Guide to Assessment in the Generative AI Era

An abstract or summary is a concise and condensed version of a longer document or research article, presenting the main points, key findings, and essential information in a clear and brief manner. It allows readers to quickly grasp the main ideas and determine whether the full document is relevant to their needs or interests. Abstracts are commonly found at the beginning of academic papers, research articles, and reports, providing a snapshot of the entire content.

Avoiding Inappropriate Use of GenAI

• When students are asked to produce an abstract for a source document that is somewhat tangential to the relevant course theme or specific topic, GenAI may not serve them well. At a minimum, they will have to use their course-based knowledge to appropriately focus or frame the abstract within the context of the course.
• Provide students with an abstract (existing, produced by you, produced GenAI, produced by a classmate), have them improve upon it, and have them explain why they made the changes they did with reference to specific examples from the original text. Although GenAI is good at improving inputs, it struggles to identify the changes it made and to explain why it made them.

Engaging Responsibly with GenAI

• Students can compare an existing abstract to a generative AI-produced abstract and consider the strengths and weaknesses of each.
• Students can be challenged to improve a specified abstract using generative AI and without reading the source document. They can then be asked to read the source document and reflect on the merits and demerits of abstracts in general, using abstracts to make research decisions, and using generative AI to produce abstracts.
• Students can turn one abstract into different abstract genres (e.g. a proposal abstract, a traditional scientific abstract, a lay abstract, etc.) using generative AI and identify the differences to assess which genre of abstract is suitable in different contexts.

An advertisement is a promotional message or communication aimed at promoting a product, service, event, or idea to a target audience. It often uses persuasive techniques, visuals, and compelling language to attract attention and encourage consumers to take specific actions, such as making a purchase or seeking more information.

Avoiding Inappropriate Use of GenAI

• When students give a presentation (live or recorded) about an advertisement they created and/or engage in a question and answer (Q&A) about their advertisement, productive use of generative AI is diminished.
• Even if a student uses generative AI to help create an advertisement, they exercise a range of important skills when they explain (orally or in writing) why they made certain choices during the development process and/or answer questions about their end product.
• Exposing students to some of the biases, harms, ethical concerns, etc. associated with  generative AI can dissuade students from using GenAI, especially if an advertisement assignment is crafted with equity, inclusivity, and other related parameters.

Engaging Responsibly with GenAI

• Students can be asked to produce an advertisement for the same product, service, event, or idea using the same generative AI prompt. They can then be asked to discuss or report on the quality of the output in terms of specific variables (e.g. creativity, persuasiveness, inclusivity, etc.), identify similarities and differences in two or more outputs of their own or of classmates, consider the merits/demerits of this use of generative AI, compare outputs, and more.
• Students can be challenged to develop the best prompt for achieving a generative AI output that meets certain pre-specified goals.
• Using an AI-generated image as a design brief, have students image that a client has generated the image and is asking them to create an advertisement from the brief. Have students interrogate the strengths/weaknesses of the AI-generated design brief, compare and contrast their end products, and reflect on the extent to which they engaged in human-GenAI collaboration and why. Students can also be asked to evaluate the risk potential of creating an advertisement from an AI-generated image.

A bibliography is an alphabetized list of sources, such as books, journal articles, websites, media, etc. that are relevant to a course or project. An annotated bibliography includes brief descriptions or annotations that summarize, evaluate, and explain the content, relevance, and quality of each source. These annotations provide readers with insights into the source's content and its potential usefulness for research or reference.

Avoiding Inappropriate Use of GenAI

• While generative AI can produce relevant and well-written annotated bibliographies, these are unlikely to include very recent sources (published in the last 12-24 months), a wide diversity of sources, and its assessments of sources may not be course- or assignment-specific, speak to the relevance of the sources to the student’s research topic, or address the reliability and/or authority of the sources.
• Remind students that generative AI is prone to autosynthesized misinformation (also known as hallucination or fabrication). It can and does output non-existent sources that may appear valid (e.g., the author(s) has published on the topic in the past, the journal is real, but the article doesn’t exist), and has been known to misrepresent research. Checking a GenAI outputted bibliography for accuracy/validity might take longer than producing one without the use of GenAI.

• Encourage students to include a diversity of voices in their annotated bibliography. The data sets of most GenAI are biased toward systemically privileged voices so encouraging a diversity of voices can support the development of research, information literacy, and GenAI literacy skills while also supporting equity, diversity, and inclusion.
• Provide students with specific guidelines for an annotated bibliography. For example, ask students to include: a properly formatted citations in a specific style; one to three relevant quotations, including page references; information about the author; one to three sentences explaining why this source is relevant to their term paper (or other project); one to three sentences explaining how they intend to (or think they might) use this source to develop their term paper (or other project); identity one of more of the following: the theoretical approach, the research method, the intended audience, how thoroughly it addresses the topic, etc.

Engaging Responsibly with GenAI

• Have students design a question and ask a GenAI tool to produce an output (e.g. essay, article, op-ed, etc.) based on an annotated bibliography that the student created or that they asked a GenAI tool to create. Next, have students take the output and review it for accuracy and completeness before editing and adding both content and citations to improve upon the GenAI output. Consider adding an assignment component that asks students to reflect on what they learned during this process.
• Have students use generative AI to produce an annotated bibliography for a topic that is course-adjacent. Have students critique the GenAI output using what they’ve learned in the course to date.
• Have students use generative AI to produce an annotated bibliography, interrogate it for accuracy, omissions, gaps, etc. and then improve upon it with or without the assistance of generative AI. Ask students to students write a reflection on the process.

An article or book review is a critical evaluation and analysis of a piece of writing, such as an article or a book. It typically includes a summary of the content and the reviewer's assessment of its strengths, weaknesses, and overall value.

Avoiding Inappropriate Use of GenAI

• The following assessment ideas support generative AI literacy which supports academic integrity by exposing the fact that GenAI users require a requisite level of background knowledge to evaluate the validity and strength of any GenAI output.
• Students can compare one or more existing article/book reviews to a generative AI produced article/book review and consider the strengths and weaknesses of each.

Engaging Responsibly with GenAI

• Have students identify the thesis of an article/book from an article/book review and then prompt GenAI to do the same. Ask students to compare the two and submit a reflection on their observations.
• Students can prompt GenAI to interview them about an article or book to surface and refine their opinions, responses, and reactions to the article/book.
• Students can compare one or more existing article/book reviews to a generative AI produced article/book review and consider the strengths and weaknesses of each.
• Students can be challenged to improve a specified article/book review using generative AI and without reading the article/book review. They can then be asked to read the article/book review and reflect on the merits and demerits of article/book review in general, using article/book reviews to make reading and other decisions, and using generative AI to produce article/book reviews.

Case analysis refers to a systematic examination and evaluation of a particular situation, problem, or scenario. It involves gathering relevant information, identifying key factors, analyzing various aspects, and formulating conclusions or recommendations based on the findings. Case analysis is commonly used in business, law, and other fields to make informed decisions and solve complex problems.

