S26 Reading Group Session 2 by

Rice Honor Code

2026-03-04 18:44:55 UTC

Is it still working for the university as a whole?

Learning today is different than when we were in school. So we need to adapt to the different circumstances.

2026-03-04 18:45:05 UTC

2026-03-04 18:45:32 UTC

Oral exams!

Rethinking course objectives

2026-03-04 18:46:09 UTC

I plan to revisit course objectives for the classes I teach and consider the role of AI and authenticity. It's important to align class deliverables with real world deliverables. I think I can do more here

Maximizing use of time in class. May need to close laptops.

2026-03-04 18:46:09 UTC

Assessment security and messaging

2026-03-04 18:46:23 UTC

If you’re going to implement a new assessment security strategy, and that strategy/policy change will be obvious to students, it’s important to have your philosophy straight. It is possible to have good reasons for assessment security, and it’s helpful for students to be aware of those good reasons

More low stakes skill acquisition

2026-03-04 18:46:28 UTC

I plan to assign more low stakes skill acquisition assignments to help students acquire mastery.

Integrating oral assessments

2026-03-04 18:46:32 UTC

Although it takes more time for the instructor, oral examinations seem like an effective method to combat AI use, improve attendance at office hours, and general interest in course content.

Value of liberal arts ed

2026-03-04 18:46:34 UTC

More important than ever to help students understand the value of what they’re doing and learning and why.

2026-03-04 18:46:41 UTC

Align learning objectives to use of AI, explicitly include feedback, and highlight the authenticity of assignments towards external goals. Some contingent of students will always attempt to circumvent the rules, and showing that this is less effecfive than learning remians difficult.

Consider how fundamental courses should be maintained and/or changed with AI out there

2026-03-04 18:46:42 UTC

Use of AI to support UDL

lc123_1 — 2026-03-04 18:46:50 UTC

For students that have challenges with time management, use AI to create a set of tasks with deadlines that align with the assignment. As an instructor, review the timeline and assist the student in determining the essential tasks for completion.

Oral exams might be impractical for all students in a large class, but perhaps for just those who perform poorly on an exam and want a revision opportunity?

2026-03-04 18:46:59 UTC

More flexible due dates

2026-03-04 18:47:03 UTC

I plan to implement the “best by” suggestion related to lower-stakes assignments. I also want to be mindful of the automated due dates on Canvas (like 11:59 pm) that often seem arbitrary. Flexible due dates allow for less pressure on students.

2026-03-04 18:47:08 UTC

Opportunity: Inviting students to brainstorm in class on paper and then work independently outside of class to flush out ideas.

AI and office hours

2026-03-04 18:47:14 UTC

One general trend we've noticed in recent years is a dip in the use of office hours/tutoring resources.

One plausible cause is the rise of the use of Generative AI to answer questions vs going to the instructor's office hours.

What are the pros and cons of using generative AI vs talking to your instructor, and how can we get our students to use both tools effectively?

Importance of human connection and interaction to learning

2026-03-04 18:47:15 UTC

Our discussion emphasized how instructors can cultivate a culture of integrity through intentional course design that maximizes extrinsic motivation from scaffolding to instructor presence to the value of office hours. We especially reflected on how to tie course content to learners’ long term personal and professional goals.

What are the limits?

2026-03-04 18:47:24 UTC

I think I do well at implementing the majority of these strategies but in doing so new issues seem to arise leading me to wonder what the limits are for strategy use. For example, I give students a lot of flexibility and choice but within that they will ask for more to an extent that is unfair to the remaining students. In some areas I can implement policies to ease this but it still feels like I give students an inch and they try to take a mile.

Strategy - grading variability

melbailar — 2026-03-04 18:47:28 UTC

Scaffold big projects

2026-03-04 18:47:33 UTC

In our group, we discussed how scaffolding bug projects could help mitigating cheating and I would like to try it in the near future. This will allow us to see students work in steps and gradually being created vs the entire work as a whole.

