (Ifelebuegu 2023). Furthermore, assignments which have clear real world implicationsas in the study of difficult heritageas well as promoting higher-order cognitive skills can help to reduce the impetus to cheat (Trust 2023).…”

Editorial 6(2): Personal digital assistant or job killer? Generative AI and the teaching profession in higher education

“…Our journal has become a focal point for critical discussions encompassing the potential advantages, challenges, and actionable recommendations concerning the implementation of generative AI technologies such as ChatGPT, as documented in a series of articles (Firat, 2023;Gamage et al, 2023;Ifelebuegu et al, 2023;Limna et al, 2023;Rasul et al, 2023;Rudolph et al, 2023aRudolph et al, , 2023b. Furthermore, our contributors have rigorously explored the ethical dimensions surrounding academic integrity and student engagements with AI tools during assessments, providing nuanced analyses of this complex issue (Chaka, 2023;Hassoulas et al, 2023;Ifelebuegu, 2023;Mohammadkarimi et al, 2023;Sullivan et al, 2023). Beyond these spheres, our repertoire has expanded to include discourse on the transformative role of AI in research (Khademi, 2023) and pedagogy (Xames & Shefa, 2023), its application in teaching numerically intensive subjects (Calonge et al, 2023), and the urgency of bridging the awareness gap on generative AI advancements in African countries such as Ghana (Adarkwah et al, 2023).…”