AI in tests and assignments
AI is increasingly influencing how educational institutions design assessments and assignments. The Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) at VISTA College has developed a coherent set of tools for this purpose, which can be found on the website “AI in assessments and assignments”. Various resources are made available there, such as the AI assessment poster, the AI-proof assessment cards and the AI guide.
The core of this approach is that the question shifts from “is AI allowed or not?” to more fundamental design questions. What does the learner need to learn? What exactly do we want to assess? What role does AI now play in professional practice? And how do we design education and assessment so that learning, thinking and actions remain visible?
The AI assessment poster forms the starting point. It categorises assessment types according to risk. For low-risk assessments, such as live professional tasks, oral examinations and supervised knowledge tests, usually only limited adjustments are needed. For medium-risk assessments, such as presentations and audiovisual assignments, VISTA College advises, for example, adding an oral defence, requiring students to justify their use of AI, and working with unique cases. For high-risk assessments, such as reflective reports, digital professional products and portfolios, the emphasis is on process evidence, multiple feedback moments, work logs and supervised assessment.
The poster also contains a five-step plan. Teachers first analyse whether AI can generate the answer, then determine whether AI is a tool or a risk, next choose an appropriate assessment strategy, incorporate AI use into the assessment, and discuss this explicitly with learners.
The AI-proof assessment cards deepen this approach for each assessment type. The same principle recurs: do not only assess the final product, but also the learning process. Ask students to explain their choices, combine assessment types where necessary with oral explanation, observation, peer feedback or logs, and make AI use part of the conversation.
The AI guide then helps to make clear agreements about what is and is not permitted in an assignment or assessment. Additionally, VISTA College offers the GPT “AI in Assessment Coach”, which supports teachers step by step in analysing AI risks and making well-founded choices. For official examination products, coordination with the exam supplier and examination board remains necessary.