Avoiding Inappropriate Use of GenAI

• When students engage in case analysis in real time and/or in technology-free environments inappropriate use of GenAI is diminished.
• Student interest, engagement, and buy-in can be augmented when case elements are provided in succession (instead of upfront) and this can lessen the temptation to use GenAI inappropriately.
• When students work in groups, prohibitions against GenAI use can be supported via collective norms.

Engaging Responsibly with GenAI

• Present students with GenAI use cases from the field to support interest in generative AI literacy, make students aware of common/developing uses in their field, and/or to draw attention to potential biases, harms, and ethical considerations.
• Have students interrogate a case analysis generated by AI using such questions as: What did the GenAI do well? Are there any gaps, biases, inaccuracies, misinformation, etc. in the case analysis? What risks, biases, and ethical considerations should be considered when considering using GenAI to perform case analysis?

In these questions, test-takers are presented with a scenario or case study and must analyze the information to answer related questions.

Avoiding Inappropriate Use of GenAI

• Have students answers questions about unusual, very old, or very recent cases. This has the potential to diminish the helpfulness of generative AI output to the task at hand.
• Set parameters for case-based questions that closely align with course-specific content such as discussion, student presentations, etc.
• Consider having students answer case-based questions as part of an oral or in-person assessment.

Engaging Responsibly with GenAI

• Students might ‘question’ a case study using generative AI to come up with answers to questions set by the instructor.
• Consider using generative AI to produce a novel case study for students to analyze. Include elements that might not (often) appear together in a real-world scenario as a way to focus attention on specific learning outcomes.

A case study is an in-depth analysis of a specific individual, group, organization, or situation. It involves thorough research, data collection, and detailed examination to understand the context, challenges, and outcomes associated with the subject of study. Case studies are widely used in academic research and professional contexts to gain insights into real-world scenarios.

Avoiding Inappropriate Use of GenAI

• While generative AI tools can write and analyze cases in ways that are stylistically in-line with case writing style, its outputs often lack depth and its ability to find novel solutions to complex problems can be limited. 
• Use case studies focused on very recent events (i.e. no more than 18 months old). Generative AI output is only as current as the data set it was trained on thus limiting its ability write and analyze very current cases. 
• Have students analyze an imaginary case study. Incorporating fictional or fictitious characters, imaginary places, and fantastical events into a case study can frustrate the ability of generative AI to produce meaningful output while also focusing attention on specific learning outcomes.

Engaging Responsibly with GenAI

• Prompt a GenAI tool like ChatGPT to “write a case study about X” to get output in a more traditional case writing style (e.g. “write a case study about a small food service business trying to attract new customers with limited marketing budget”). Have students correct the output, expand upon it, consider it from gendered lenses or Indigenous perspectives, make it more inclusive, add citations, add relevant academic references, or analyze it in one or more course-specific manners.
• After students write their own case studies, have generative AI solve them using different input instructions to help students learn about their cases from different perspectives. 
• Have generative AI summarize sections of student-written case studies to help students see salient points more easily as they build their executive summaries.
• Have students use generative AI to produce case studies they’re interested in exploring. Such case studies might, for example, situate a current issue in the past or a past issue in the present, future, or imagined parameter set. 

A client report is a formal document prepared by a service provider or agency to communicate the results, progress, or recommendations of their work to their client. It typically includes an analysis of data, achievements, challenges, and future plans related to the project or services provided.

Avoiding Inappropriate Use of GenAI

• When students write a client report for a real client or have their client report reviewed by someone from a relevant stakeholder group, their inclination to use generative AI in inappropriate or academically dishonest ways may be diminished.
• Have students research the strengths, weaknesses, and risks of using generative AI to produce client report.

Engaging Responsibly with GenAI

• Students can interrogate a client report written by generative AI for bias, omissions, gaps, blind spots, creativity, novel ideas, etc.
• Students can collaborate with generative AI to write a client report and then reflect on what they learned from this collaboration experience.
• Students can have generative AI assess their writing for different reading levels/audiences and then use that feedback to improve their drafts.
• Students can have generative AI play the part of the client and give them feedback on their client report. Students can then revise their draft based on this feedback and explain why they made the changes they did, making specific reference to the original text.

Students read an instructor-selected text and respond to questions focused on specific content, skills, and learning outcomes.

Avoiding Inappropriate Use of GenAI

• Create prompts that focus on making connections with personal experiences (e.g. How does this relate to something you learned or experienced, in a previous week’s class, outside of class, in another course, when you were younger, etc.?) and with student-generated content (e.g., How does this relate to a class discussion, discussion board post, student presentation, etc.?)
• Have students engage in social reading via whole class, small group book clubs, or literature circles. Social reading gives students opportunities to design their own learning, gain confidence in discussions, analyze and critique their peers’ arguments, consider perspectives different from their own, and develop social skills and connections.
• Have students use a platform such as Perusall to engage in social annotation. Social annotation requires learners to comment on assigned text with or without reading prompts, review and engage with the comments of others, connect the assigned text with prior knowledge, and position the assigned text within the context of personal experience. 

Engage the Socratic questioning method, selecting question types that are aligned with the learning objectives and outcomes associated with the assigned learning material at hand. You can find a list of Socratic questions at Questions for Socratic Dialogue.

Engaging Responsibly with GenAI

• Have generative AI produce a summary of a chosen text and have students interrogate it for bias, relevancy to the course, authenticity, authority, etc.
• Have students compare their answers to prompts with generative AI’s answers to the same prompts and then consider questions such as: What are the similarities and differences? How do you feel about generative AI’s answers? To what extent do self-authored answers versus generative AI’s answers support your knowledge, understanding, skills, and progress toward learning outcomes? This can be used as a synchronous/in-class learning activity, as a graded or ungraded assessment, or as a learning artifact for inclusion in a portfolio. 
• Have students dialogue with an assigned learning material using generative AI and then write a summary of what they learned or a reflection on the benefits and drawbacks of using generative AI in this way.

Students work in pairs, groups, or teams to produce a specific end product such as an essay, report, case study, prototype, presentation, poster, etc. 

Avoiding Inappropriate Use of GenAI

• Require students to reference the sources used to produce the end product. Large language model generative AI mines a huge sample of text in its training set (and sometimes the internet) and uses it to generate outputs. Requiring both academic and non-academic references from a combination of specified and students’ choice materials can discourage students from submitting AI-generated assignments.
• Require students to engage with feedback. Build an instructor, TA, or peer review process into assignments and require students to make revisions or otherwise respond to feedback in a staged submission process.
• Require students to write a reflection, record a video, or engage in a synchronous discussion with you or a TA about how they used feedback, referencing specific examples from their work to illustrate iterative changes or why they chose not to act on particular feedback.
• Encourage students to include a diversity of voices in their research sources. The data sets of most generative AI are biased toward systemically privileged voices so encouraging a diversity of voices can support the development of research, information literacy, and GenAI literacy skills while also supporting equity, diversity, and inclusion.

