42. Blending Tradition and Innovation: Evaluating Graduate Student Learning with Traditional Oral Exams and Generative AI Assignments- 2025 LEC Teaching and Learning Conference

How can we ensure that assessment practices remain human-centered, innovative, and pedagogically sound in an era where the use of generative AI is ubiquitous and not always ethical? This session explores an approach to evaluating knowledge and skills in an online graduate-level Educational Leadership course for practicing teachers. By combining traditional assignments—such as oral final exams—with generative AI-enhanced tasks like AI-assisted projects, the course aims to foster both critical thinking and digital fluency.

Rooted in adult learning theory, this approach views assessment as opportunities to promote learning. Through these opportunities, human insight and technological tools are combined and balanced. Participants will examine how this model proposes sound assessment of learning by promoting ethical and critical use of technology. The session will also address practical considerations and challenges such as synchronous oral exam scheduling and the design of assessments that integrate generative AI to help assess skills and promote metacognition.

Other topics, such as the changing role of educators in the era of generative AI will also be discussed. This session invites educators to consider how thoughtful integration of generative AI and traditional assessment methods can support the human dimensions of teaching and assessing.