Chitra SABAPATHY
Centre for English Language Communication (CELC)
Sabapathy, C. (2023). Unessay—Gateway to future higher education (HE) assessments in an AI world? [Paper presentation]. In Higher Education Campus Conference (HECC) 2023, 7 December, National University of Singapore. https://blog.nus.edu.sg/hecc2023proceedings/unessay-gateway-to-future-higher-education-he-assessments-in-an-ai-world/
SUB-THEME
AI and Education
KEYWORDS
Unessay, higher education, AI, student autonomy, multimedia, oral communication
CATEGORY
Paper Presentation
ABSTRACT
The rapid advancement of generative artificial intelligence (AI) has caused educators to find that their assessments (e.g., Kung et al., 2022) and pedagogies are vulnerable to them. However, it is important to recognise that AI should not solely be viewed from the perspective of facilitating cheating, particularly since tools like ChatGPT have become integrated into students’ lives. Instead of focusing on prohibitions or strictly monitoring for academic dishonesty, it would be beneficial to explore ways to embrace and utilise these technologies in education (Dawson, 2020) and design assessments that could represent “future realities” of respective disciplines. This presentation highlights the potential benefits of adopting “unessay” as an alternative pedagogical approach in higher education. Unessay offers students a degree of freedom, necessitates ownership, fuels passion (Jakopak et al.,2019), creativity, critical thinking, interdisciplinary understanding in which individuals articulate their ideas, beliefs, and identities. Students are afforded the autonomy to select their own topic within a specific subject area and determine their preferred method of presentation, provided that it is both captivating and impactful (O’Donnel, 2012). By granting students autonomy, fostering creativity, and encouraging critical thinking beyond conventional academic norms, unessay not only equips them with the essential skills required to navigate an AI-driven future but also offers them the freedom to explore alternative modes of expression (Nave, 2021). This approach engenders motivation and investment in their academic work. It also compels students to consider the intended audience, choose appropriate rhetorical strategies, and synthesise information effectively. This is evidenced in previous studies, such as how students used unessay in unique ways in history classes (Guiliano, 2022; Irwin, 2022; Neuhaus, 2022), histology of organ cells (Wood and Stringham, 2022), computer programming (Aycock et al., 2019), writing (Jakopak et al.,2019 and Sullivan, 2015), and applied cognitive psychology (Goodman, 2022). In CS2101 “Effective Communication for Computing Professionals”, the assignment task encouraged students to apply Gibb’s Reflective Cycle, involving describing unique experiences, reflecting on feelings, evaluating and analysing those experiences, and concluding with a future plan. This assignment departed from traditional written reflection essays, allowing students to use AI and innovative multimedia formats such as videos, podcasts, and infographics to express their insights and learning. Drawing from the implementation of the “unessay” strategy, its effectiveness as a teaching approach was assessed through an anonymous end-course survey. This survey incorporated both quantitative and qualitative feedback gathered from approximately 50 students who were enrolled in the course as well as tutors who taught on the course. The data provided insights as to how students engaged with the “unessay” strategy and what their perceptions of its effectiveness were, and the tutors’ perceptions of using this strategy in the course. This presentation aims to facilitate discussions and reflections on the unessay concept and how this could be integrated into higher education (HE) assessment, serving as a potential gateway to a more diverse and inclusive assessment framework.
REFERENCES
Aycock, J., Wright, H., Hildebrandt, J., Kenny, D., Lefebvre, N., Lin, M., Mamaclay, M., Sayson, S., Stewart, A., & Yuen, A. (2019). Adapting the “Unessay” for use in computer science. Proceedings of the 24th Western Canadian Conference on Computing Education, 1–6.
Dawson, P. (2020). Cognitive offloading and assessment. In M. Bearman, P. Dawson, R. Ajjawi, J. Tai, & D. Boud (Eds.), Re-imagining University Assessment in a Digital World (pp. 37-48). Springer International Publishing.
Goodman, S. G. (2022). Just as long as it’s not an essay: The unessay as a tool for engagement in a cognitive psychology course. Teaching of Psychology, 0(0), 1–5. https://doi.org/10.1177/00986283221110542
Guiliano, J. (2022). The unessay as native-centered history and pedagogy. Teaching History: A Journal of Methods, 47(1), 6-12. https://doi.org/10.33043/TH.47.1.6-12
Irwin, R. (2022). The un-essay, and teaching in a time of monsters. Teaching History: A Journal of Methods, 47(1), 13-25. https://doi.org/10.33043/TH.47.1.13-25
Jakopak, R. P., Monteith, K. L., & Merkle, B. G. (2019). Writing science: Improving understanding and communication skills with the “unessay.” Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America, 100(4), 1–5. https://doi.org/10.1002/bes2.1610
O’Donnel, D. P. (2012, September 4). The unessay. Daniel Paul O’Donnell. http://people.uleth.ca/~daniel.odonnell/Teaching/the-unessay
Nave, L. (2021). Universal design for learning UDL in online environments: The HOW of learning. Journal of Developmental Education, 44(3), 34-35. http://www.jstor.org/stable/45381118
Neuhaus, J. (2022). Introduction to the Fall 2022 Special Issue: Using the unessay to teach history. Teaching History: A Journal of Methods, 47(1), 2- 5. https://doi.org/10.33043/TH.47.1.2-5
Sullivan, P. (2015). The UnEssay: Making room for creativity in the composition classroom. College Composition and Communication, 67(1), 6-34. http://www.jstor.org/stable/24633867
Wood, J. L., & Stringham, N. (2022). The UnEssay project as an enriching alternative to practical exams in pre-professional and graduate education. Journal of Biological Education. Informa UK Limited, 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1080/00219266.2022.2047098