Engaging Responsibly with GenAI

• Use generative AI as writing collaborator. Have students and their AI collaborator give each other feedback on their writing. This can help students reflect on how their writing style is unique, improve their ability to communicate well, identify biases in generative AI outputs, and find an authentic voice in their writing. Students can be asked to produce a reflection on the positive and negative impacts generative AI had on their ability to communicate effectively and authentically.
• Juxtapose generative AI and human collaboration. Have pairs of students, each student with their own research question, topic, or scenario, collaborate with a generative AI tool and their student partner to produce final products (one final product per student). Students can be asked to use track changes to show how their essay (or other final product) was improved along the way. After assignment submission, have a discussion or ask students to submit a reflection on the process of working with the generative AI tool and their student partner using prompts such as: What worked well and what didn’t? How did your student partner help you produce a better final product? How did the generative AI tool help you produce a better final product? What were the benefits and drawback of your student partner versus your generative AI partner? 
• Have Generative AI suggest multiple revision options for more effective wording, alternate phrasing, etc. and have students explain which revisions options they accepted, rejected, and built upon and why they made these choices.

A concept map is a graphical tool used to organize and represent the connections and relationships between different concepts or ideas. It typically uses nodes or boxes to represent concepts and lines or arrows to show the connections or links between them, helping to visualize the relationships and hierarchy of ideas.

Avoiding Inappropriate Use of GenAI

• Because concept maps combine multiple modes of information through diagrams, drawings, and text, they are excellent ways for students to show their thinking process but are too multimodal for some generative AI tools to complete well. 
• Concept maps, diagrams, and notes can be included as assignment components. Multiplying the ways students are asked to represent their learning can diminish the usefulness of academically dishonest generative AI use and support more authentic assessment of learning. 
• Concept maps can be assigned after an assignment has been completed as a means for students to represent the knowledge and understanding they realized through the assignment. 
• Ask students to develop a concept map over time, adding to it or revising it at the end of each week or unit, or at midterm and end of term based on new course content students read, watched, listened to, or thought about. This can be done individually, in pairs, or in groups.
• Students can be assigned other students’ concept maps to add to, revise, or improve. Having students explain their additions/revisions/improvements can support learning as well as academic integrity.
• Students can be asked to develop concept maps (individually, in pairs, or in groups) on a whiteboard during synchronous class sessions.

Engaging Responsibly with GenAI

• Have students ask generative AI to summarize a large concept or course topic. Challenge students to interrogate the output as they create concept maps that that are robust, relevant to the course, inclusive, and equitable by, for example, making decisions about what content to include and exclude, filling in gaps, making connections, adding citations, and addressing biases. 
• Have students use a generative AI output such as an AI-generated Infinite Conversation to create a concept maps that shows connection and/or plots fundamental arguments, reveals gaps, exposes biases, and shows superficiality. Students can then be tasked with making improvements to the original concept map through further research and/or by integrating their course-based learning.
• Have students create a concept map using a generative AI like Mural that has been specifically designed to create concept maps. Have students critique the output and then work to improve upon it either with or without the assistance of one or more generative AI tool(s). As a final step, have student reflect on the process using such prompts as: what are the merits and drawbacks of using generative AI to produce a concept map? what challenges or frustrations did you experience when creating the initial concept map? shat challenges or frustrations did you experience when improving upon the initial concept map? Attempt to align prompt questions with learning outcomes.

A content summary provides a synopsis and the most salient or pertinent components of a journal article, book, film, or other source material.

Avoiding Inappropriate Use of GenAI

• Students can be asked to include specific types of connections in their content summaries, for example, connections between the source material and specific course content, one or more specific course materials, other courses they’ve taken, personal experiences, a pop-culture reference, a specific artifact (image, song, artifact), etc.
• Request that content summaries speak to the source material’s relevance to the course, a specific unit or theme of the course, a specific assignment, a specific research question, etc.
• Have students comment on source materials’ credibility, currency, objectivity, etc.
• Have students critique a content summary produced by generative AI using course content/course-based learning.

Engaging Responsibly with GenAI

• Have generative AI summarize a piece of course material. Ask students to point out the shortcomings and missed nuance of the GenAI output and then have them reflect on how nuance shapes their overall understanding of a topic. 
• Have generative AI summarize several pieces of course content and build a wider literature review. Consider prompts such as: What themes has the generative AI tool focused on? What themes has it ignored? What do its biases and gaps appear to be and why are those important for understanding the topic? 
• Have students reflect on the benefits and drawbacks of using generative AI to summarize course materials, (potential) research sources, process documents, reports, etc.

A debate is a structured discussion between two or more individuals or teams with differing viewpoints on a specific topic or issue. Participants present arguments and counterarguments to support their positions, aiming to persuade the audience and ultimately reach a resolution or conclusion. Debates are commonly used in academic settings, public forums, and formal competitions to foster critical thinking, communication skills, and understanding of diverse perspectives.

Avoiding Inappropriate Use of GenAI

• Have students engage in debate in person, in a synchronous online session, or submit a recording of a live debate.
• Have student prepare for debate individually and submit a preliminary brief. Next, assign debate partners or groups at a set time and have students share and compare their preliminary briefs with the partner/group. Finally, have student partners/groups engage in a debate and/or produce a new collaborative brief. Consider asking students to write a reflection on the process leading up to the debate or collaborative brief.

Engaging Responsibly with GenAI

• Students can use generative AI to anticipate counter arguments from the opposition and produce a brief on their potential rebuttals.
• Students can use generative AI to investigate logical fallacies and weak points in their own arguments and those of other (peers, opposition, etc.).
• Create debate partner profiles with generative AI or have students create debate partner profiles with generative AI. Have students engage in debate with one or more GenAI created debate profiles or use the profiles to demonstrate formal debate techniques.
• Ask student to reflect on the process of using generative AI in one of the ways noted above using prompts such as: What are the merits and drawback of engaging with GenAI in this way? What was productive and what was unproductive about this use of GenAI? Did you notice or can you identify any (potential) biases, gaps, ethical concerns, etc. related to using GenAI in this way? Student might complete their reflection in writing, in a video, in a voice memo, in a class or small group discussion, in an online discussion forum, or in a one-on-one or small group meeting with you or a TA.

A definition is a clear and concise explanation that describes the meaning of a specific term, concept, or object. It aims to provide a precise understanding of the item being defined, often by using words, phrases, or context that distinguish it from other similar or related things.

Avoiding Inappropriate Use of GenAI

• Generative AI can sometime struggle with the nuance of discipline specific jargon as well as with defining discipline- or context-specific terms, concepts, objects, etc. This can make use of generative AI to produce definitions unproductive.
• Provide students with examples of poor, misleading, or inaccurate generative AI definitions or otherwise inform them of this limitation. This can dissuade students from using generative AI to produce definitions.
• Generative AI is particularly good at this type of task. If there is a reason for students to memorize definitions and know be able to produce them spontaneously, make this reason clear to students and consider low-stakes or no-stakes (ungraded) activities and assessments that support the task of memorization.

