Research Essay Assessment
Research Project: Generative AI Evaluation
Leveraging AI for Curriculum Design: Strategies for Pre-Service Teachers in Primary Science Education
The Speculative Image
A digital imaging task for ideation. Students are permitted to use text-to-image generative AI assistance providing it is acknowledged and documented appropriately. The example includes the marking criteria, a visual example of the outcome and accompanying documentation.
Generative AI as self-reflection mediator*
Students use ChatGPT to complete a task and reflect upon it. Stage one sees students prompt the AI to act as a tutor and to quiz them on the weeks topics. Stage two sees the student provide a rubric to the AI for the AI to use to mark and provide feedback. Student then assess themselves and the AI based on the feedback, querying further about anything the AI may be incorrect about, and then submits the entire conversation for low stakes marking.
Use GenAI to write practice questions
The ongoing collaboration with generative AI to design X
In this assessment, students are immersed in theoretical concepts and practical applications of designing with generative AI tools. Through practice, students familiarise themselves with generative AI tools, enhancing their comprehension of the terminology, potential advantages, challenges, and broader impact on design and beyond.
Helping assessments meet learning outcomes while working with AI
Many theoretical units benefit from students programming the concepts taught in class as a learning aid. Translating these abstract theoretical concepts to practical implementations via a coding exercise reinforces understanding, often requiring extended abstract reasoning. However, code generation tools can make these coding task trivial, and removes this opportunity. The examples below make suggestions around ways to work with genAI tools, but still retain the benefits of learning through coding.
Prohibiting the use of Generative AI in coding assessments
While it is likely preferable to find ways to work with generative AI when designing assessments, it may not always be possible to do so, given time commitments etc. The assessment example below provides an overview of approaches taken in programming assessments where AI was not allowed.
Create simulated environments for stakeholder interaction
Generative AI tools can be used in the classroom for students to play out many real-world scenarios and test their ideas/ impact on their decisions. Generative AI tools such as ChatGPT can be prompted to take on the role of different stakeholders from unique cultural backgrounds, or clients with different personas for students from management and marketing fields to practice communication skills, idea pitch, or even the impact of their decisions on different stakeholders.
Using AI to generate lesson plans
Utilising ChatGPT to create contextualised lesson plans serves as a valuable foundation for novice teachers, offering a basis for comparison and critique as they engage in the process of learning about effective lesson planning.
The Supported Essay
This assessment focuses on academic literacy, specifically the planning required for an essay, prompt engineering, and critical thinking. It would be most beneficial for students early in their degree who are still learning what an academic essay is.
Design simulator
Critical analysis of AI-generated responses and the application of knowledge. Students are tasked with designing a drug that can be used to treat ageing. Students are requested to use generative AI to develop ideas that can be empirically tested. Learning develops as students ‘curate’ AI responses for factual accuracy, efficacy, and practicality.
Generative AI as sustainability futuring assistant
Co-exploring sustainable futures with generative AI
Teams of Masters students collaborate with generative AI to build rich pictures of sustainable future cities
Generative AI as an ideation assistant
ChatGPT and other generative AI tools can be used to create highly specified new content quickly making them useful tools for ideation, both for generating alternative ideas and in avoiding some ideation pitfalls (e.g. fixating on the first idea, having a preconceived notion of what a good solution should look like, and being reluctant to share ideas due to anxiety, embarrassment, or having strong ownership of ideas). GenAI can be used for conceptual work, marketing, strategy development, and many other use-cases. We can mirror this use in class, and ask students to start an activity / project with a GenAI and then assess the outputs and narrow down to one or more options to pursue for the project itself.