Imagine you’re standing at the end of a springboard with the water beneath you. You feel the board shaking; the only way out of this now is to take the plunge. Gravity is ready to pull you into its force field. Much is the same with AI, its imminent dominance of the world threatens to challenge your every move. But will it be a belly flop, or will you finesse your way to a perfect 10?

The freefall

As academics, we are increasingly under pressure to ensure our courses withstand the test of AI. We are challenged to lead this change but many of us are only just coming to terms with AI ourselves. As an exercise scientist, one of the sequenced skills in order to understanding the limits of performance is to test the capacity of the human body. However, choosing a series of tests that helps you understand the multi-aspects of performance is an art that needs to be trained. Traditionally, I assess a student's ability to develop an exercise test battery for a given case study with defined client goals and needs. Students then research each test one by one to make a decision to include it in the battery. They have to justify their selection and understand feasibility to run the tests within the real-world constraints. However, the risk of plagiarism is high, meaning a slow forfeit of critical thinking development. Critical thinking is made up of observation, analysis, interpretation, evaluation, inference, and problem solving. After pondering when and how I should embrace AI, whilst keeping critical thinking at its core, there was only one conclusion; my stagnation will put me at risk of a belly flop.

But what if we flipped it on its head? By reimagining the learning outcomes, we can execute a skilful cut into the depths of AI. By embracing AI, we can springboard into new maneuvers that open up new opportunities for learning. To dive in the first place, students need to know where their end goal is. There are countless ways to achieve this. But to win gold, simply hitting the water will not do.

When students add a ‘flip’, they start by better gathering their information. AI can be an effective tool for this. However, observation on the mass of information does not equal understanding. This means that students may access information that is unverified and often take that as gospel, even when it may be inaccurate. The AI generated output may simply be a guise for a learning outcome that has not been understood. Students must challenge information by understanding its limitations and where it fits in the current literature.  Whilst AI may be a starting point for gathering the information, students with this skill-level are able to verify where that information has come from, its credibility and how to effectively use it to meet a learning outcome.

In the ‘tuck’, we move beyond information gathering to testing our assumption. In the reimagined assessment, students generated dummy data from their chosen tests. Students were asked to visualise, make inferences, and identify artifacts in the data. Learning activities guided students through this process.

In the highest degree of difficulty, the twist, AI is used as a tool to assist an optimum outcome, where students combine their ability to challenge the literature, interpret data and make a decision that can be executed accurately sequentially. In the reimagined assessment, students have done this by analysing the generated dummy data and comparing it to available literature in order to make an informed decision to be communicated to a client. We are now ready to enter the water with all components of critical thinking satisfied.  However, there are many lessons learned as you resurface and reflect on the backsplash.

The podium

When the water calms, we can see the impact of the dive. By reflection on furthering the capacity of AI in students, we have learnt that we can expect more. Standing on giant shoulders, we should be expecting students to surpass our current ability. Ourselves, as educators, must challenge the status quo in education. We must hold space in the curriculum to coach students on the process of critical thinking, evidenced by better prompting, transparency, and due diligence to act ethically, rather than assessing the end product. A spiral curriculum can afford you time to achieve this. It is certainly difficult but worth the challenge. By virtue of this approach, we unlock the door to boundless creativity. Are you ready to take the plunge?

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