How to assess students’ work in the age of AI?

“Did the students write this themselves or did ChatGPT do it for them?”

How many times have you asked yourself that question lately?

Artificial intelligence has slipped into universities through the back door like an uninvited guest that can write an essay in a minute, draft a report, improve writing style, and even suggest a structure for a paper. What should we do with it?

The answer isn’t simple. Strict bans are of little use. Technology cannot be rolled back but it can be tamed. What’s certain is that instead of chasing students and focusing on detecting AI use, it’s wiser to design assessment that promotes independent thinking, reflection, and academic honesty.

Below are some practical ideas you can apply in your own classes.

1. Check Understanding of Submitted Work

Defending the Work

One of the simplest ways to verify authorship and understanding is through a short oral presentation or conversation. It could be a three-minute talk, a quiz based on the paper, or a short consultation.Questions like “Where did you get this idea?”, “What would you change now?”, or “How did you reach these conclusions?” quickly reveal whether a student truly knows and understands what they’ve submitted.

Knowledge Test Based on Their Own Work

A brief quiz checking whether students know the arguments and structure of their own paper can expose mindless copying. Even a few thoughtful questions may show whether they can reconstruct the logic, sources, and reasoning behind the text.

Annotations and Draft Versions

Asking students to show sketches, outlines, notes, or earlier drafts gives valuable insight into their creative process. It’s much harder to fake the path of thinking than the final result, and such documentation allows you to better evaluate effort and originality.

Author’s Commentary

Encourage students to add short reflective comments within their documents (for instance, as Word comments) explaining their reasoning. Notes like “I used this argument because…” or “This idea came from…” provide a window into their thinking process and give a richer sense of authorship.

Possible Scale of Permitted AI Use (based on Perkins, M., Furze, L., Roe, J., & MacVaugh, J., 2023. “Navigating the Generative AI Era: Introducing the AI Assessment Scale for Ethical GenAI Assessment”)

2. Redesign the Task So That AI Alone Isn’t Enough

Personal Reflection

Instead of grading only the final outcome, invite students to write a short self-reflection. Ask questions like: “What was most difficult for you?”, “What did you learn?”, or “Which parts of your work were most satisfying, and why?”AI struggles to produce authentic reflection without real human experience — genuine insight comes from personal engagement with the topic.

Real-Time Assignments

In-class tests, live writing sessions, collaborative editing workshops, or joint material analysis allow the teacher to observe the creative process directly. These tasks naturally limit the possibility of using AI assistance unnoticed.

Hybrid Tasks

Don’t ban AI — invite it into the process. Try assignments like: “Use an AI tool to generate a summary of an article, then critically evaluate its quality.”This develops critical thinking and teaches conscious, reflective use of technology instead of blind trust.

Local Context and Personal Experience

Design tasks anchored in local realities or personal experience. Examples: “Create a promotional plan for an event on the Gdańsk Tech campus” or “Analyze your own contribution to a team project.”Because AI has no access to the student’s lived experience, such tasks naturally require originality and creativity.

Video or Audio Assignments

Instead of a traditional essay, ask students to record a podcast, a video project report, or an audio commentary for their slides.These formats demonstrate understanding and engagement and are much harder to fully outsource to AI.

Gamification

Introduce a grading system that rewards not just the final outcome but also engagement in the process.Points can be awarded for discussion participation, forum activity, submitting drafts, quiz performance, or giving constructive peer feedback.Such a system encourages collaboration and genuine involvement.

3. Assess the Process

Instead of focusing solely on the final product, assess the entire creative journey.Ask students to provide their work plan, draft versions, notes, intermediary comments (e.g., in Google Docs), and a short reflection log.Evaluating the process promotes integrity, it’s hard to fake the whole story of how a text was created.It also allows you to notice the student’s growth and learning path.

4. Create Space for Using AI

Meta-Reflection on AI

Encourage students to use AI consciously. For example: “Use an AI tool, then describe what it did well, what it got wrong, and whether you agree with its output and why.”This reflection builds responsibility and critical awareness rather than passive dependence on technology.

Experimental and Research Tasks

Design assignments that require actions AI cannot perform such as simple experiments, field observations (e.g., human behavior in a store), or interviews. You might also provide specific numeric data for students to analyze or ask them to verify sources they’ve actually read.These methods distinguish genuine academic effort from shallow replication.

5. Unusual Strategies

“Trap” Tasks – The Twisted Question Technique

Create assignments that include a false claim or logical error. Example: “Prove that Netflix does not use personalization.”Because the statement is untrue, students must challenge it — while AI often fails to recognize the flaw and produces a misleading answer.You can also use texts containing deliberate inconsistencies or manipulations and ask students to analyze them.

Tasks with Information Gaps

Provide part of the data or instructions only during class.This approach ensures that only active participants can complete the work — even the best AI tool won’t fill in what it never received.

Cross-Source Verification

Ask students to list the sources they actually read and then pose verification questions about them.A simple but effective method to confirm authenticity.

Peer Review

Have students assess each other’s work in terms of AI usage and explain their reasoning.This fosters reflective thinking and a sense of shared academic responsibility.

6. Build a System That Supports Integrity

AI Usage Declaration

Introduce a short form where students indicate whether and how they used AI.Example: Did they use it for ideas, structure, proofreading, translation, or summaries?Such a declaration promotes accountability and sets clear ethical boundaries.If you allow AI-assisted work, require explicit disclosure of what was AI-generated and how its accuracy was verified.Transparency increases fairness and trust.

Clear Rules in the Syllabus

Specify when and how AI may be used, how it should be acknowledged, and what is not acceptable.Clear rules prevent misuse and improve communication with students.

Education Over Punishment

Instead of focusing on detection and penalties, educate students on ethical and effective use of AI.Show that it can be a support tool — not a substitute for thinking. This approach builds a key competence for the future job market.

Conclusion

AI is changing the rules of the game. Instead of trying to ban it, let’s treat it as a challenge — an opportunity to create more meaningful, reflective, and engaging forms of assessment. Education is not about catching cheaters; it’s about teaching responsibility, independence, and critical thinking. Designing new evaluation strategies is also a valuable exercise for us — the architects of learning. And one thing is certain: in the coming years, we will have no shortage of opportunities to keep reimagining the art of teaching.

Sample Student Declaration on AI Use

Part A – AI Usage Declaration

Did you use any AI tools in creating this work? ☐ Yes ☐ No

If yes, in which areas? ☐ Ideas/Planning ☐ Content ☐ Proofreading ☐ Translation ☐ Charts/Tables ☐ Citations/Summaries ☐ Other: ………….

Part B – Reflection on AI Use

How did AI influence the quality of your work? ☐ Significantly ☐ Helped ☐ Minimal impact

What did you do independently? ………………………………………

Was your use of AI ethical and consistent with university policy? ☐ Yes ☐ No ☐ Not sure

Student signature: ___________________ Date: ___________________

Author: Alina Guzik