Authentic Assessment in the ‘Age of AI’

Designing Interactive Orals for Higher Education

Workshop W5 – AA

Date: June 17
Time: 14:00 – 18:00

Artificial Intelligence (AI) represents perhaps the most significant contemporary challenge to emerge in education within the last five years (UNESCO, 2024). AI offers considerable potential to enhance learning, teaching and assessment, through the educationally-sound use of powerful applications.

However, while AI is opening up new horizons for education, it is also raising salient questions about the ethics and place of educational technology today. Furthermore, in this apparent, ‘Age of Artificiality’, how can we preserve, promote and celebrate authentic learning and understanding? Interactive Orals (IOs) have emerged to address the imperative for authenticity, representing an innovative, creative and dialogic approach to assessment, in response to the emerging ‘Age of AI’. IOs engage learners in real-world scenario discussions that enable them to demonstrate the learning they have achieved through deep and meaningful engagement with their discipline (Pearce & Chiavaroli, 2020; Sotiriadou et al., 2020; Ward et al., 2023).

This workshop will convene HEAd scholars who are interested in the effective educational design of Interactive Orals, and how IOs can be conceptualised and deployed to promote authenticity in assessment.

As well as exemplifying and sharing best practices in the design and use of IOs for assessment in higher education, this HEAd’25 workshop will also explore the appropriate use of Artificial Intelligence within IOs. An important design challenge at the heart of the workshop will be to explore if/how AI can be judiciously used in higher education assessment to support and promote authenticity.    

Goals & Objectives

  • Share best educational practices in the design and implementation of Interactive Orals in Higher Education
  • Explore and discuss ontologies and theories most relevant to the design of Interactive Orals
  • Exchange resources (designs, slides, rubrics, etc.) to promote the effective use of IOs in Higher Education
  • Promote authenticity and excellence in assessment in Higher Education internationally
  • Promote innovation in designing IOs for both small and large class sizes in HE
  • Identify best practice in participatory design and evaluation of IOs, with and for students
  • Initiate and develop a HEAd special interest group (SIG) in authentic assessment in Higher Education
  • Produce guidelines for how AI can potentially be used ethically within IOs
  • Produce a high-quality peer-reviewed publication: Authentic Assessment in the Age of AI: Designing Interactive Orals for Higher Educationas either a book/monograph or journal article/special issue

Call for papers

Proposals are invited for a workshop that will explore the design of Interactive Orals (IOs) in Higher Education. Interactive Orals (IOs) have emerged to address the imperative for authenticity in HE assessment, representing an innovative, creative and dialogic approach to assessment, in response to the emerging ‘Age of AI’. IOs engage learners in real-world scenario discussions that enable them to demonstrate the learning they have achieved through deep and meaningful engagement with their discipline.

This workshop will convene HEAd scholars who are interested in effective educational design of Interactive Orals, and how IOs can be conceptualised and deployed to promote authenticity in assessment.

As well as exemplifying and sharing best practices in the design and use of IOs for assessment in higher education, this HEAd’25 workshop will also explore the appropriate use of Artificial Intelligence within IOs, and how AI might be judiciously used in higher education assessment to support and promote authenticity.

Submissions are sought that address the theme of the workshop, which will be hands-on and highly participatory. Successful submissions should align with the focus of the workshop, particularly in terms of designing IOs as an authentic form of assessment in Higher Education. Submissions should take the form of a max. 2-page proposal that outlines the background and experience of participants and also how they can contribute to the workshop. Experience in IOs is preferable but not mandatory.

Upon completion of this workshop, participants will have an extensive understanding of how to design and deploy Interactive Orals as an authentic assessment in Higher Education. Participants will have the opportunity to co-design an IO with international colleagues, and co-present as part of a PechaKucha. Participants will be invited to contribute to a peer-reviewed international publication:Authentic Assessment in the ‘Age of AI’: Designing Interactive Orals for Higher Education.

