Designing and securing assessment

The rapid evolution of AI tools has transformed what is possible for our students to do in assessment. The boundaries of what AI can do continue to expand with each new release. This has significant implications for the validity and design of assessment tasks. 

Professor Danny Liu (on behalf of TEQSA) has created short videos demonstrating AI's capabilities:

• Generate written work that is undetectable as AI generated
• Develop reflective writing
• Generate materials in multiple modalities 

Permitted use of AI in your assessment

Each Course Coordinator must make decisions about the most appropriate use of generative AI and MT in their course and for their assessment.

At UQ we have 3 options:

• Assessment tasks prohibiting use of AI or MT
• In-person assessment not permitting use of AI or MT
• Complex/authentic assessment using a combination of AI and/or MT to support learning.

There is specific text provided to add to course profiles for each option.  

Choosing an option for your assessment

• Option 1: Assessment tasks prohibiting use of AI or MT. Choose for tasks where AI use undermines validity, and in-person assessment is not feasible. 
• Option 2: In-person assessment not permitting use of AI or MT. Choose for tasks in controlled settings such as in-class activities, placements or exams, where AI use would not align with the task's objectives.
• Option 3: Complex/authentic assessment using a combination of AI and/or MT to support learning. Choose for tasks that prepare students for professional practice by integrating AI tools into assessments. Ensure tasks still effectively evaluate students’ abilities even with AI support. 

When AI is permitted:

• Set clear expectations: Outline how students should acknowledge or reference the tools used. 
• Support students to use AI ethically and effectively.
• Test your assessment: 
  • Use Microsoft Co-pilot to simulate AI's role in completing tasks. 
  • Experiment with scaffolds and prompts to guide students, e.g., "Provide an outline for..." or "Identify key ideas for...". 
  • Regenerate AI responses to assess variability and adaptability. 

Guidance on designing assessment, examples of assessment ideas and learning design support is available if you wish to make changes to your assessment. Any changes to assessment need to be made in accordance with the assessment policy and procedure with due consideration of accreditation requirements and the impact on programs. 

Secure assessments are designed to ensure confidence that the work reflects the student’s own learning. These tasks have some level of supervision and are designed to: 

• minimise opportunities for academic misconduct
• ensure fairness in grading
• make detection of misconduct highly likely. 

Secure assessment strategies include supervised tasks, invigilated activities, or assessments involving direct interaction with staff or peers. Across UQ, schools and faculties are working to clarify what secure assessment looks like in their contexts.

Associate Professor Ryan Walter from the School of Politcal Science has developed a list of secure assessment approaches:

• Live (in-person) quizzes in lectures
• Live (in-person) quizzes in tutorials
• In-class padlet submission applying concepts to cases
• Mock interview focused on “live” analysis of a case presented in the interview
• Oral interactive assessments (alone or added to a take-home assignment)
• Interactive and in-person simulations
• Practical placements (assessed by supervisor)
• Supervised competency practicals, quizzes or exams
• Peer-reviewed group work or assessment
• Invigilated Exams

Secure assessment can be implemented in many ways to suit the context and size of a course.

Associate Professor Peter Lewis coordinates Advancing Research Inquiry (HLTH7315) with a Research Question assessment including a viva voce component. The viva voce has been effective at assessing students' abilities and engaged students with personal, real time feedback.

Associate Professor Lewis provides students with:

• Research Question Task Sheet (PDF, 180 KB)
• Part A Viva Voce Rubric (PDF, 241 KB)
• Part B Research Question Exploration Rubric (PDF, 263.4 KB)

The following non-exhaustive list highlights examples from the Assessment Ideas Factory of secure assessment.

Authentic assessment in Finance

• 500+ students
• Post-graduate
• High time required
• Conditions: Work-related, Group, Peer-assessed

Authentic weekly portfolio, case studies, team-based assignment, and reflection

• 40-60, 60-80, 80-100 students
• Post-graduate
• Medium time required
• Conditions: Group, Peer-assessed, Time limited

Clinical Project Using Action Learning in Health Sciences  

• 80-100 students
• Third year/Post-graduate
• Medium time required
• Conditions: Work-related, Group, Sequence

In-class writing tasks in public health

• 100-500 students
• First year
• Low time required
• Conditions: Sequence

Objective Assessment of Complex Skills Using OSPE Examinations

• 100-500 students
• Third year
• High time required
• Conditions: Identity verified, Work-related

Oral Exam in Political Science

• 120 students
• Second year, Third year, Post-graduate
• Low time required
• Conditions:  Identity verified, Work-related, Time limited

Pair-Interview (assessed conversations)  

• 20-40 students
• First year
• Medium time required
• Conditions: Identity verified, Group

Practical Activity Facilitation (demonstrating a competency)

• 80-100 students
• First year, Second year, Third year, Post-graduate
• High time required
• Conditions: Identity verified

Unfamiliar Contexts in Invigilated Exams 

• 500+ students
• First year
• High time required
• Conditions: Identity verified, Time limited

UQ has many purposes for assessment. We need to find the right mix of secure assessment to support our students' learning and to ensure the integrity of our degrees.

Download example assessment summaries with secure assessment (PDF, 114.8 KB) in courses from a range of disciplines.

Allowing AI in assessments shifts the focus of what is being evaluated. Rubrics should reflect these changes by assessing: 

• what new tasks students perform with AI (e.g., prompt creation, tool integration)
• what students no longer do manually (e.g., grammar correction or basic summarisation). 

Examples of rubric adjustments

Adding, removing or adapting criteria and standards related to:

• grammar and expression
• academic voice
• depth of personal insight and reflection
• use of specific rather than generic examples
• connection between evidence and arguments
• direct reference to class discussions and activities
• acknowledgement of complexity and nuance in a topic
• evidence of revision of ideas 
• the effective use of AI. 

Example Rubrics

• Research essay (qualitative rubric) (PDF, 44.9 KB)