Evaluating the Integration of Generative AI in ICT Higher Education: Aligning University Practices with TEQSA Principles for Effective and Ethical Assessment

Start year: 2024

Summary: The integration of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) in higher education, particularly within ICT disciplines, presents significant challenges as traditional assessments become less effective. This project examines how Australian universities are integrating AI into ICT assessments, ensuring alignment with the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency’s (TEQSA) core principles: ethical engagement (Principle 1) and reliable, trustworthy assessments (Principle 2). The research evaluates current ICT assessment methods in light of AI integration, exploring how AI tools can enhance student learning while maintaining academic integrity. Through case studies, surveys, and interviews with educators and students, the project aims to balance AI-supported learning with assessments that accurately reflect student competencies. It focuses on formative and summative evaluations, analysing AI’s role in open-book and proctored assessments, and addressing challenges related to academic integrity. Expected outcomes include strategies for using AI to improve learning outcomes while upholding ethical standards. The project will recommend best practices for AI-supported and traditional assessments that align with TEQSA’s principles and address the evolving needs of ICT education. By identifying best practices and areas for improvement, the research will guide universities in responsibly integrating AI, ensuring that AI tools enhance rather than compromise the integrity of academic evaluations and prepare ICT students for the ethical and technical demands of their future careers.

Acknowledgement of Country

UTS acknowledges the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation, the Boorooberongal people of the Dharug Nation, the Bidiagal people and the Gamaygal people, upon whose ancestral lands our university stands. We would also like to pay respect to the Elders both past and present, acknowledging them as the traditional custodians of knowledge for these lands.