Engaging Responsibly with GenAI

• Have students define terms with generative AI and evaluate the output using such questions as: Is the output correct, complete, and discipline- or context-specific?
• Have students compare and contrast definitions of terms offered by the instructor or in assigned course materials to definitions produced by generative AI.
• Have students compete to produce the best AI generated definition of a term and then have them share and compare their final definitions. Ask students to reflect on whose definition is the best and why, how many prompts it took them to get a ‘complete’ definition, what prompts or prompting strategies they used, which prompts or prompt strategies were the most and least fruitful, and how they went about evaluating the quality of the definitions outputted by GenAI.
• Have students define terms with generative AI at different levels of complexity (e.g. explain this term to me like I’m 5, like I’m a novice learning, like I’m an experience practitioner) to develop their understanding.

A description of a process is a step-by-step account or narrative that outlines the sequence of actions, tasks, or events involved in completing a particular activity or achieving a specific goal. Process descriptions are commonly used in various industries to document procedures, guide employees, and ensure consistent and efficient workflows.

Avoiding Inappropriate Use of GenAI

• Generative AI is good at this type of task. Assign reading materials or have students research some of the limitations of generative AI, report on their findings, and comment on the potential benefits and pitfalls of AI generated process descriptions.
• Have students consider the knowledge base and/or level of expertise necessary to evaluate a generative AI produced process description.

Engaging Responsibly with GenAI

• Have students prompt AI to generate a process description and then interrogate it for accuracy, completeness, nuance, etc.
• Have students collaborate with generative AI to produce a process description.

A discussion post invites students to share their knowledge, understanding, thoughts, perspectives, and other gages of learning via responses to a prompt.

Avoiding Inappropriate Use of GenAI

• Initiate a discussion with students about the purpose(s) of discussion forums and the relationship between generative AI use and that purpose(s).
• Have student include references to course materials (including page number) in their discussion posts.
• Have students incorporate multimedia elements (e.g. images, infographics, audio reflections, video reflections) into their discussion posts.
• Encourage connections with personal experiences, personal interests, course-specific content (like student presentations) and/or very current events via discussion post prompts.
• Have students take a stand on controversial topics related to course content and support their positions with evidence drawn from course content, one or more specific assigned learning materials, and/or an outside source that they are required to identify and/or link to.
• Have students produce original creative content (e.g. a photo, collage, digital art, poem, allegory, mnemonic) in response to a discussion prompt. Invite other students to comment on how the creative content posted helped with or expanded their understanding.
• Prompt students to find a recent news article, social media post/thread, government reports, study, academic publication, or mainstream publication that responds to a discussion question. Have student post a link to their find, a summary of its contents, and a comment on its significance to the discussion question/prompt at hand. Invite students to comment on the ‘finds’ of others in response to specific prompts.
• Consider adding an anonymous 5-star rating to online discussion posts. Invite students to identify posts they think might be generative AI by assigning star ratings (5 stars = I’m positive a human wrote this, 4 stars = I’m pretty sure a human wrote this, 3 stars = I think this is a human-GenAI collaboration, 2 stars = I’m pretty sure GenAI wrote this, 1 star = I’m positive GenAI wrote this. The function of this strategy should be educative (what reads like GenAI and why?), not shaming or punitive. Grades shouldn’t be associated with student ratings.

Engaging Responsibly with GenAI

• Invite students to use generative AI to identify real-world examples, applications, use cases, etc. related to specific course content or in response to prompts and post them to a discussion forum.
• Have students use generative AI to identify common fallacies, misunderstandings, or debunked claims related to course content and posts them to a discussion forum.
• Provide students with a prompt or question and have them engage in a discussion about it with generative AI. Have students share their findings, take aways, funniest or most ridiculous output, etc. in a discussion forum or reflection.

These questions require test-takers to analyze or interpret diagrams, charts, graphs, or images to answer specific queries.

Avoiding Inappropriate Use of GenAI

• Analyzing diagrams, charts, graphs, and images is not a strength of current generative AI. Having students answer questions about these may limit productive use of generative AI, especially if answers require the application of or reference to course-based knowledge, unique course content, and/or specific assigned learning materials.

Engaging Responsibly with GenAI

• Have students interrogate a diagram, chart, graph or image generated by generative AI (either by you or by themselves) for errors, flaws, etc.
• Present students with pair of diagrams, charts, graphs or images – one generated by AI and one generated by a human – and have them discuss which is better and why.
• Use AI to generate a diagram, chart, graph, or image that highlights a common error, flaw, omission, etc. discussed in class or in course content.

A structured written response to a complex or probing research question(s). An essay calls for the exposition of a thesis and is composed of several paragraphs including an introduction, a body, and a conclusion. It is different from a research paper in that the synthesis of bibliographic sources is not required.

Avoiding Inappropriate Use of GenAI

• Focus on the process of writing rather than the final written output and have students submit research questions, drafts, outlines, and references along with the finished essay. These can be submitted for review at set points during the course of the project or collected with the final essay submission. 
• Ask students to include specific types of connections in their essays. For example, ask them to draw connections with other course materials, specific course materials, other courses, personal experiences, a pop-culture reference, a specific artifact (image, song, artifact), etc.
• Scaffold essay components, have students respond to peer and instructor feedback at each stage or at specific points in the project, and add a reflective component that asks students to reflect on how feedback contributed to producing a better final product. Providing students with guiding reflection questions and requiring reflections to include specific examples from the process can further limit the productive use of generative AI.
• If use of generative AI is permitted, require students to cite GenAI in the body of the essay, document their use of GenAI, and/or submit a GenAI declaration/acknowledgment statement.

Engaging Responsibly with GenAI

• Scaffold essay components and incorporate generative AI feedback alongside instructor and peer feedback.
• Have students map the development of their essay through drafts and write a concluding reflection on the roles of generative AI, peer feedback, and instructor feedback in their essay development process.
• Consider permitting students to use GenAI tools to copyedit their work. Take note that commonly used editing tools like Grammarly may now rewrite sections of text in addition to correcting spelling, grammar, sentence structure errors, etc.
• Consider permitting students to use GenAI tool to improve their ability to effectively communicate ideas and information.
• Consider inviting students to upload a paragraph of their writing into a University-approved generative AI tool and prompt the tool to summarize the main point of the paragraph. Students can then revise the paragraph if the generative AI didn’t accurately identify the main message.

Exams and tests assess knowledge, proficiency, or skill in at a particular point in time.