Agenda

  1. Workshop Introduction, Overview and Ice-Breaker Activity
  2. Interactive Orals in Higher Education: Two Case Studies
  3. IO Design Challenge: Participants are divided into 4 groups, each focusing on the design of an inspiring IO that includes: (1) a compelling scenario; (2) relevant Higher Education concepts and theories; (3) how AI can be ethically and effectively used in the IO; and (4) how the IO will be organised and evaluated with students.
  4. PechaKucha: Each group presents their IO design
  5. Closing plenary, including workshop follow-up

Organisers

Prof Tony Hall, PhD (Educational Technology), is a Professor of Education in the School of Education, University of Galway and Director of Educational Design Research for Designing Futures, University of Galway. He is an educational designer and technologist with over twenty years’ experience in initial teacher education and higher education research and teaching. He is widely published in education, educational design and technology, including the Best Paper Award at HEAd’24.

Karen Buckley is an Assistant Professor in the School of Inclusive and Special Education at the Institute of Education, Dublin City University. An advocate for inclusive practice, her work focuses on advancing equitable and innovative approaches to teaching, learning, and assessment in higher education. Karen’s research centres on inclusive pedagogy, with a particular interest in creating meaningful educational experiences that cater to all learner needs. Currently pursuing her Doctorate at Maynooth University, Karen’s research explores the intersections of teacher education, professional identity, and development, examining how educators’ evolving identities shape their teaching practices and professional growth. With extensive experience in teacher education, she has contributed to a range of Initial Teacher Education and postgraduate programmes, preparing educators across primary, post-primary, further, and higher education contexts. Through her research, teaching, and advocacy, Karen is committed to fostering equality, diversity, and inclusion within education, empowering educators to adopt practices that support all learners in achieving their full potential. Her expertise also extends to curriculum design, Universal Design for Learning, and reflective practice, aligning her work with national and international initiatives to enhance accessibility and inclusivity in education.

Prof Michelle Millar, PhD, is a Professor of Political Science & Sociology at the University of Galway, Ireland. She is currently Head of School of Political Science and Sociology and has previously acted as Dean of Students and Head of School. She is a Senior Research Fellow at the UNESCO Child and Family Research Centre and has acted as Principal Investigator on several funded research projects.  Michelle is currently the Programme Lead for Designing Futures programme at the University of Galway. Michelle was a recipient of the Best Paper Award at HEAd’24.

Proceedings

A core academic output of the workshop at the Conference will be to produce a high-quality peer-reviewed publication: Authentic Assessment in the Age of AI: Designing Interactive Orals for Higher Education as either a book/monograph or journal article/special issue.

Important dates

Submission Deadline (max. 2-page proposal): 14th March 2025
Acceptance Notification: 3rd April 2025
Workshops: 17th June 2025

For more information: tony.hall@universityofgalway.ie

Submission: sent to:tony.hall@universityofgalway.ie, and in copy to: karen.buckley@dcu.ie and michelle.millar@universityofgalway.ie   

References

Pearce, J. & Chiavaroli, N.  (2020). ‘Prompting Candidates in Oral Assessment Contexts: A Taxonomy and Guiding Principles’, Journal of Medical Education and Curricular Development, Volume 7: 1-4, https://doi.org/10.1177/2382120520948881

Sotiriadou, P., Logan, D.,  Daly, A. & Guest, R. (2020) ‘The role of authentic assessment to preserve academic integrity and promote skill development and employability’, Studies in Higher Education, 45:11, 2132-2148, https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2019.1582015

UNESCO. (2024). Artificial intelligence in education. Available at: https://www.unesco.org/en/digital-education/artificial-intelligence. Last accessed: 10th January 2025.

Ward, M., O’Riordan, F., Logan-Fleming, D., Cooke, D., Concannon-Gibney, T., , M. & Watkins, N. (2023) Interactive oral assessment case studies: An innovative, academically rigorous, authentic assessment approach, Innovations in Education and Teaching International, DOI: 10.1080/14703297.2023.2251967

Partners

Funder