2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

The role of assessments in higher education is pivotal for evaluating student learning, encouraging critical thinking, and preparing learners for real-world challenges. Traditional assessment methods, such as exams and essays, have long been central to educational evaluation. However, the rise of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools like ChatGPT has disrupted this landscape, offering students unprecedented capabilities to generate content, simplify concepts, and automate problem-solving. While these tools hold potential to enhance learning, they also pose significant challenges to academic integrity and the validity of traditional assessments. This study explores the redesign of assessments to address these challenges, focusing on scaffolded, multimodal, and real-time formats. Drawing from a graduate-level course in Machine Learning, the research examines student perceptions of traditional and redesigned assessments, their engagement levels, and the role of GenAI. A mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative and qualitative data, was employed to analyze feedback from 12 students as a preliminary study. Results indicate that redesigned assessments, particularly scaffolded projects, are more engaging and effective in promoting critical thinking and real-world application compared to traditional methods. Students also recognized GenAI as both a valuable learning tool and a potential risk to academic integrity. These findings contribute to the ongoing discourse on adapting higher education to the challenges and opportunities presented by GenAI, ensuring assessments remain relevant and effective in fostering meaningful learning outcomes.