Assessing writing has long been a difficult task for teachers and students, but artificial intelligence has the potential to drastically revolutionize how writing is evaluated. With the arrival of chatbot AI, it is possible that writing might have to take a backseat in assessing student learning. This is not a novel challenge, but rather one being made obvious by the new bots.
The University of Illinois in the late 80s and early 90s saw a similar challenge. A college student at the time, the author took a strategic approach when selecting courses in order to avoid studying. Anything that involved studying such as multiple choice exams was immediately dismissed, but classes requiring short response papers and in-class essay exams were preferred. Steering clear of the need to produce long, research driven papers was also seen as ideal.
Equipped with a level of writing fluency, or ‘accomplished bullshitter’, the student could score a B for any writing assignment without any real struggle. Literate classes were particularly easy due to their requirement of short papers and the student’s enjoyment of reading. Even if the professor didn’t exactly love the response, at least they got the notion that the student had done some work, granting them the B.
Chatbot AI has in some sense made ineffective the indicator of surface-level fluency used by professors to judge competency, so rethinking is essential.
Change needs to evolve in several areas, such as creating engaging assignments that will spur creativity among students, reassessing writing according to qualities that mark human synthesis, and setting the bar high and expecting metacognitive reflection from students. A thoughtful in-class multiple-choice assessment should replace out-of-class writing when the purpose is merely to gauge knowledge of pre-existing material.
The challenge then is to design an atmosphere that motivates true learning, rather than enforcing punishment or creating a temptation for academic dishonesty. This is a difficult task, but with effort it is possible to make improvements.
Chatbot AI is part of a larger challenge when it comes to evaluating student writing, one that precedes the emergence of AI. However, the technology can be integrated into instruction to allow students to maximize their creative potential. It is on teachers to transform the way they assess writing to maintain the quality of student education and make sure those who apply themselves are rewarded accordingly.
