Rewriting the grading playbook for AI-enabled classrooms
GenAI has entered higher education, prompting educators to rethink what should be assessed. A Canadian study with 28 educators finds three boundary areas—prompting, critical thinking, and writing—where assessment rules must evolve. AI can enhance learning and accessibility but also complicates cheating and the spread of misinformation. Rather than blocking AI, campuses should update policies and train staff, adopting five design principles: explicit expectations for how GenAI is allowed to be used; process-focused assessment that values drafts and reflections over final outputs; tasks that require human judgment; developing students' evaluative judgment of AI; and preserving student voice. This signals a shift toward a post-plagiarism world where humans and AI co-create, with AI treated as a catalyst to strengthen integrity and learning.
