Here’s a more detailed description of the episode:

Podcast Episode: GenAI – Your Supercharged Assessment Assistant with Dr. Gavin Henning

In this episode of Friday SLO Talks, organized by the California Outcomes Assessment Hub (COACHES), Dr. Gavin Henning, professor of higher education at New England College, provided an in-depth look at how Generative AI (GenAI) is revolutionizing assessment in higher education. With over 25 years of experience in student learning assessment and institutional research, Dr. Henning explored the practical applications of AI in streamlining assessment processes, reducing faculty workload, and improving the quality of learning outcomes.

Moderated by Dr. Jarek Janio from Santa Ana College and Enrique Jauregui from Fresno City College, the session opened with a discussion on the rapid evolution of AI, highlighting how tools such as ChatGPT, NotebookLM, and Gamma are reshaping assessment strategies. Dr. Henning acknowledged the common anxieties faculty have about AI—particularly concerns about academic integrity and student cheating—but emphasized the immense potential of AI to enhance, rather than undermine, meaningful assessment.

Throughout the presentation, Dr. Henning demonstrated multiple AI-driven applications for assessment, including:

Developing and Refining Learning Outcomes – AI can generate student learning outcomes based on course descriptions, revise them for clarity, and align them with different learning taxonomies such as Bloom’s Taxonomy or Fink’s Significant Learning.
Rubric Creation and Evaluation – AI tools can draft assessment rubrics, refine them based on institutional needs, and help faculty evaluate the quality of their rubrics to ensure clear, measurable learning criteria.
Survey and Interview Protocols – AI can assist in designing assessment instruments, such as survey questions and focus group protocols, reducing the time needed to create structured assessment tools.
Qualitative and Quantitative Data Analysis – While Dr. Henning cautioned against relying too heavily on AI for statistical analyses, he demonstrated how AI can identify themes in qualitative data, synthesize feedback, and even generate reports summarizing key findings.
Program Review and Accreditation Support – AI can streamline the program review process by helping faculty organize assessment data, generate accreditation reports, and compare institutional assessment strategies.

Dr. Henning also showcased how AI-generated reports and summaries can be transformed into interactive learning materials, including AI-generated podcasts. He demonstrated Google’s NotebookLM, a tool that allows users to create AI-powered podcasts from assessment reports, complete with interactive question-and-answer capabilities. This innovative application of AI, he suggested, could make assessment findings more engaging and accessible to broader audiences.

The discussion also touched on the ethical implications of AI in assessment, including concerns about bias, data privacy, and the environmental cost of AI technology. Dr. Henning encouraged faculty to approach AI as a tool for efficiency and equity while remaining vigilant about its limitations. He also highlighted the importance of maintaining faculty agency in assessment design, ensuring that AI complements, rather than replaces, human expertise.

Dr. Henning’s message was clear: AI is moving at the speed of the Road Runner, and while it presents challenges, it also offers unprecedented opportunities to improve assessment, streamline faculty workload, and enhance student learning outcomes.