On Tuesday 03 February and Thursday 12 February, the Centre of Expertise on Learning and Teaching (CELT) organised two “Exchange and Inspiration Sessions” on AI literacy and AI-resilient assessment.
The aim of the events was to share and connect experiences and examples of adapting teaching and assessment methods in times of AI. With 12 teachers presenting examples from across UT faculties, over 80 sign-ups, a full room on both days, and many more people already on a waiting list for a new edition, the events exceeded expectations. They were inspiring not only for educational practice, but also in creating a sense of community around the challenges we face in our education.
In this post, we share the key takeaways from the sessions, information on how to read more about the examples, and follow-up opportunities organised by CELT in case you missed the events or would like to explore specific AI-related topics further.
Key Takeaways
On teaching AI literacy to students
- The need to provide UT students with AI literacy is now clear. Teachers observe negative effects on the learning process when AI is used irresponsibly and highlight the importance of preparing students for the requirements of changing workplaces.
- AI literacy is not just about teaching students how to operate tools. Teachers emphasise that the key objective is to cultivate a critical attitude towards AI and enable graduates to make informed decisions about the design, use, implementation, and governance of this technology in their respective future professions—very much in line with UT’s identity as a people-first university of technology.
- Programmes are increasingly integrating AI literacy, mostly through mandatory workshops or isolated activities in selected courses. However, more coordination is needed to clarify which elements of AI literacy are taught and how they are integrated into the curriculum—ultimately to ensure the systematic development of AI literacy and proper pedagogical scaffolding.
- Teachers highlighted that the lack of basic AI literacy training for teachers is a concern. Many feel ill-prepared to teach AI literacy and to make pedagogical decisions about how AI affects their courses. At the same time, teachers reported positive experiences in developing their own AI literacy by designing interventions in their courses. CELT’s AI in Education Resource Hub was seen as helpful for getting started, thanks to the many resources and examples it provides.
On making UT assessments AI-resilient
- There is now a shared understanding that banning AI from take-home assignments is unrealistic. As a result, programmes and teachers are increasingly shifting towards designing assessments that are “AI-resilient.”
- AI-resilient assessment includes in-person testing in AI-free environments (exams, MS, oral exams, demonstrations, etc.), as well as complementing take-home assignments with process-focused assessment and oral defences. These methods may not sound revolutionary, but the key lies in adapting them to specific educational contexts. We heard about many creative solutions, such as using timelapses of the development process, replacing take-home assignments with in-class case analyses, and organising consensus-building sessions instead of presentations. Presenters showed how methods can be adapted to create AI-resilient and feasible assessments across disciplines and group sizes.
- The presentations also revealed several additional benefits of redesigning assessments for AI resilience: more engaged classrooms, greater attention to the learning process rather than only the final product, better alignment between assessment tasks and learning objectives, and a stronger focus on higher-level learning instead of recall and routine production. Last but not least, teachers reported that these forms of assessment were much more fun than traditional presentations and (AI-generated) take-home assignments.
Overall, while acknowledging the many challenges AI brings, the discussions helped frame AI as a positive opportunity to further strengthen our education. It offers a chance to make learning a more meaningful growth experience for students and to enhance our university’s contribution to addressing societal challenges through education.
And now what?
If you would like to learn more about the examples presented in the sessions, visit the CELT Resource Hub on AI in Education, especially the sections on Teaching AI Literacy and Designing AI-Resilient Assessments, where we have uploaded the presented examples.
If you missed the sessions, or enjoyed them so much that you would like to join again 😊, you can join the waiting list for a repeat of the events with different speakers. Enter your email in this form to directly receive an invitation once we plan the events again.
Through the same form, you can also sign up for other upcoming initiatives, including a UT AI in Education Community and a pilot course for teachers on how to use AI ‘as a teaching assistant’ to simplify their work.
If your teaching team is struggling to adjust curriculum, educational design, or assessment methods in response to AI, contact Francesca Frittella (f.m.frittella@utwente.nl) to arrange consultations or workshops.
