Assessment design
Verification-based assessment
AI has made me reconsider what a finished assignment tells me. I have been building assessment around the explanations, tests, revisions, and defenses that help a teacher judge the understanding behind it.
Individual verification checks in Intro Java
Projects and code defenses in Intro Java
THE CHALLENGE
A correct answer is only part of the evidence.
Generative AI makes it easier to produce polished work without working through the underlying ideas. A finished program still matters, but it cannot carry the entire assessment. Students need ways to show how they reason about the work.
The approach
Explain, verify, modify, transfer, defend
I ask students to explain a solution, verify it against evidence, modify it, transfer an idea to a different problem, and defend their decisions. A teacher can choose an appropriate check for the task. The aim is to collect evidence that a finished answer does not provide on its own.
In practice
A condition that works once may still be wrong
In the current Mathematical Foundations course, students audit a Boolean access rule, identify a failing input, compare all possible input cases, and repair the Java logic. They then explain what the check establishes. In introductory Java, output prediction, edge cases, and code defenses serve the same purpose: giving the teacher evidence of how a student reasons about the program.
EVIDENCE
Built into the course, then shared with the profession.
The current introductory Java syllabus allocates 25% to individual Verification Checks and 35% to Projects and Code Defenses. I also described this approach in CSTA’s The Voice in September 2026. These are examples of implementation and professional contribution; I am still developing the approach as AI changes.
For faculty
Make verification part of assignment design
A useful starting point is to choose one decision in an assignment that a student should be able to explain. A changed condition, an unexpected input, or a short defense can reveal how the student is reasoning. Students need practice with these checks, and written or spoken explanations can keep the focus on understanding.