Transparency: Making AI Visible in Assessments

Transparency builds trust and academic integrity. When students clearly show how AI supported their work, teachers gain insight into both the process and the product. Here, students are asked to show how they used AI in their learning and assignments. This means recording their prompts, showing their outputs, and citing AI tools and contributions.

 
Transparency Strategies for Teachers

• Require students to document prompts they used with AI and append outputs from AI

• Have students cite AI contributions in their assignments (like any other reference to text).

• Add a “How AI helped me” reflection box in all assignments.

• Encourage students to note what was most helpful (and least helpful) from AI.

 

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Authorized Use: Setting Clear Boundaries for AI Use

Ambiguity is the enemy of fairness. Students need to know exactly when AI can and cannot be used. By defining this upfront, teachers protect against misuse and empower students to engage with AI purposefully and ethically. Here, teachers are asked to make clear to students when and how AI can be used in an assignment. Declaring this information in advance is now essential for any assignment or assessment.

Authorized Used Strategies for Teachers

• Include an “AI Usage Statement” in assignment instructions.

• Use rubrics that differentiate levels of AI-appropriate engagement.

• Give examples: AI may be used for brainstorming, but not for final analysis.

• Discuss AI Usage Statement and examples with students in advance of assignment.

 

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Originality: Moving Beyond Copy-Paste

True learning happens when students make AI-generated content their own—by critiquing it, extending it, and applying it to new situations. This is where deeper competencies and creativity emerge. Students must be clear that learning must extend beyond AI-generated content.

Originality Strategies for Teachers

• Ask students to personalize AI outputs with local, personal, or real-world connections.

• Design prompts that require evaluation and critique of AI-generated responses.

• Challenge students to improve on AI’s ideas by proposing alternatives.

• Have students document how their work is their own in a “How this Assignment is Original” reflection section.

 

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Why TAO Matters

By embedding Transparency, Authorized Use, and Originality into assessment design, teachers do more than regulate AI—they transform it into a powerful partner for learning, helping to support academic integrity, build students’ critical AI literacy, and unlock creativity and higher-order thinking. When applied well, TAO ensures that AI is not assessment shortcut, but a springboard for learning.

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Reference: 

DeLuca., C., Volante, L., & Holden, M. (in press). The AI3 Model: Future Directions for Artificial Intelligence, Assessment Innovation, and Academic Integrity in Education. Educational Researcher.  ​

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