Avoiding Inappropriate Use of GenAI

• Take note that there are many generative AI ‘test taker’ plug-ins that students might engage when completing a test/exam in an unsecured environment (i.e. online, at home, or unproctored).
• Consider incorporating low-stakes, multiple-attempt, and two-stage testing into your teaching practice. De-centering grades can decrease the temptation to cheat, encourage self-evaluating knowledge, understanding and skills, and help students identify knowledge, skill, and learning gaps.
• Write questions that include student-generated content (e.g. discussion board posts, student presentation content, peer feedback, etc.) or course-specific content (e.g. lecture materials, guest lecture content, field trips, experiments and other in-class activities, etc.).
• Create questions that focus on making connections with personal experiences (e.g. How does this relate to something you learned or experienced in a previous week’s class? Outside of class? In another course? When you were younger?) and with student-generated content (e.g. How does this relate to a class discussion? a discussion board posts? a student presentation?)
• Build in metacognitive pieces that ask students to reflect on the process of learning, how they arrived at their answers, what techniques they used to study, and what actions they are (or have) taken to grow their knowledge/skills.  
• Require students to submit graphs, calculations, diagrams, etc. that must be produced by the student to arrive at an answer.
• Use very current topics, events, issues, publications, etc. in questions or require their reference in answers. Generative AI data sets typically lag by about 12-18 months.
• Have students write some exams and tests in secured environments (e.g. in-person, proctored, without the use of technology [unless necessary for the task or for accessibility]).
• Adopt authentic assessments that have students demonstrate competencies (i.e. knowledge and/or skill[s]) that are likely to be required in a course-related employment field.

Engaging Responsibly with GenAI

• If the test or exam is “open book” (as all take-home and online tests/exams should be assumed to be) require students to cite the resources they use, including generative AI, and/or include a generative AI declaration/acknowledgement of use.
• Adopt authentic assessments that have students demonstrate competencies (i.e. knowledge and/or skill(s)) while also using or collaborating with generative AI in a way they might do when working in a course-related employment field.

An executive summary is a condensed version of a longer document or report that provides an overview of the main points, key findings, and major recommendations. It is typically aimed at busy executives or decision-makers who need a quick understanding of the content without delving into the full details. Executive summaries are commonly used in business proposals, project reports, and research papers to present essential information concisely.

Avoiding Inappropriate Use of GenAI

• Generative AI is very good at this type of task. Assign reading materials or have students research some of the limitations of generative AI, report on their findings, and comment on the potential benefits and pitfalls of AI generated executive summaries.
• Have students consider the knowledge base and/or level of expertise necessary to critically evaluate a generative AI produced executive summary and improve upon it.

Engaging Responsibly with GenAI

• Use generative AI to construct a ‘persona’ for a hypothetical reader, identifying elements like the reader’s main interests, responsibilities, and areas of expertise vs. low knowledge. Use this persona to help outline, draft, and revise the summary.
• Have students use generative AI to produce an executive summary of something they have written or are very familiar with, have them consider the strengths and weaknesses of the output, have them consider any biases, gaps, harms or ethic considerations related to using generative AI to produce executive summaries, and have them write, record, or discuss their thoughts in a reflection.

An experiment is a procedure or other activity carried out to make a discovery, test a hypothesis, illustrate a known fact, or practice a skill(s).

Avoiding Inappropriate Use of GenAI

• Generative AI can’t be of assistance if its use is prohibited during an experiment that is directly observed by the instructor, TAs, and/or Lab Instructors.
• Generative AI is of limited productive assistance during experiments that require physical manipulations.
• Generative AI is of limited productive assistance during experiments that require interpersonal interactions.

Engaging Responsibly with GenAI

• Students can use generative AI to identify materials and/or steps necessary to carry out an experiment or to augment opportunities for success.
• Students can consult generative AI after a failed experiment to troubleshoot the ‘why’ of the failure.

Fact Sheets ask students to identify and communicate relevant information or evidence to illuminate or frame a particular issue, problem, need, event, or subject. Policy Briefs typically include the additional step of making a recommendation or a rank-ordered set of recommendations to a policymaker.

Avoiding Inappropriate Use of GenAI

• Generative AI is relatively adept at this type of task.
• Ask students to produce fact sheets or policy briefs on uncommon topics, topics that have experienced limited mainstream attention, or topics that have experienced limited attention from systemically privileged quarters.
• Ask students to produce fact sheets or policy briefs on very current topics. Generative AI data sets typically lag by about 12-18 months.

Engaging Responsibly with GenAI

• Generative AI is good at summarizing and can be employed to identify salient information to include in a fact sheet or policy brief.
• Students can be asked to fact-check and verify information gleaned from generative AI to include in a fact sheet or policy brief.
• Students can be asked to improve a fact sheet or policy brief generated by AI. 
• Students can “compete” with generative AI to produce the most persuasive and compelling policy brief recommendation. Students can be engaged to determine the winners of this contest and discuss the reasons for their determinations.

See "Laboratory or Field Notes."

Test-takers must complete sentences or passages by filling in the missing words or phrases. This type of question tests recall and understanding of specific information.

Avoiding Inappropriate Use of GenAI

• Please note that there are many generative AI ‘test taker’ plug-ins that students might engage when completing a test/exam in an unsecured environment (e.g., online, at home, or unproctored).
• Consider incorporating low-stakes, multiple-attempt, and two-stage testing into your teaching practice. De-centering grades can decrease the temptation to cheat, encourage self-evaluating knowledge, understanding and skills, and identify learning gaps.
• Write questions that include student-generated content (e.g. discussion board posts, student presentation content, peer feedback, etc.) or course-specific content (e.g. lecture materials, guest lecture content, field trips, experiments and other in-class activities, etc.).

Engaging with Generative AI

• Consider permitting students to use GenAI to complete a fill-in-the-blanks test and make these assessments low-stakes or no stakes. This approach supports learning as well as students’ self-awareness of both competence and gaps in their knowledge and/or understanding.
• Provide students with a completed fill-in-the-blanks test, have them identify the answers they think are correct and incorrect, and then have them complete a corrected fill-in-the-blanks test for grading.
• Using a two-stage testing approach, have students complete the fill-in-the-blanks test individually in a secure environment and submit the test for grading. Immediately or very shortly after, have them complete the test a second time using whatever tools they want (including GenAI). Make test 1 worth 40-70% of the grade and test 2 the remainder.

A flowchart is a graphical representation of a process, workflow, or algorithm, using various shapes and arrows to show the sequence of steps or decisions involved. It helps visualize the logical flow and decision points, making it easier to understand and analyze complex processes.

Avoiding Inappropriate Use of GenAI

• Assign learning materials or have students research some of the limitations of generative AI, report on their findings, and comment on the potential benefits and pitfalls of an AI generated flowchart.
• Produce or source a flowchart that contains errors or omissions. Have students consider the knowledge base and level of expertise necessary to interrogate the flowchart and improve upon it.

Engaging Responsibly with GenAI

• Have students collaborate with generative AI to produce a flowchart. Consider having students reflect on the process and respond to prompts such as: How did generative AI help you produce a better flowchart than you might have produced without collaborating with generative AI? What are the strengths and weaknesses of using generative AI to produce a flowchart? What are the merits and demerits?
• Produce or source a flowchart that contains errors or omissions. Have students correct it and improve it with the assistance of generative AI.

Infographics are visual representations of ideas, information, and data.

Avoiding Inappropriate Use of GenAI

• Focus grading rubrics on how concepts are illustrated and connections between information rather than the artistic product or components designed which can be assisted by generative AI. 
• Produce or source an infographic that contains errors or omissions. Have students consider the knowledge base necessary to interrogate and improve upon it.

