AI marking means uni assessments could theoretically never be read by a human. What now?
AI marking has been around a long time. But it’s not the tech causing outcry – it’s what happens now that it’s readily available.
Concerns about artificial intelligence (AI) marking in university assessments have emerged, with some predicting a future where AI could mark papers without human intervention. However, this scenario is not yet a reality. AI marking has been commercially available since at least 1998, with educational publisher Pearson reporting the use of such systems to score 39 million responses, including essays and equations.
How AI marking operates is by using predictive algorithms to compare the patterns of a student's work against extensive datasets. The accuracy of AI in this process is still debated, as evidenced by a study conducted by the University of Melbourne and Cardiff University. The research found that while AI could align with human markers' scores overall, it was not reliable for individual marking criteria.
Despite these concerns, universities are cautiously adopting AI marking. Policies generally emphasize the need for human oversight and prohibit the upload of university data into openly available AI models, due to privacy regulations. Universities also stress that teachers remain responsible for their assessments, even when using AI.
The impact of AI marking on student-teacher relationships is another area of concern. Research suggests that students may rely too heavily on AI for feedback, potentially distancing themselves from their teachers. This could hinder valuable personal interactions that foster a sense of learning and growth. Additionally, the widespread focus on grading reforms often overlooks the importance of meaningful feedback, which AI has yet to adequately replace.
Written by urgent.news from The Conversation AU's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
