New global report suggests student assessments could be improved with the use of AI – EdTech Innovation Hub

Report on AI’s Impact on Higher Education and its Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals

Transforming Educational Assessments for SDG 4 (Quality Education)

The integration of Artificial Intelligence into higher education necessitates a fundamental re-evaluation of assessment methodologies to uphold and advance SDG 4. The objective is to ensure inclusive, equitable, and quality education by adapting learning frameworks to the technological landscape.

• A significant majority of educators, 54 percent, have concluded that current assessment practices require substantial modification in the age of AI.
• One in two faculty members recommends that academic assignments be redesigned to be inherently resistant to circumvention by AI tools, thereby safeguarding learning integrity.
• A new report offers a framework to ensure assessments contribute to lifelong learning opportunities and the acquisition of relevant skills for employment, directly supporting SDG Target 4.4.
• Educators are seeking immediate, practical changes to teaching and assessment to address the current presence of AI in the classroom, aligning with the need to provide all learners with the knowledge and skills for sustainable development (SDG Target 4.7).

Bridging the Skills Gap for SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth)

A primary focus of educational reform is to prepare students for a workforce increasingly shaped by AI, thereby contributing to SDG 8 by promoting full and productive employment and decent work for all.

1. Enhancing Assessments for Workforce Readiness: The report details 14 methodologies for educators to reimagine projects and exams, simulating the collaborative and decision-making environments students will encounter professionally.
2. Building Verifiable Proficiency: The framework is designed to help students build and demonstrate the AI fluency required to enter the workforce, a key step in promoting sustainable economic growth.
3. Closing the Global Skills Gap: By aligning educational outcomes with employer demands in the AI era, these initiatives directly address the global skills gap, supporting SDG Target 8.6, which aims to reduce the proportion of youth not in employment, education, or training.

Fostering Innovation in Line with SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure)

The proliferation of AI is a catalyst for innovation across industries, reflecting the principles of SDG 9, which encourages building resilient infrastructure, promoting inclusive and sustainable industrialization, and fostering innovation.

• AI tools are revolutionizing sectors such as retail by personalizing customer experiences and optimizing inventory, which promotes efficiency and supports sustainable production patterns.
• The establishment of awards recognizing AI in retail celebrates global technology innovation and its benefits for retailers, shoppers, and employees, encouraging the enhancement of technological capabilities (SDG Target 9.5).
• The focus for 2025 is on embedding AI into core business processes, moving it from a hyped technology to a practical tool for driving efficiency and innovation in all areas of commerce.

SDGs Addressed in the Article

1. SDG 4: Quality Education
2. SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
3. SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure

Specific SDG Targets Identified

1. SDG 4: Quality Education

   • Target 4.4: By 2030, substantially increase the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills, for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship.
     
     Explanation: The article directly addresses this target by focusing on the need to transform higher education to provide students with “workplace-ready AI fluency.” It highlights a report aimed at helping educators create assessments that “simulate the types of decisions and collaborations students will face in the workplace,” with the explicit goal to “close the global skills gap.”

2. SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

   • Target 8.2: Achieve higher levels of economic productivity through diversification, technological upgrading and innovation.
     
     Explanation: The article discusses how AI tools are driving a “digital transformation revolution” in the retail sector. It points out that AI is used for “optimising inventory” and creating “more efficiency and innovation in all areas,” which are direct contributions to higher economic productivity through technological upgrading.

3. SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure

   • Target 9.5: Enhance scientific research, upgrade the technological capabilities of industrial sectors in all countries… and encourage innovation.
     
     Explanation: The launch of the “RTIH AI in Retail Awards” is a direct effort to encourage and celebrate “global technology innovation.” The awards aim to recognize companies that not only see the potential of AI but also “make it usable in everyday work,” thereby promoting the upgrading of technological capabilities and fostering innovation within the retail industry.

Indicators for Measuring Progress

1. Target 4.4 (Relevant Skills for Employment)

   • Indicator (Implied): Percentage of faculty members who believe current assessments require significant change.
     
     Explanation: The article states that “54 percent of faculty members said that current assessments require significant change.” This figure serves as a baseline indicator of the perceived inadequacy of current educational methods. A decrease in this percentage would indicate progress in adapting education to new demands.
   • Indicator (Implied): Adoption rate of new assessment methodologies by educators.
     
     Explanation: The report mentioned in the article offers “14 methodologies to help educators reimagine course-based projects.” The number or percentage of educators and institutions that adopt these or similar AI-resilient assessment frameworks can be used as an indicator of progress.

2. Target 8.2 (Economic Productivity and Innovation)

   • Indicator (Implied): Rate of AI integration into business processes.
     
     Explanation: The article notes that 2025 is expected to be the year when AI becomes “embedded in retail business processes.” The extent and speed at which companies integrate AI for tasks like “optimising inventory” and “personalising customer experiences” can be measured to track progress towards higher productivity.

3. Target 9.5 (Innovation and Research)

   • Indicator (Implied): Number of entries and winners in AI-focused innovation awards.
     
     Explanation: The creation of the “RTIH AI in Retail Awards” and the number of entries it receives can serve as a proxy indicator for the level of innovation and R&D activity within the AI and retail sectors. It reflects the industry’s commitment to “global technology innovation.”

Summary of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: edtechinnovationhub.com