Don’t Think We Need to Change the Way We Assess Students? Meet Answer AI
I came across a new AI-powered tool yesterday called Answer AI and it reminded me yet again that teachers need to immediately reconsider the way they assess their students knowledge and understanding. Answer AI essentially allows students to take a picture of their homework assignment or quiz, and the AI-assistant completes the assignment for them. That means if you give your students a quiz using Google Forms, Quizziz, or the quiz functionality of the LMS that your school uses, students can complete the quiz with zero mistakes (provided that the assessment content is publicly available knowledge) by either copying and pasting the content of the quiz or taking a picture of it. Answer AI is available as either a FREE Chrome browser extension OR an iOS or Android app for mobile devices. These are the features that are available to students when using this app:
Provide step-by-step solution, AI chats and video explanations
Assist in writing&reading on any webpage
Help summarize key points from articles efficiently
Offer flashcards and mock practice exams
Scary? Absolutely. An inflection point for how we assess our students and ensure that they actually comprehend the subject matter being tested? Absolutely. Here is their promo video:
So is it time to simply give up on student assessment? There are already 5 million users of this tool, and my guess is that the VAST majority of them are students. The answer is definitely NO. Is it time to CHANGE the ways that we assess students? Absolutely. Luckily for music educators, AI can’t play an instrument for a student, or sing for them. Yet. As music educators we are constantly assessing our students - both formatively (during lessons and rehearsals) and summatively (performances, auditions and exams). But we also give quizzes and tests - often in the general music or music theory classroom environment, as well as online courses. Here are ten tips to avoid having your students use AI-powered tools like Answer AI:
Live Performance Assessments: Schedule regular in-class or live performances where students play their instruments or sing in front of the class or an audience.
Creative Projects: Have your students compose using either notation or digital audio workstation software based on specific criteria. Guide them through the creative process and meet with them regularly to provide feedback.
Portfolio Building: Have students maintain a portfolio of their work, including recordings, written reflections, and progress notes.
Rubric-Based Grading: Create detailed rubrics that focus on specific skills (intonation, rhythm, dynamics, etc.) and use them consistently to grade student performances.
Easter Egg Questions: I do this all the time. Ask a silly question based on something that happened during a class that AI would have no idea about. For example, ask the students a question about you - perhaps something as simple as “What instrument does Dr. Frankel play?” AI will be stumped.
Self-Assessment and Reflection: Encourage students to complete self-assessments after their performances, focusing on what they did well and what they can improve. Replace written assessments with these types of reflections. You might find that you glean WAY more information about your students.
In-Class Quizzes and Exams: Administer written tests on music theory, ear training, and musicianship while students are in class so that you can monitor their activity.
Sight-Reading Exercises: Incorporate regular sight-reading exercises in class. Evaluate students on their ability to read and interpret new music on the spot.
Individual Lesson Check-ins: Use one-on-one lessons to assess each student’s progress. This setting allows for more personalized feedback and attention to specific areas of improvement.
Concert Participation and Critique: After concerts or public performances, ask students to critique their own and others' performances based on musical elements discussed in class. This provides insight into their listening and evaluative skills.
You are probably doing all of these things already. My point about tools like Answer AI is that the old-school methods of assessment should be retired or completely rethought. If free technology allows students to complete those assessments with little or no effort, what is the point of administering them?
As far as the pricing of Answer AI is concerned, they do use a freemium model. The free version, which I am sure is what most students use, allows for a limited number of queries per day, both copy and pasted as well as scanning them in using a phone. It also has ads. The premium version allows unlimited questions and scans, as well as the ability to upload PDFs - which is huge.
I hope you find this article useful rather than completely frightening. At the moment, educators are trying to catch up to AI- technology, but like with everything else, these new technologies will change the way we do things. The way we teach, the way we interact with our students and parents, and the way that we assess them.