As generative AI continues to reshape higher education, assessing student learning with confidence presents both complex challenges and exciting opportunities. Navigating this landscape requires vision, creativity and a deep commitment to student success, which are qualities demonstrated in abundance by this year’s recipients of the 2026 Course (Re)Design Award. These academic community members are turning daunting AI-related hurdles into human-centred assessment solutions.
Meeting the AI moment with ingenuity and care
Adapting to AI is not a one-size-fits-all effort. Recognizing that AI impacts classrooms differently across campus, the awardees have developed tailored strategies to meet key teaching priorities through innovative assessments that address AI-related challenges including:
- capacity for feedback and formative support
- integrity in student production of assignments
- offloading course requirements to AI
- inauthentic forum posts and discussion
- student anxiety about AI and performance
The recipients of the 2026 Course (Re)Design Award will be recognized for their leadership, ingenuity and dedication to enriching the student learning experience, at the annual Celebrate! Teaching. Learning. Research event taking place on October 6.
Dr. Nancy Bray, associate lecturer, Faculty of Arts - English & Film Studies
- WRS 102 - Writing in the Disciplines was redesigned to include a custom open-access textbook, balanced AI usage policies and scaffolded assignments with multimodal options such as podcasts and video essays.
Torrey Dance, manager, Experiential and Professional Education, Faculty of Engineering - Experiential Learning; Ania Ulrich, professor, Faculty of Engineering - Environmental Engineering and associate dean, Experiential and Professional Education, Faculty of Engineering
- In INT D 209 - Designing Your Life, AI community guidelines were co-created with students and structured AI transparency statements were required on major assignments, positioning AI as a scaffold for brainstorming and feedback while safeguarding authentic, self-directed reflection.
Dr. Nathalie Kermoal, professor, Faculty of Native Studies
- A critical assignment in NS 370 - The Métis: The Emergence of a People reframed AI from an academic integrity threat into a tool for decolonizing digital knowledge production. Students identified colonial biases in a ChatGPT response to a prompt and used Métis-centred scholarship to reconstruct narratives of peoplehood, nationhood, governance and self-determination—measurably deepening engagement, research quality and understanding of Métis sovereignty.
Dr. Manal Kleib, associate professor, Faculty of Nursing
- Learners in NURS 300 - Health Policy, Health Care Organizations, Change Management were given a group assignment co-developed with generative AI–disclosure included, where students searched relevant literature, created educational guides and reflected on the process to foster the ethical and responsible use of AI tools in nursing education and healthcare settings.
Matt Knight, executive professor, Alberta School of Business
- In SEM 428/628 - Managing Family Enterprise, every assessment was designated as AI Prohibited, AI Optional or AI Mandatory, making it explicit when students should work unaided and when AI was part of the skill being taught. An interactive simulation cast AI characters as members of a business family, giving students repeated practice and coaching in the negotiation and interpersonal judgment that governance and succession decisions demand.
Dr. Stephanie Oliver, associate professor, Augustana - Fine Arts & Humanities
- In AUENG 281-Nation and Belonging in Canada Today, the final presentation was redesigned into a public poster pitch inspired by Canada Reads and BookTok, where students advocated for contemporary Canadian literary texts at a student academic conference.
Dr. Martine Pellerin, professor, Campus Saint-Jean
- A three-week AI literacy module (exploring how algorithms work, bias, ethical issues and data privacy) was integrated into EDU M 341 – Les technologies de l’information et de la communication. In addition, the AI-powered collaborative Canva platform was used throughout the course to promote new forms of assessment that engaged pre-service teachers in creating multimodal content, critically evaluating AI-generated outputs and considering their ethical integration into future K–12 classrooms.
Anna Priemaza, associate teaching professor, Faculty of Law
- In LAW 589-Specialized Legal Topics (Practical Persuasive Writing), legal writing assignments integrated Gemini to teach ethical AI use, requiring students to maintain client confidentiality in prompts and critically evaluate AI-generated drafts for legal errors.
Dr. Jennifer Quist, assistant lecturer, Faculty of Arts - English & Film Studies
- In ENGL 103-Case Studies in Research, traditional take-home essays were replaced with an interim report exam, oral presentations and experiential video assignments that document real-world tasks and foreground human creativity and authentic lived student experiences to make generative AI misuse less relevant to success.
Dr. Mohammad Talebi-Kalaleh, graduate research assistant fellowship, Faculty of Engineering - Civil and Environmental Engineering
- In CIV E 789-Advanced Topics in Civil Engineering - Sensing Techniques and Data Analytics for Engineering Systems, examinations were replaced with a hands-on sensing exercise and a three-phase bridge monitoring project, with AI tools fully permitted from day one. Groups analyzed the same bridge using unique sensor configurations to verify authentic engagement. Additionally, an interactive, open-access Jupyter textbook supported students in adapting code, analyzing real data and defending their diagnostic decisions.
Shaping the Future of Teaching at U of A
By reimagining assessment for today's world, these individuals are doing more than updating their syllabi — they are actively bringing the University of Alberta’s strategic priorities to life. Their work embodies the spirit of SHAPE, Changing the Story and Braiding Past, Present and Future, advancing our institutional vision.
Apply Now
Applications are now being accepted for the full suite of awards for 2027. For more information on key dates and how to apply or make a nomination, please visit the Office of the Provost and Vice-President (Academic) Awards and Funding page.