Abstract:

Over the past few decades, various Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) innovations have significantly impacted teaching and learning in higher education. Over the years, the adoption of a range of disruptive technologies such as Personal Computers (the 1980s), the Internet revolution (early 1990s), Learning Management Systems (LMS) (early 2000s), and the wide spread of smart devices usage (2010s) have significantly changed the way higher education institutes design, develop, assess and deliver their programmes. The recent Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) technologies are yet other disruptive technologies that education institutes must adapt to. The literature review conducted on the use of AI in education suggests that the critical challenge academic institutes face is the impact of AI on assessment practices rather than on supporting learning.

This qualitative study aims to provide insight into the current AI uses in assessments in eight leading educational institutes in New Zealand. The paper will review and report on various academic integrity policies and procedures of these institutes. The study will compare and contrast the data collected from the targeted higher education institutes' policies and procedures concerning this disruptive technology.
The results reveal a lack of consensus among higher education providers studied regarding endorsing AI in student assessment practices. Four of the eight institutes studied had no explicit permission or prevention of using AI in their academic integrity policies and procedures; they left the decision to lecturers. On the other hand, three providers in New Zealand see using AI tools as a risk to assessment integrity because students who use these tools will not achieve the learning outcomes set. As a result, these providers explicitly prevent the use of AI in assessments and regard their use as a breach of academic integrity. The results also indicate that a single higher education in New Zealand encouraged their students to use AI tools, noting the importance of this technology in course delivery and assessments. The provider was the only one among the leading New Zealand tertiary education institutes to embrace AI at this stage.
What previous disruptive technologies in education showed us, these technologies are here to stay, as students will use them regardless of the decisions made by the academic institutes. Therefore, higher education institutes must reimagine how students will be assessed while embracing the use of AI in learning activities. While transitioning into the inevitable use of AI in the academic environment (for learning and assessments), we call for developing an assessment risk to academic integrity model in light of AI to guide educators on the validity of using the current assessment instruments.

The findings of this paper will interest educators, researchers, and academic administrators.

Keywords:

Disruptive Technology, Higher Education, Artificial Intelligence, AI.