Engaging Responsibly with GenAI

• Have a generative AI tool output a base graphic for students to augment, correct, and build out based on set criteria. 
• Explore having generative AI create images for infographics. PowerPoint’s “Slide Designer” is a generative AI tool that’s readily available for students to experiment with. It creates slide designs based on slide content. 
• Ask students create their own ‘design brief’ using generative AI, then either design the infographic based on that design brief or trade design briefs with another student to compare the ask vs the output.
• Brainstorm analogies and metaphors with generative AI (like Google’s textFT tools), encouraging students to push beyond the cliche towards something unique and useful to their specific audience. For example, choosing what icon to use to represent an image, or a relatable example that appeals to their audience.

An instructional manual is a detailed document that provides step-by-step guidance, explanations, and procedures on how to use, assemble, operate, or perform specific tasks with a product or system. It aims to help users understand and utilize an item effectively and safely.

Avoiding Inappropriate Use of GenAI

• Have students consider the skills and knowledge base necessary to evaluate a generative AI created instruction manual.
• Have students consider the risks associated with adopting a generative AI created instruction manual.

Engaging Responsibly with GenAI

• Have students prompt AI to generate a ‘base’ instruction list using and then have students improve upon the output (by adding, removing, modifying, reordering, etc) on their own, in collaboration with a peer, or in collaboration with generative AI. This removes what some consider the more ‘boring’ mental work of getting an instruction manual started.
• Have students prompt AI to generate an instruction manual and then interrogate it for accuracy, completeness, nuance, etc.
• Have students collaborate with generative AI to produce an instruction manual.

An inventory involves systematically listing and categorizing items or resources to assess their availability, quantity, and condition. In an educational context, students might conduct an inventory of books in a library, equipment in a lab, or supplies in a classroom, enhancing their organizational and data collection skills.

Avoiding Inappropriate Use of GenAI

• Have student conduct an inventory in a real, place-based context.
• Provide students with an inventory and have them verify, correct, and or respond to it in or with reference to a real, place-based context.

Engaging Responsibly with GenAI

• Use generative AI to identify key words or categories to organize books, documents, or artefacts. Compare the outputs with an archival cataloguing system like, for example, the Dewey Decimal System, Library of Congress, etc.

A letter to the editor is a written communication submitted by a reader to a newspaper, magazine, or online publication, expressing their opinion, feedback, or comments on a particular article, topic, or issue. It is intended for publication and allows individuals to share their perspectives with a broader audience.

Avoiding Inappropriate Use of GenAI

• Have student research and report on the GenAI use policies of discipline-, topic-, or domain-specific publications.
• Have students consider the merits and demerits of using generative AI to produce or assist with creating a letter to the editor.

Engaging Responsibly with GenAI

• Invite students to use generative AI to create different personas (for the writer or readers) to help students find an angle for their letter to the editor.
• Invite students to brainstorm hooks/ledes with generative AI to develop multiple catchy opening lines to choose from or work with (instead of going with the first one that comes to mind).

A literature review, commonly referred to as a “Lit Review”, is a comprehensive summary and analysis of existing research and scholarly writings on a particular topic. It aims to provide an overview of the current state of knowledge in a specific field and may be a part of academic research or a standalone piece.

Avoiding Inappropriate Use of GenAI

• Ask students to include an assessment of relevancy (e.g. to course topics, course themes, student discussion board posts, etc.) for each source in their literature review. While generative AI can write summaries and broad overviews of common topics, it’s ability to assess relevance is limited. 
• Have students assess the authority, reliability, and currency of each source, something generative AI is not well suited to do.
• Ask students to include specific types of connections in their literature reviews. For example, ask students to draw connections with course topics, specific course materials, personal experiences, a reference, etc.

Engaging Responsibly with GenAI

• Ask generative AI to produce a literature review on a particular topic, concept, or theory. Have students assess the literature review for bias, currency, omissions, etc. and then revise it. 
• As an extension of the above, have students work on the same topic, concept and theory in pairs or groups and then have them compare the results of their generative AI literature reviews, assessments, and improvements. Ask students to reflect on which group’s final product was the best and why.
• Starting from a list created by a research-assistant-style generative AI, have students chase down the citations to find other useful articles. In this way they practice using generative AI as a first step (not the only step).
• Compare and contrast the literature searches from different tools with the sources students find through their own database searches to help them understand the importance of searching in multiple databases and with more than one tool.
• Have generative AI identify and organize key words to demonstrate thematic similarities between resources.
• Invite students to generate outlines of different kinds of literature reviews (topical, chronological, methodological, etc.) using AI and assess which ones are most appropriate for the specific literature review being asked of them.

A multimedia or slide presentation is a visual communication tool that combines text, images, audio, video, and other media elements to deliver information or a message to an audience. It is often used for educational, business, or informational purposes and can be presented in person or virtually using software like Microsoft PowerPoint or Google Slides.

Avoiding Inappropriate Use of GenAI

• There are many specific and general purpose generative AI tools that perform this type of task well
• Emphasize the content and delivery of the presentation over the design elements.
• Emphasize design element choices/decisions made by the student.
• Have students explain why they organized their presentation the way they did, why they chose particular colours, images, etc.

Engaging Responsibly with GenAI

• Ask students to prompt generative AI to create an image that supports the message of the slide, then build a version of that image using simple icons/stock images embedded in the slide design software, using genAI to brainstorm but still making creative decisions.
• Have students create a slide using Generative AI and assess it using basic visual design principles to identify what they would need to revise in order to turn it into a useful slide.
• Invite students to provide the generative AI with a summary of the presentation and prompt it to generate a slide-by-slide outline that focuses on one message per slide. Students can then use this outline to get out of the habit of having one slide with multiple bullet points.

A news story is a journalistic piece that reports on current events or recent developments, providing objective information in a factual and unbiased manner. A feature story, on the other hand, is a more in-depth and creative piece that explores human interest topics, profiles individuals, or delves into issues from a unique perspective.

Avoiding Inappropriate Use of GenAI

• Have student research and report on the GenAI use policies of discipline-, topic-, or domain-specific publications.
• Have students consider the merits and demerits of using generative AI to produce or assist with creating a news or feature story.

Engaging Responsibly with GenAI

• Invite students to brainstorm hooks/ledes with generative AI to explore different options.
• Have students use generative AI to brainstorm different metaphors or angles that the story/feature could take.
• Have students create audience personas using generative AI to better understand what information different readers might want.

Notes on reading are annotations, comments, or summaries taken while reading a book, article, or any other written material. They serve as aids for understanding, retention, and later reference, helping the reader recall essential points and ideas from the text.

Avoiding Inappropriate Use of GenAI

• Explain the purpose and different processes of note taking to students. Help studens to understand that annotations, comments, and summaries taken while reading (or watching or listening) are intended to help them encode, remember, and retrieve information.
• Students can be asked to submit a personal reflection on their preparation for an assessment including answers to such questions as: what helped or hindered their performance during the assessment? what they would do differently if they could repeat the assessment? what steps can they take to improve their performance going forward?

