Designing Assignments That Discourage “AI from Doing the Work”
Practical strategies to make student thinking visible and more difficult to outsource to AI
Require Process, Not Just Product
🙁 Less Effective
Write a 1000-word essay on climate change.
😀 More Effective
Students must submit:
✅ Research notes
✅ Annotated sources
✅ Planning document
✅ Rough draft
✅ Reflection
✅ Final product
✅ Short teacher conference
If AI was used, students explain how and where.
🪜 Why it works:
Students must demonstrate their thinking at multiple stages, making it harder to simply submit AI-generated work.
Incorporate Personal Experience
😟 Less Effective
Explain the theme of identity of the novel
😀 More Effective
Connect the theme of identity in the novel to a personal experience, a local community issue, or an event from your own life.
If AI was used, students explain how and where.
🤔 Why it works:
This requires authentic student thinking connected to their own lived and learned experience.
Include In-Class Components
😀Effective Examples
Handwritten planning
Concept maps
Class debates
Discussions
Peer conferences
Quick writes
Exit slips
🧐 Why it works:
These checkpoints provide evidence of student understanding before they complete larger assignments.
Ask Students to Defend Their Thinking
😀Effective Examples
Oral defense
Podcast interview
Teacher conference
Video explanation
One-minute reflection
✍️ PROMPT
Explain why you chose this approach and what evidence supports your position.
🧐 Why it works:
A student who understands the work can explain it.
Use Current, Local, or Context-Specific Tasks
😟 Less Effective
Describe challenges facing communities.
😀 More Effective
Analyze a current issue in the Comox Valley and propose a solution.
If AI was used, students explain how and where.
🤔 Why it works:
AI can assist, but students must apply local understanding.
Focus on Decision Making
🧐 Ask students to:
Compare options
Defend choices
Justify conclusions
Evaluate sources
🤔 Why it works:
AI can assist, but students must apply local understanding.
Use Multimodal Demonstrations
💡Allow students to demonstrate learning through:
Video
Presentation
Podcast
Infographic
Interview
Model
Demonstration
Create a choice board for students to choose from.
🤔 Why it works:
The emphasis shifts from producing text to demonstrating understanding.
📄 Downloadable Documents
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