Guest post by Marshall Cowie, gcowie@uwaterloo.ca

My name is Marshall Cowie, and I am a third-year student studying Mathematical Physics here at the University of Waterloo. For the past four months I have had the opportunity to work as an Educational Research Assistant with Diana.  I worked on the Enhancing Assessment Practices project, focusing on understanding math assessment practices through collecting data from math course syllabi, as well as researching concerns surrounding generative artificial intelligence (genAI).

Continuing the work of previous coop students, I collected data from math course syllabi. We looked at grade breakdowns and assessment types used, among other elements, to further understand trends in assessment design within the Faculty of Math. We have now collected this data for over four years of fall terms, which has given us insight into instructors' responses to the challenges of the pandemic.

This culminated in the opportunity to share my Insights from math course syllabi with instructors at the Math Teaching Colloquium this month. It was a great experience for me to summarize and share my work, as well as connect with people who have a shared interest in learning about and improving education. I am thankful to have been invited to speak, and to everyone who welcomed me and shared their knowledge. If you are interested in the results, the slides are attached below.

Another area of focus this term was generative artificial intelligence, and how it may affect assessment design and delivery in the Faculty of Math going forward. I learned about the capabilities of tools like ChatGPT as well as how they can affect the integrity of different assessment types. I hoped to identify and address the most common concerns around genAI, as well as highlight potential benefits of the appropriate use of this new tool.

This information has been used to create a new webpage on Artificial intelligence in Math assessment. It features practical suggestions on how instructors might incorporate or discourage use of genAI on various types of math assessments. In addition, it aims to provide answers to common questions, information about university-specific policy, and resources for further learning on the subject. Thanks to the many instructors and staff for their valuable feedback throughout this learning and writing process.

Overall, this term has been a great experience for me to learn more about higher education and interact with my own university in a new way. I’m very grateful to Diana for the support and opportunities I had working with her. Now that I’m back to being a student in math, I hope that I—and importantly, future students—can have a positive experience shaped by the changes this project will bring about.