As a lecturer in Vocational Education and Training (VET) ICT with more than 22 years of experience, focusing in Interactive Technologies, I have observed various transitions and evolutions in both technology and its use in education. Through out my experience I have always supported project-based evaluation promoting continious assessment. I am positive that this methodology fosters deep learning, enabling students to significantly learn and understand what they are doing rather than being only bench marked.

As we cross over the age of an extensive AI technology and its challenges, I was reflecting on “How can we enhance these methodologies to employ AI’s ability while preserving the essence of genuine learning?”

In the era of Artificial Intelligence (AI), education is experiencing disruptive shifts that is challenging the traditional educational structure. Project assignments are fundamental to dynamic learning, requiring students to utilize information in practical circumstances. With the swift integration of AI tools, educators are facing  a new challenges such as; how they can adapt project-based assignments integrating AI’s and at the same time control its potential ensuring that students acquire essential critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving skills?

This article seeks to offer ideas for optimal practices in such a changing environment. The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Education Artificial Intelligence is revolutionising education with intelligent tutoring systems, automated assessment, adaptive learning platforms, and innovative tools that facilitate student cooperation.

A 2023 research by the World Economic Forum indicates that AI is progressively utilised to aid students in tailored learning, offering immediate feedback and detecting knowledge deficiencies. AI-driven platforms such as Grammarly, ChatGPT, and WolframAlpha facilitate writing, computations, and research, transforming jobs that formerly required hours into those that can be completed in minutes. These technologies allow students from frustrating activities, enabling them to concentrate on more strategic elements of their assignments. Modifying Project Allocations in the Age of AI In light of these problems, educators need to consider the integration of AI into project-based learning. Rather than prohibiting AI technologies, educators might create assignments that necessitate the importance of applying AI by students.

These are few methods  that  can be approached to adapt AI for project based assignments:

• Create Assignments Including Artificial Intelligence Instead of ignoring or run away from AI, educators should design projects that focus on the the utilisation of AI resources.
• Educators may prepare students o make use of AI for data collection and analysis, concept generation, or the resolution of complex problems.
• Students could be encouraged to utilise AI for doing literature reviews or statistical analyses in a research-based project, while critically assessing the quality of AI-generated information. In sociology or economics courses, students may utilize AI-driven technologies such as IBM Watson or OpenAI’s Codex to analyze extensive datasets, discern trends, and formulate conclusions.
• Educators may also require that students rationalize and contemplate the influence of AI on their processes and results, so promoting critical thinking.
• Promote Meta-Cognition and AI Transparency A crucial change involves necessitating students to contemplate their interactions with AI tools.

This may entail requesting students to keep records of their use of AI throughout the project, explaining its benefits and the limits they faced. This perspective promotes transparency and knowledge regarding the role of AI in their education.

For example, students use ChatGPT to generate ideas for a marketing assignment may be required to compare the AI-generated concepts with their own work. This not only aids students in fostering a critical knowledge of AI’s advantages and limitations but also guarantees that they maintain ownership of their learning journey.

Call attention for Advanced Cognitive

Abilities AI proficiently automates fundamental activities, like information summarisation and simple code generation. Consequently, project assignments can be modified towards fostering higher-order thinking skills, including analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. The project-based assignment structure should encourage  students to critically analyse AI-generated outputs, enhance them, or utilise them as a foundation for creating innovative solutions.

In design courses, students may utilise AI to generate low-fi layouts or execute iterative activities; nonetheless, the final project necessitates the application of creativity and human evaluation to enhance and customise the outcomes. The student’s role transitions from performing routine tasks to assuming the position of a creative director responsible for supervising AI-generated contributions.

Integrate Collaborative Learning with Artificial Intelligence

AI  can serve as a mechanism for collaboration, rather than solely enhancing individual productivity. Project assignments may include stages in which students collaboratively evaluate or improve AI-generated outputs. AI-power technologies such as Miro, Figma, and Notion AI provide platforms for collaborative teamwork, allowing students to co-create, evaluate, and refine shared digital projects.

Emphasise Ethical Considerations As artificial intelligence is gradually integrating into academic and professional sectors, ethical considerations must be paramount. Assignments that require the use of AI should include elements prompting students to reflect upon ethical concerns, including data privacy, algorithmic unfairness, and intellectual property rights. In a media studies units, students may be tasked with examining the ethical complications of AI-generated deepfakes or evaluating the impact of AI on reflections about  privacy infringements. By involving students in the ethical aspects of AI, educators can educate students to manage the complexity of AI application in their future professions. Suggestions for Educators

1. Revise Learning Objectives: Learning outcomes shoiuld clearly include the use of AI. They should focus on enhancing critical thinking and digital literacy, highlighting AI’s function as an instrument that augments, rather than superseeds, human creativity.
2. Establish AI Literacy Workshops: Numerous students and educators may not yet possess a comprehensive understanding of how to utilize AI tools successfully. Institutions ought to offer courses or modules that impart AI literacy and provide direction on the responsible usage of AI in academic endeavors.
3. Update Assessment Rubrics: Conventional assessment criteria must adapt to incorporate AI utilization. Rubrics must assess both the final output and the application and critique of AI during the project process.
4. Implement AI-Specific Pilot Projects: Educators may initiate pilot projects necessitating the utilisation of designated AI tools, collecting student feedback on the process and then modifying future project designs.

In conclusion, in an age where AI is becoming prevalent in education, project assignments must be carefully modified to integrate AI as a supportive tool in the learning process. Through the creation of AI-integrated assignments, the promotion of critical reflections, and the prioritization of higher-order thinking and ethical considerations, instructors may guarantee that students stay active and engaged learners within an AI-enhanced context. Advancing the integration of AI in education would enhance students’ preparedness for the future labor market while fostering the development of vital creative and critical thinking abilities necessary for achievement.

Sources – World Economic Forum. (2023). The Future of Jobs Report 2023. Obtained from [www.weforum.org](https://www.weforum.org). – Luckin, R. (2018). Machine Learning and Human Intelligence: The Future of 21st Century Education. UCL Institute of Education Press, London. – Selwyn, N. (2019). Should Robots Supplant Educators? Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Education. Cambridge: Polity Press.