Importance of transparency

2026-03-04 18:47:52 UTC

Sharing with students the rationale behind assignments can help enhance their effectiveness and cultivate trust.

Student-Faculty Trust

2026-03-04 18:47:58 UTC

adjusting assignments to prevent cheating versus establishing classroom norms that promote trust

2026-03-04 18:48:00 UTC

Student-faculty trust. Trust in the classroom may depend on relative rates of violations of academic integrity. If 1% cheat it leads to a different dynamic than if 20% cheat.

2026-03-04 18:48:03 UTC

Are students entering institutions with a shared understanding and value of academic honesty?

2026-03-04 18:48:13 UTC

Motivating students by being explicit about the connection between work in class and future goals, as diverse as it may be. Understanding the cultures of disciplines and work environments is key in this trod of motivation.

AI at a Larger Scale

2026-03-04 18:48:13 UTC

A lingering thought that I shared with my colleagues was how do we address integrity in the age of GenAI when we want them to leave class with a series of foundational skills/knowledge.

This is at a dissonance when one of the objectives of higher education is to seek employment, where GenAI skills and literacy is being unequivocally promoted.

Derisking assignments to focus away from grades

2026-03-04 18:48:14 UTC

Structuring assignments to include more intermediate ‘checks’ or points for feedback may dissuade students from focusing on assignments simply for getting it done (risk of cheating) and incentivize students to truly learn the material.

Collaboration vs Independent Learning

2026-03-04 18:48:17 UTC

This was a great discussion at our table. I am going to work on being explicit in my directions on collaboration vs independent work and model the expectation. It is important to reinforce that the process is more valuable than the answer. Understanding the process allows you to transfer that knowledge to other areas.

Class Contract

2026-03-04 18:48:23 UTC

At the beginning of the semester, ask the class to create a contract for how we will behave in class, including AI use.

Give opportunities for revision

2026-03-04 18:48:32 UTC

Currently the largest component of the course grade are the midterms and final exam, which are high stakes. I think students would feel less pressure/ less motivation to cheat if they knew they would have a chance to revise/revisit the exam content and demonstrate further learning. An oral assessment would be ideal so that students can talk through their understanding, but difficult to implement in a large course…

Align expectations with assessments and rubrics

2026-03-04 18:48:33 UTC

I believe that we must make sure students know exactly why they are doing something. And help them see the relationship between assessments even if they seem clear to us.

2026-03-04 18:48:37 UTC

Giving choices in modes of assignments. Particularly oral exams

Invite honor council student to class

melbailar — 2026-03-04 18:48:40 UTC

scaffolding

2026-03-04 18:48:51 UTC

I plan to use the scaffolding recommendations in chapter 3 (p 83-87) for redesigning the pedagogy class I’m teaching next year (my syllabus already does this, but I find this articulation of the course design process the most helpful I’ve seen, so I’ll revise using it), and then I plan to assign this section and process to my students in that class as they plan their future course.

Impact of AI on Course Design

2026-03-04 18:49:32 UTC

When I am considering new course assignments, I first decide if it is something that a student is likely to complete simply by getting output from generative AI vs actually putting in the expected time and effort. Important to consider responsible use of AI that still facilitates critical thinking and learning that doesn’t just use it as a “shortcut”.

Scaffolding big projects

2026-03-04 18:50:17 UTC

I’ve had success doing this recently! Students have time in class to work on assignments. It helps with group time management. Quality is higher of assignments. Students are also more engaged.

Encourage students to diversify their courses/careers

2026-03-04 18:51:15 UTC

We talked about how students often feel significant, real pressures to do their degrees: finance, careers, caring for family, etc. Therefore they might have a narrow idea of how to achieve success, what success looks like, and how university serves those pathways. Those extrinsic motivators create conditions that encourage cheating.

Our group talked about encouraging students to think instead about adaptability and diverse interests as skills with which to navigate their career journeys. People often change careers a few times now, so preparing for one specific job might not be ideal. Plus there are often more ways to get that career than students are aware of! Learning self-awareness and adaptability help a lot (and make cheating less likely).