Survey: How AI is affecting assessment practices

Dear colleagues

I’d like to invite you to participate in a research project, the findings of which will contribute to developing support services and resources to build AI in education literacy and to support assessment practices at the University of Cape Town (UCT).

Last year, we invited teaching staff at UCT to take part in a brief survey asking about AI tools in assessment practices. Some of the key findings from this revealed some trends, for example, most respondents:

• had not changed their assessment instructions significantly
• were quite concerned about AI undermining assessment integrity
• were not using any AI tools for students’ work
• did not feel confident in their ability to effectively use AI tools in assessment
• expressed interest in a range of AI applications to support assessment practices

At UCT we continue to respond in multiple ways to support sound and caring assessment practices. For example, the Senate Teaching and Learning Committee recently endorsed the UCT AI in Education Framework; AI Teaching Innovation Grants have been awarded to 14 AI tool implementation projects; we launched the AI in Education Community of Practice, and we have developed a number of AI Guides as well as the AI Literacies self-paced module.

AI technologies are emergent and dynamic in nature, making keeping up with their development an ongoing challenge.

I write to invite you to participate in a second round of this research that will allow us to gauge how AI technologies are currently impacting assessment practices at UCT.

The purpose of the research is to:

• ask undergraduate and postgraduate teaching staff about whether and how they are adapting their assessments in response to generative AI
• explore possible further applications of AI that would be useful in supporting future assessment practices
• compare changes over time to shape professional development needs

The research is conducted by the Enhancing Assessment Literacy and Practices in the Age of AI (UCDG Project 7) team, who completed this survey last year, working with the Assessment Practices Working Group.

Taking part in this research would involve completing a brief 10-minute questionnaire. You will not be asked to provide any personally identifying information. I encourage undergraduate and postgraduate teaching staff to please participate.

• Complete the brief survey.

This survey has received ethics approval from the CHED Research Ethics Committee. Should you have any questions about the research please contact the Project Assistant, Soraya Lester.

Sincerely

Professor Brandon Collier-Reed
Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Teaching and Learning

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