Neutralizing the Threat of Technology

A Practical Guide for Re-Evaluating Assessments to Maintain Academic Integrity

Abstract

Technology, particularly generative artificial intelligence, poses ostensible “threats” to higher education, especially to learning outcomes and academic integrity. What is presented here is a “toolkit” that integrates four grounding concepts, cognitive offloading, automaticity, authentic assessment, and evaluative judgment, which seeks to provide educators with a foundation to consider the value of current assessments or a jumping off point for new assessment creation. Following this, four “filters” or consideration frameworks are presented to help neutralize the “threat” to assessments. They are Abandon to neutralize, Monitor to neutralize, and Enhance & Adopt to neutralize. Each filter encourages educators to consider certain questions and contexts as a means of supporting them as they explore the value of their current assessments and determine how best they want to move forward in the wake of ubiquitous technology.