Engaging Responsibly with GenAI

• Invite students to use generative AI to make notes on readings and have them consider the merits and demerits of relying on AI generated notes.
• Have students use generative AI to “talk with their texts”, querying texts to further their knowledge and understanding. Have students discuss which prompts, questions, iterations, etc. resulted in more and less useful outputs.

In an observational assessment evaluative information about knowledge, skill, and ability is obtained through direct observation by an evaluator (e.g. instructor, TA, lab assistant, peer, or self.) 

Avoiding Inappropriate Use of GenAI

• Write questions that include student-generated content (e.g. discussion board posts, student presentation content, peer feedback, etc.) or course-specific content (e.g. lecture materials, guest lecture content, field trips, previous in-class activities, etc.).
• Require students to include student-generated and course-specific content in their responses.

Engaging Responsibly with GenAI

• Students can use generative AI as a preparatory tool to advance knowledge and hone skill before they engage in an observational assessment. For example, they can ask generative AI to summarize the steps necessary to complete a particular task or to identify common task errors as a means of studying.
• Have students use generative AI to create a topic outline or bulleted skeleton of an answer and then improve upon it with course-based learning. 
• If use of generative AI is permitted, have students cite generative AI contributions, submit the queries they made to generative AI along with the raw outputs that resulted, and provide a reflection on their use of generative AI in completing the assessment.

An oral report is a form of communication in which a person or group of persons present information, findings, or ideas verbally to an audience. It involves speaking in front of others, often in a formal setting, and delivering a structured presentation that may include visual aids, such as slides or props, to support the content. Oral reports are commonly used in academic settings, business environments, and various professional settings to share knowledge, research findings, project updates, or persuasive arguments. Effective oral reports require clear organization, articulation, and engaging delivery to effectively convey the intended message to the listeners.

Avoiding Inappropriate Use of GenAI

• Have students deliver oral reports in person or in a synchronous-online environment.
• Include a questions from the audience and/or questions from the instructor component.
• Emphasize the content of what is spoken over the content and design elements of slides, etc.

Engaging Responsibly with GenAI

• Invite students to use AI to generate a persona of the person or group the oral report might be directed toward.
• Have students use generative AI to assess the organization, clarity, concision, etc. of their presentation points as summations of the oral contribution as a means of strengthening their oral report skills.

During peer evaluations students review, assess, and provide feedback on other students’ work.

Avoiding Inappropriate Use of GenAI

• Facilitate a class discussion on the merits and demerits of using generative AI to provide peer feedback. Arrive at a course policy collaboratively.
• Have students write a reflection on the peer feedback received using prompts such as: What do I agree with? What do I disagree with? What will I do (or have I done) to address the feedback? How will (or did) the feedback I received make my next draft (or final product) better?
• Ask students to submit a “response to peer feedback” statement with the next or final submission explaining how they addressed the feedback they received or why they chose to reject it.

Engaging Responsibly with GenAI

• Invite students to use generative AI as a peer, offer feedback on their research and writing, and suggest avenues for further exploration that reveal richer connections and application of information.  
• Have students design a question and have generative AI write an article based on that question. Next, have students engage in a scholarly review of the article generated including comments, corrections, suggestions for improvement, etc.

A portfolio is a collection of artifacts of learning (e.g. reflections, annotations, presentations, discussion board posts, assignments, test answers, etc.). Students engage in a variety of learning activities throughout the term and then compile a portfolio to show evidence of their learning journey. Portfolios provide a comprehensive and organized way to present evidence of learning, growth, and accomplishments over time. A digital collection of artifacts of learning is commonly referred to as an ePortfolio, short for electronic portfolio.

Avoiding Inappropriate Use of GenAI

• Requiring a wide variety of learning activities to be included in a portfolio diminishes the extent to which generative AI can be productively used. 
• Asking students to reflect on their portfolio content and their growth throughout the course helps enrich these collected artifacts of learning while at the same time being an assessment that generative AI cannot easily complete. 
• Students can be asked to annotate earlier work in their portfolio and draw connections between assessments, course themes, and skills in a concept mapping style as additional means of limiting the productive assistance of generative AI. 

Engaging Responsibly with GenAI

• Generative AI can be a collaborator or contributor to individual portfolio items and its contributions can be cited and/or acknowledged. 
• Generative AI can give feedback on portfolio items like written work and provide comments, feedback, and next steps that students can pursue in their research. Students can integrate or ignore the feedback, provide rationale for these decisions, and reflect on other ways to advance their knowledge, understanding, skills, etc. with and without assistance from generative AI.

A poster presentation is a visual representation of research, typically demonstrating knowledge of theory, literature review, methods, and findings. A large printed visual display intended to catch the attention of an audience, a poster often contains a combination of text, images, and graphics to communicate information or promote a particular message, event, or cause.

Avoiding Inappropriate Use of GenAI

• While generative AI can produce poster elements, layout ideas, executive summaries and graphics for poster presentations, the multimodal nature of poster presentations requires students to make and reveal deep connections and organize their thinking. 
• Ask students to walk you through their poster presentation and/or answer questions about it from the audience.
• Consider inviting members of the university community, practitioners, community stakeholders and the like to view and/or adjudicate a poster presentation event.

Engaging Responsibly with GenAI

• Generative AI is useful for summarizing key points, drafting executive summaries, and prioritizing information for inclusion on posters. 
• Generative AI can help design graphics and suggest layouts for posters, assisting with the organizational flow of the end product. For example:
  • Image generators can produce images that can help illustrate concepts or provide visual excitement in a poster; 
  • PowerPoint’s Slide Designer feature uses generative AI to suggest layouts based on content. Using it as an idea generator can help students see their information presented in different ways instantly.

Students explain a concept, process, idea, project, experiment, etc. to others orally or audio-visually. Presentations can be delivered live (in person or virtually) or recorded.

Avoiding Inappropriate Use of GenAI

• Presentations are excellent ways to augment other written assignments and to extend learning, using multiple means to assess student learning holistically.
• Include a questions from the audience and/or questions from the instructor component.
• Have students respond to peer and instructor feedback on their presentations, including specific commentary on what they could do to make their presentation better.
• Have students produce a second presentation based on the feedback received on their first presentation.

Engaging Responsibly with GenAI

• Generative AI is especially useful for summarizing key points, which can be included on slides. 
• Generative AI can help design graphics and slides for presentations. For example,
  • image generators can produce images that can help illustrate concepts or provide visual excitement in a presentation,
  • PowerPoint’s Slide Designer feature uses generative AI to suggest layouts for each slide based on its content.
• Invite students to use AI to generate assertions for the Assertion-Evidence slide design style.

Students develop a product, proposal, experiment, experience, app, etc. 

Avoiding Inappropriate Use of GenAI

• While generative AI could be used to assist with various aspects of a prototype project, its ability to be creative is limited. The multifaceted nature of prototyping and testing leads to scaffolded assessments with clear draft and revision stages. Documenting the process by which prototypes were created is inherent in prototyping, and assembling those documents emphasizes the process of creation and revision rather than the final product. 

