As generative artificial intelligence reshapes how students access, synthesize and produce information, educators across higher education must reexamine a foundational question: How do we design assessments that make learning visible?
To support that conversation, the University of Florida's Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE), the AI² Center and UFIT's Center for Instructional Technology and Training (CITT) launched Retooling Assessment: Making Learning Visible in an AI World, a year-long initiative that invites faculty to explore assessment practices that are authentic, learner-centered and responsive to an AI-enabled future.
While recent advances in AI accelerated discussion around academic integrity and evaluation, this campaign begins from a broader premise: many of the challenges surrounding assessment predate generative AI. Rather than viewing AI as the sole source of these challenges, this campus initiative positions the technology as a catalyst for critically examining assessment systems and redesigning them to better align with how students learn, demonstrate understanding and prepare for professional practice.
“We aim to alleviate some of the stress instructors may currently face,” said Heather Maness, assistant director of UF Information Technology’s Learning Analytics and Assessment. “This initiative invites the UF community to reconsider the purpose of assessment itself and the broader role of higher education in society. Rather than relying on inherited practices that can become compliance-focused, we're encouraging a purpose-driven approach that celebrates learning and helps students demonstrate the knowledge, abilities and skills they will need beyond the classroom.”
Reimagining Assessment for Contemporary Learning
Retooling Assessment programming moves beyond questions of detection and enforcement to focus on the deeper purposes of assessment, asking faculty to consider what evidence best demonstrates student learning, how assessments can foster engagement and reflection, and how instructional practices can prepare students to work effectively alongside emerging technologies.
“Many instructors are already incorporating opportunities for students to document their learning process, explain their reasoning and reflect on their decisions,” said Maness. “However, instructors must actively cultivate student buy-in to prevent students from dismissing these added process steps as tedious busywork. Through Retooling Assessment events, faculty can explore approaches that help students become more aware of how they learn and develop as self-regulated learners, shifting assessment to a mechanism of learning itself.”
Throughout the academic year, faculty can explore evidence-based approaches to assessment design, grading and feedback. Programming will examine transparent assignment design through Transparency in Learning and Teaching (TILT) principles, alternative grading models such as competency-based and standards-based approaches, authentic assessments that mirror professional practice, and feedback strategies that support student growth. Faculty also investigate AI literacy and develop approaches that help students use AI tools critically, ethically and effectively.
Multiple Pathways for Engagement
Retooling Assessment offers several opportunities for faculty to participate at a level that aligns with their interests and schedules.
Faculty looking for a focused introduction can join Teaching Sparks, short online sessions that highlight practical assessment strategies with immediate classroom applications. Those seeking ongoing professional development can explore an expanding collection of resources, guides, templates and podcast conversations featuring faculty experiences and emerging practices in assessment.
"These 30-minute virtual sessions are designed to introduce new ideas, spark curiosity, and provide practical strategies that faculty can immediately apply in their courses," said Jennifer Parker, faculty development coordinator with CTE. "While our longer workshops continue to be highly valued, Teaching Sparks offers an accessible way for faculty to engage with emerging trends and teaching innovations. Each session highlights UF-approved tools, evidence-based practices, and real-world examples that help faculty confidently integrate AI into their teaching."
Through Tech Bytes, workshops and conference sessions, participants examine topics such as AI-resilient assessment design, student-facing AI tools, assignment redesign and accessibility. These sessions combine practical guidance with opportunities for discussion and experimentation.
Faculty who want to engage more deeply can join a dedicated Reimagining Assessments Faculty Learning Community (FLC), led by Maness and AI² Faculty Fellow Michelle Farland. Working alongside colleagues from across the university, participants redesign assessments, test new approaches, share lessons learned and contribute resources that support teaching innovation throughout the UF community.
A Collaborative University Effort
Retooling Assessment brings together the expertise of the Center for Teaching Excellence, the AI² Center and UFIT's Center for Instructional Technology and Training to support faculty as they rethink, revise and strengthen their assessment practices. Whether an instructor redesigns a single assignment or undertakes a broader course transformation, the initiative provides access to the pedagogical, technological and AI expertise needed to support that work.
"As AI becomes increasingly embedded in workplaces and daily life, creating assessments that integrate these powerful tools rather than ban them becomes essential to prepare graduates to use these tools ethically, expertly, and applied to their disciplines," said Dr. Hans van Oostrom, director of the AI² Center.
At its core, Retooling Assessment represents a broader effort to align assessment with meaningful learning. By examining long-standing assumptions about how students demonstrate knowledge and by embracing new possibilities for authentic evaluation, faculty can make learning more visible while preparing students for a future in which human expertise and artificial intelligence increasingly work together.
Learn more about the initiative and upcoming programming: https://teach.ufl.edu/events-and-workshops-retooling-assessment