STLinSTL 2024

The question of assessment practices in the context of AI is on a lot of teachers’ minds. What teachers are wondering is how do we distinguish human cognition from the work of machines? How do we make human thinking visible so we can assess it with confidence? Simultaneously, tech directors, instructional coaches, and divisional leaders are probably wondering how to get invited to the department meeting to discuss assessment practices, even if it might feel like it’s a little “outside one’s lane” - namely, convincing teachers that they have ideas on crafting good assessment designs in the age of AI. In this session, we will frame that discussion around what I call “the human advantage” - an advantage that has less to do with evaluating the difficulty of assessments and more to do with determining their complexity. We will examine and put to work a tool we’ve recently developed that helps educators design assessments that only authentic, human intelligence could proficiently perform, a tool that asks us to look at the complexity of the task, as opposed to its difficulty. Participants will walk away with a tool and practical knowledge that all academic departments will want to learn about, a tool that will prompt our colleagues to invite us to the meeting.