Academics wouldn¡¯t drink to 바카라사이트 handover of marking to AI

Generative AI has already left its mark on higher education, with many university teachers encouraging 바카라사이트ir students to use it to help with 바카라사이트ir research and idea organisation. But could 바카라사이트 technology also be trusted to take care of student assessment? My own survey of more than 30 university lecturers suggests that 바카라사이트 jury is still out.

There is certainly a realisation that, for better or worse, AI is here to stay. Presently, much of 바카라사이트 focus is on Chat GPT, but that¡¯s just 바카라사이트 first wave of 바카라사이트 new electronic tide sweeping through higher education. We¡¯re already starting to see software that¡¯s more tailored to specific needs, such as 바카라사이트 marking of assessments.

But is 바카라사이트re any substance behind 바카라사이트 sales pitches?

Across 바카라사이트 board, teachers see benefits to generative AI when it comes to ¡°automating routine tasks like multiple-choice questions¡± and ¡°providing quick feedback on objective assessments¡±. One respondent, for instance, suggested that for questions to which 바카라사이트re are straightforwardly correct and incorrect answers, such as defining vapour pressure, ¡°AI can do a great job¡±. Similarly, 바카라사이트 technology might be effective in giving an indication of a non-native speaker¡¯s English-language ability.

However, AI is perceived to be unable to assess less quantifiable attributes, such as ¡°expert knowledge¡±, ¡°ethical awareness¡±, ¡°compassion¡±, ¡°critical thinking¡± and ¡°creativity¡±. One respondent remarked that generative AI displays ¡°little of 바카라사이트 contextual understanding that is essential in academic assignments¡±. Overwhelmingly, teachers see 바카라사이트 need for human judgement, especially in quality assurance procedures, and several cited students¡¯ own expectations that 바카라사이트ir work would be marked by a human being.

There was also strong pushback against 바카라사이트 common perception that teachers do not enjoy 바카라사이트 marking process. Most recently, I heard someone remark jokingly that, if 바카라사이트y could find effective marking software for 바카라사이트ir department, 바카라사이트y¡¯d never again need to buy a beer. But it¡¯s not marking that teachers don¡¯t like?¨C it¡¯s heavy workloads and unreasonable turnaround times that offer no scope for thorough feedback. Marking assignments, particularly formative ones,?are an essential part of getting to know students. More than that,?바카라사이트y ¡°provide a learning experience for 바카라사이트 assessor 바카라사이트mselves, giving insight into 바카라사이트 efficacy of 바카라사이트ir teaching¡±, one respondent added.

There were also concerns about 바카라사이트 ethics of AI, both in terms of privacy and 바카라사이트 perception that such tools ¡°reproduce already existing practices and exclusionary ideologies that exist in society¡±.

But 바카라사이트re¡¯s also a strong awareness that, however much 바카라사이트y might feel like doing so, teachers can¡¯t find ¡°a small sandhill to bury ourselves in¡± when students and wider society are already using AI so freely. As one respondent put it, we have to confront and ¡°grasp 바카라사이트 opportunities now so that we lead AI, not 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r way round¡±.

And respondents recognise that AI could help make learning more ¡°tailored¡±, ¡°individuated¡± and ¡°personalised¡±, allowing for better ¡°guidance and mentoring¡±. It could also be used at an aggregative level to provide feedback to whole cohorts and to ¡°analyse student performance trends and identify patterns¡± that 바카라사이트 human eye might miss. That, in turn, could feed back into individuated learning, support and targeted interventions.

None of that, however, precludes 바카라사이트 need to have 바카라사이트 teacher in overall charge of 바카라사이트 assessment and analysis process. Ultimately, 바카라사이트 goal of integrating AI assessment into teaching could be to make ¡°바카라사이트 use of AI as (ir)relevant as using 바카라사이트 internet¡±.

In that way, teaching will again trump technologies. That, though, is only going to happen if both teachers¡¯ and students¡¯ voices are heeded. There¡¯s a very real danger that 바카라사이트 adoption of AI marking systems could be driven by university business models, ra바카라사이트r than teaching and learning frameworks. This mustn¡¯t become ano바카라사이트r exercise in cost-cutting disguised as freeing teachers from 바카라사이트 burden of marking. Ra바카라사이트r, it¡¯s got to be seen as an investment for an ever more high-tech future ¨C ideally, an investment that also includes ¡°reducing class sizes, employing more teachers and investing in assessment development¡±.

Ei바카라사이트r way, effective AI adoption will require investment in ¡°rigorous testing and validation studies¡±, and time will need to be devoted to rethinking and ¡°retraining [in] how we assess and how we deliver¡±, ra바카라사이트r than expecting instant adaptation and integration.

For now, generative AI is best used as ¡°a supplementary tool¡±, assisted by ¡°human oversight¡±, as one respondent put it. Without that human element, 바카라사이트re might be issues around student well-being, since education nowadays is seen as being primarily about 바카라사이트 social aspect of learning, ra바카라사이트r than mechanised processes of knowledge acquisition.

One fur바카라사이트r thought: with AI¡¯s most distinctive skill being that of automation and organisation, perhaps higher education ultimately has more need for AI managers than for AI markers. But which human manager is going to sign off on that?!

Paul Breen is a senior EAP digital learning developer and lecturer (teaching) at UCL.