With the rapid uptake of AI in the classroom, I began questioning the authenticity of the written assessments submitted by business diploma students. With questions like “who really wrote this assessment, this text doesn't align with the student’s voice?”, I realised I was questioning students' assessment work more frequently without evidence to support my hunches, feeling that my professional judgement was becoming distorted. These questions, along with the overtly AI-generated sentences, are easily identifiable by the bullet-pointed lists and em dashes in the sentences. This prompted me to change a written report assessment task to one that required the students to actively participate in a practical applied process of ‘learning by doing’, in a ‘real world’ scenario that I believe cannot be easily replicated by AI. Or certainly not that I have seen - yet! 

Reimagining assessment in the age of AI

The reworked assessment now requires students to work in a team to conduct a research enquiry into what makes an organisation in the New Zealand business environment unique.  Team members are required to work together to choose an organisation (for-profit or not-for-profit), to research, including conducting an online interview with a representative from their chosen organisation. I have encouraged teams to take ownership of this assessment task by selecting an organisation that they are curious about in some way. I noticed some students chose a business leader or organisation who they have admired from afar, using this interview as an opportunity to meet them. Other, perhaps more strategic students, use this opportunity to meet representatives from organisations where they would like to get jobs after graduating.

The students are required to follow a set of criteria when planning for the interviews. This way, the team builds whanaungatanga by collaborating during the planning stage (researching, creating a meeting plan, and developing professional communications). This process helps the teams to form connections and the team dynamic. This year, I supported 32 teams (3-4 people per team) to secure industry interviews. This does take up time because the business community calendars often do not align with academic timetables and deadlines, and students’ first options are often not available.

What always surprises me when reaching out to the business community to arrange meetings is their generosity, patience and genuine interest in supporting the development and growth of future business leaders. Feedback from the industry professionals who participated in the interviews highlighted that they valued seeing students develop their professional communication skills (research, active listening, friendly demeanour, questioning, ability to adapt, teamwork, and written emails). They also provided valuable insights into areas where the students can improve. These included ensuring the technical set-up for online meetings were complete with camera and audio clarity. One participant commented on how important the non-verbal communication (eye contact, nodding, smiling) is in the online environment to demonstrate listening skills. Multiple participants expressed confidence that the students will "go a long way" and commented on students displaying intellectual curiosity, enthusiasm and growth mindsets. All the industry feedback was given to students to reflect on, often making them smile, stand a bit taller, and feel a strong sense of accomplishment. This feedback also highlighted to students the need to build their interpersonal skills, confidence and business relationships, something that AI would not have been able to do. 

Once the students had conducted their enquiries (including the interview), they transformed these unique findings into a presentation to share with their peers via an interactive session that facilitated thought-provoking discussions, which not only furthered the presenters' learning but also the wider student group. The presentations provided an opportunity for the whole class to learn about different industry sectors and businesses they might not otherwise have been exposed to.

Reflecting on the merit of the real-world assessment task

On reflection, this assessment method allows students to demonstrate critical thinking, effective communication skills and to realise the value of relationships with peers and with external stakeholders in a professional business context. This assessment challenges students with real, practical scenarios linked to the current business environment, helping them develop essential soft skills and build their professional confidence. Feedback from students highlighted that this assessment was challenging because it is real, they could not hide or wait until the night before to complete or get someone else to do it (AI). They enjoyed building relationships with their team members and the industry professionals. Some students have gone on to connect via LinkedIn with industry connections, and even secure paid employment and work experience because of these purposeful connections.

I have now found that this new ‘real world’ assessment has students submitting evidence that is highly authentic and believable. I no longer question the authenticity of students' work and am confident that the assessment task demonstrates the application of the learning outcomes, rather than just stating them. In my experience of facilitating this assessment over the last three years, I have seen higher student engagement and a higher success rate. I am now confident that students who pass this paper are students of merit, because they have authentically met the learning outcomes, as well as developing employability skills.

Do your assessments gather authentic evidence of learning?

Banner image generated by Chat GPT