By Baylee Lindell Schneier

Cheating in school isn’t new. From whispered answers to scribbled notes, students have been finding shortcuts since the dawn of time. What is new, however, is the growing role of AI tools in education, and with it, a fresh wave of concerns about academic integrity. 

But here’s the truth: AI isn’t the villain. It’s a tool, and like any tool, its impact depends on how we use it. Instead of framing AI as the enemy, we as educators can adapt and embrace strategies that encourage authentic learning. One of the best ways to start? Reimagining the questions, exams, and prompts we use to assess student understanding. 

AI gives us an opportunity to improve the way we evaluate learning—not just to “catch” students, but to design activities and assessments that AI tools can support rather than replace. 

Here are three strategies to craft better questions and prompts that encourage critical thinking, creativity, and real understanding, even in the age of AI. 

1. Ask Process-Based Questions 

AI can generate answers to straightforward questions like “What were the causes of the French Revolution?” in seconds. But it struggles with tasks that require reflection, personal reasoning, and an explanation of how a student arrived at their answer. 

Adaptation Strategy: Shift from fact-based questions to process-based questions that focus on analysis, reflection, or reasoning. 

Example: 

Instead of: “What is photosynthesis?”  

Ask: “Explain how photosynthesis would be impacted if plants didn’t have access to sunlight. How would that affect other living organisms in the ecosystem?” 

By asking students to show their thought process, teachers can assess deeper understanding while making it harder for AI tools to provide an off-the-shelf answer. 

2. Incorporate Real-World and Personal Context 

AI can sound impressive when providing general information, but it falls short when you ask it to apply knowledge to a specific scenario, especially one grounded in a real-world or personal context. 

Adaptation Strategy: Design prompts that ask students to connect content to their own lives, communities, or current events. This adds a level of personalization and nuance that AI can’t replicate. 

Example: 

Instead of: “Describe the effects of climate change.” 

Ask: “How do you see the effects of climate change in your own community? Give specific examples and propose one action your community could take to address this issue.” 

This kind of question encourages students to think critically about how learning applies to their world and empowers them to engage with the content on a deeper level. 

3. Promote Creation Over Regurgitation 

The simplest AI-generated answers tend to rely on regurgitated facts. To counteract this, focus on assessments that require students to create something new: a product, argument, or piece of work that reflects their unique understanding. 

Adaptation Strategy: Use creative tasks that require synthesis, design, or original ideas – tasks where AI can serve as a helpful assistant, but not the sole creator. 

Example: 

Instead of: “List the key events of World War II.” 

Ask: “Design a museum exhibit that highlights five key events of World War II. What artifacts, visuals, or descriptions would you include, and why? Write a brief explanation for your choices.” 

Creative tasks encourage students to integrate their knowledge in a meaningful way while allowing AI to be a supportive resource for ideas or organization. 

Embracing AI as a Learning Partner 

If students are using AI to cheat, it’s not necessarily a sign of laziness. It may mean that the questions we’re asking aren’t challenging them to engage deeply. AI is pushing us as educators to raise the bar on our teaching and assessment practices. And that’s a good thing! 

Rather than fear AI, we can empower students to use it as a learning partner – to brainstorm, draft, research, or refine their work. By crafting better questions, incorporating personalization, and promoting creative problem-solving, we can make assessments more meaningful and engaging for students while ensuring they develop the critical thinking skills they’ll need in an AI-driven world. 

AI isn’t a shortcut to real learning, but it can be a springboard for it. As teachers, it’s up to us to adapt, innovate, and guide our students toward using these tools thoughtfully and responsibly. That’s the future of education.