Entry 14: BERT-Fueled Research on AI-Resilient Assessments

Date: June 20, 2025

Quotation: “Tasks targeting higher-order thinking are more resistant to AI automation.”
Reference:
Akbar, M. S. (2025). Beyond Detection: Designing AI-Resilient Assessments with Automated Feedback Tool to Foster Critical Thinking [Preprint]. arXiv. arxiv.org

Why I Included This:

I came across this definition while preparing material for the next term's unit on digital literacy. I had been gathering resources and trying to decide how to introduce the topic in a way that felt relevant. This simple quote made me pause. It captured something I hadn’t fully named before: that digital literacy is not just about using tools correctly. It’s about using them wisely.

That realization made me reflect on how I’ve been approaching technology in my own practice. I’ve often focused on making sure students know how to navigate platforms, upload assignments, or access resources. But I haven’t always taken the time to ask how they interpret digital content or what it means to express ideas online with clarity and integrity.

It also reminded me of Cartner and Hallas’ (2020) point that assessments should align with multiliteracies (visual, audio, spatial) not just text. This definition gave new weight to that idea. If students are constantly communicating in different modes outside of class, why would we assess them using only one?

This entry connects with what I explored in Entry 2 about flipped learning and in Entry 8 about the cognitive load of digital spaces. Both touched on how we ask students to engage with digital content but didn’t push me to think as critically as this quote did. Moving forward, I want to create assessments that invite students to reflect on the digital choices they make. Not just what they submit, but how and why.

As AI tools become more embedded in student workflows, the question isn’t only whether they use them, but how. If I want to support true digital literacy, I have to go beyond function and build space for judgment, creativity, and reflection.