Engaging Responsibly with GenAI

• Generative AI can debug and write code as well as natural language text. Generative AI can become a debugging tool used to help students diagnose problems with prototypes and code.  
• Generative AI can be used to summarize papers and other text to help identify what is most salient in the writing. This can help improve written communication and guide where to place emphasis in grant proposals, pitches, etc.

See "Exams and Tests."

Reflection papers ask students to consider what they have learned in the context of their lived experiences, use what they have learned to inform future action, or consider the real-life implications of their thinking. Compare to “Essay” and “Research Paper/Research Essay.”

Avoiding Inappropriate Use of GenAI

• Generative AI can’t connect to meaning, personal experience, or feeling (although it can hallucinate or fabricate such connections). Encouraging reflection and connection with personal experiences and use them as assessments (or assessment components). This approach can reduce the impact of generative AI tools on academic integrity and help students to make meaning from their learning.

Engaging Responsibly with GenAI

• Ask generative AI “if-then” questions and have students offer personal reflections on the output or interrogate the output for biases, gaps, and other shortcomings.
• Prompt GenAI to interview the student, asking questions one at a time (and asking follow-up questions) to critically reflect on their understanding, or on their analysis of a text.

A formal document requesting financial support for a research project from a granting agency or organization. The proposal outlines the research questions, objectives, methodology, budget, and potential outcomes. It familiarizes learners with the process of seeking funding and strengthens their research and persuasive writing skills.

Avoiding Inappropriate Use of GenAI

• Have student research and report on the GenAI use policies of SSHRC, NSERC, CIHR and/or other discipline-, topic-, or domain-specific granting agencies.
• Have students consider the merits and demerits of using generative AI to produce or assist with creating a research proposal for a granting agency.
• While generative AI can potentially be used to produce pieces of a scaffolded assignment (such as draft summaries of research sources), it cannot easily create the varied and iterative steps that lead to a final scaffolded product such as a research proposal. 

Engaging Responsibly with GenAI

• Students can be permitted to use generative AI to produce pieces of a scaffolded assignment (e.g. summaries of research sources, a procedural outline, a timeline, etc.) or as an approved source for basic information about a topic, event, person, procure, etc. Remember to require students to cite and/or acknowledge generative AI.
• Generative AI can be used to suggest effective wording or alternate phrasing for written work. 
• Generative AI can be used to check drafts for gaps, problems, and other deficiencies.

A scaffolded assessment is a larger project, case, essay, problem, or assignment broken up into smaller, progressive learning activities (“chunks”) that build toward a final summative assessment. 

Avoiding Inappropriate Use of GenAI

• Generative AI doesn’t incorporate reflections, make meaningful connections, draw complex conclusions, or handle iterative feedback well. Having students build a scaffolded assessment through brainstorming, outlining, researching, iterative research or literature summaries, and responding to feedback can minimize unauthorized use of generative AI. 
• While generative AI can potentially be used to produce pieces of a scaffolded assignment (such as draft summaries of research sources), it cannot easily create the varied and iterative steps that lead to a final scaffolded product.

Engaging Responsibly with GenAI

• Students can be permitted to use generative AI to produce pieces of a scaffolded assignment (e.g. summaries of research sources, a procedural outline, a timeline, etc.) or as an approved source for basic information about a topic, event, person, procure, etc. Remember to require students to cite and/or acknowledge generative AI.
• Generative AI can be used to suggest effective wording or alternate phrasing for written work. 
• Generative AI can be used to check drafts for gaps, problems, and other deficiencies.
• UWaterloo instructors can find additional strategies for scaffolding writing assignments through the Writing and Communication Centre (WCC) and Centre for Teaching Excellence (CTE).

See "Abstract."

The Three Minute Thesis (3MT) is a popular competition among research-based graduate students that can also be used as an assessment tool for all students. In a 3MT students are allowed one slide and three minutes to present course content, a specific topic, research, or a project to a general audience.

Avoiding Inappropriate Use of GenAI

• Presentations are excellent demonstrations of learning, and the act of summarizing and choosing what to highlight stimulates deep learning. While generative AI can summarize information and provide broad insights into what themes emerge from theses and research papers, they lack the personality and creativity to produce dynamic presentations. 
• Students can be asked to include specific types of connections in their Three-Minute Thesis presentations. For example, connections with other course materials, specific course materials, other courses, personal experiences, a pop-culture reference, a specific artifact (image, song, artifact), etc.

Engaging Responsibly with GenAI

• Invite students to paste sections or the entirety of their thesis into a generative AI tool (IST at UWaterloo recommends logging into Copilot with UWaterloo credentials) with the precursor “Summarize:” or “Summarize this:” and have them reflect on the results. Have students regenerate their responses repeatedly to see how the nuance of the output changes and gain new perspectives about what stands out or might be veiled. Have students write a reflection or make a presentation to the class that discusses their findings.
• Generative AI can help design graphics and slides for presentations. For example, image generators can produce images to help illustrate concepts or provide visual excitement in a presentation, and PowerPoint’s Slide Designer tool uses generative AI to suggest layouts for each slide based on the slide’s content.
• Invite student to use generative AI to brainstorm metaphors, analogies, and visual metaphors to help a lay audience understand complex research.
• Invite students to use generative AI to create a design brief for the slide, adapting & revising with original/attributable visuals.

A timeline is a visual representation of a chronological sequence. Students can either create their own timelines or critique and edit sourced timelines.

Avoiding Inappropriate Use of GenAI

• Ask students to include specific types of connections in their timelines to diminish meaningful assistance from generative AI. For example, ask students to draw connections with other course materials, specific course materials, student generated materials, other courses, personal experiences, a pop-culture reference, a specific artifact (image, song, artifact), etc.

Engaging Responsibly with GenAI

• Use generative AI to produce a timeline or to identify the precipitators of a historical events (e.g. “Summarize the causes of the French Revolution”) and have students use this output to consider how narrative and perspective are subject to bias, how generative AI and the historical cannon privilege some stories while erasing others, etc.  
• Have students prompt AI to generate simulated time travel and then interrogate the output with reflective questions such as: what assumptions did the AI make to produce the image? Is it possible to prompt the AI to make the selfies more authentic to the time/place?
• Have students prompt AI to generate a scene that is inspired and informed by course content.

These questions require test-takers to determine whether a given statement is true or false based on their knowledge of the subject.

Avoiding Inappropriate Use of GenAI

• Include novel course-based content in true/false questions (e.g. information from student presentations, in-class discussions, experiential learning activities, etc.).
• Use true/false questions on ungraded diagnostic assessments.
• Use true/false questions on ungraded, complete/incomplete, or low-stakes formative assessments where the goal is support (rather than evaluate) learning.
• Have students write summative assessments that include true/false quizzes a secure (synchronous or in-person supervised environment).

Engaging Responsibly with GenAI

• Accept that a student may choose to use GenAI to complete true/false questions and have them produce a reflection or engage in a discussion on the merits and demerits of completing a diagnostic, formative or summative assessment in this way
• Use a GenAI tool to create questions based on course content and have students evaluate the merits of the questions generated (questions could be generated by you or by students).

See "Case-Based Questions."