AI’s effect on grading, assessment, and course evaluation
A Watermark-sponsored report by The Chronicle of Higher Education
Take a sneak peek at the insights in this report below.
If a machine can design a course and grade an essay, what happens to the professors?
While AI offers a lifeline for overworked faculty, it also poses an existential threat to higher education at a time when enrollment and finances are already under fire. Whether you see it as a breakthrough for student learning or a strike against the heart of teaching, one thing is certain: AI is now unavoidable.
Take a sneak peek into the in-depth report below — and download the full version for critical insights into AI across higher ed.
✦ Watermark
AI in assessment: Progress without a playbook
A snapshot of The Chronicle of Higher Education’s Insights Report, sponsored by Watermark:
AI’s effect on grading, assessment, and course evaluation.
Key finding
AI is taking a seat at the table when it comes to assessment practices — but most institutions are still figuring out how to use it.
In an analysis of
74k
Claude conversations from higher ed users
Only
7%
involved assessing student performance
Adoption is uneven.
Strategy isn’t keeping up.
Adoption is accelerating in some areas, but policies and guidance are lagging behind.
In a survey of
1,057
U.S. faculty members expressed deep concerns about AI, only
68%
say their institutions haven’t prepared them to use AI for effective teaching.
Even where adoption remains limited, implementation pressure is building.
What’s slowing institutions down
“I don’t think faculty are adequately trained on how to use those features. There’s going to be problems.”
Paul Shovlin — Assistant English Professor, Ohio University
In the report: Four real AI use cases in higher education
High-stakes assessment
Course design & improving teaching practice
Formative feedback & supporting student learning
Course evaluation & accreditation support
“I found it helpful for cognitive assistance and putting my ideas together that ultimately will be clearer for students.”
Trey Conatser — Assistant Provost for Teaching and Learning, University of Kentucky
Moving forward with deliberate innovation
Institutions leading the way for AI in assessment are taking three key steps:
Include all voices
Build support infrastructure
Define what success looks like
AI is coming to assessment.
The advantage will come from using it intentionally.
“[AI] can be an opportunity to disrupt and rethink things, but it can also just as easily become a tool for doubling down on what we already do.”
Jason Gulya — Professor of English and Media Communications, Barkley College
Source: The Chronicle of Higher Education Insights Report:
AI’s Effect on Grading, Assessment, and Course Evaluation. © 2025