Arabic version: جامعة تسمانيا توسّع التقييمات الخاضعة للإشراف لمعالجة استخدام الذكاء الاصطناعي

According to ABC News, the University of Tasmania will increase in-person and supervised assessments in some courses under a new standard intended to show that students have met key learning outcomes. The initiative responds to concerns that extensive artificial intelligence use could weaken confidence in university degrees.

The standard was co-developed by UTAS and human-certification company Proudly Human. Courses will need to demonstrate to external auditors that they have an appropriate balance of in-person and unsupervised assessment, while showing students have completed required learning outcomes. Independent audits are expected to take place once or twice a year.

UTAS pro vice-chancellor Luke Bereznicki said the university needed to consider carefully whether assessments were conducted in person or online. He said secure conditions would focus on confirming a student’s identity, authorship and observation while work is completed, so students could not rely on AI to complete assignments.

Proudly Human founder Alan Finkel said the university would determine assessment methods, but in-person options were preferred. Examples of secure assessment conditions included writing an essay in class, giving an oral defence and sitting a supervised exam. Where assessments are online, the university must be able to demonstrate that procedures ensure students complete work authentically.

Tasmanian University Student Association president Jack Oates Pryor said some students were concerned about how industry might view the quality of degrees when students graduate. Deakin University education professor Thomas Corbin said institutions increasingly needed standards for AI and assessment, including to demonstrate that graduates can do or know what their degrees certify. The University of Sydney introduced a similar two-lane assessment approach in 2024.