Rachel Forsyth
@rmforsyth.bsky.social
She/her. Interested in assessment, inclusion, curriculum design and digital. PFHEA. Occasionally blog at http://assessmentinhe.wordpress.com. Curious about GenAI in HE? Try our free MOOC http//www.coursera.org/learn/transforming-he-with-genai
Thanks, @sandra-abegglen.bsky.social - it will be available on 26 Jan! @samillingworth.com
Worth looking out for:
GenAI in Higher Education: Redefining Teaching and Learning (Jan 2026, available also open access)
www.bloomsbury.com/ca/genai-in-...
GenAI in Higher Education: Redefining Teaching and Learning (Jan 2026, available also open access)
www.bloomsbury.com/ca/genai-in-...
GenAI in Higher Education
This open access book provides practical guidance for higher education professionals looking to use Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) technologies. Ble…
www.bloomsbury.com
December 17, 2025 at 7:02 PM
Thanks, @sandra-abegglen.bsky.social - it will be available on 26 Jan! @samillingworth.com
Reposted by Rachel Forsyth
Everyone always proposes this as the answer without understanding that an oral exam requires very different skills than a closely argued research-driven essay. If you want to argue those skills don’t matter, then fine, argue that, but don’t pretend that oral argumentation is identical.
Across the country, a small but growing number of educators are experimenting with oral exams to circumvent the temptations presented by powerful artificial intelligence platforms such as ChatGPT.
To AI-proof exams, professors turn to the oldest technique of all
A small but growing number of educators are experimenting with oral exams to circumvent the temptations presented by powerful AI platforms.
wapo.st
December 12, 2025 at 3:16 PM
Everyone always proposes this as the answer without understanding that an oral exam requires very different skills than a closely argued research-driven essay. If you want to argue those skills don’t matter, then fine, argue that, but don’t pretend that oral argumentation is identical.
Reposted by Rachel Forsyth
You can do this right now:
Think of a person who wrote a paper you love, whose work influenced or helped you, or has made your professional life better.
Search up their email address. Shoot them a quick email of thanks. It means so, so much. This is a rough time of year, share some joy.
Think of a person who wrote a paper you love, whose work influenced or helped you, or has made your professional life better.
Search up their email address. Shoot them a quick email of thanks. It means so, so much. This is a rough time of year, share some joy.
December 11, 2025 at 10:08 PM
You can do this right now:
Think of a person who wrote a paper you love, whose work influenced or helped you, or has made your professional life better.
Search up their email address. Shoot them a quick email of thanks. It means so, so much. This is a rough time of year, share some joy.
Think of a person who wrote a paper you love, whose work influenced or helped you, or has made your professional life better.
Search up their email address. Shoot them a quick email of thanks. It means so, so much. This is a rough time of year, share some joy.
Reposted by Rachel Forsyth
The Christmas issue of The BMJ is coming soon!
To get us in the mood we asked comedian @michaelspicer.bsky.social to have a look at last year's issue, and respond to some articles.
Inspired by this article evaluating the cognitive abilities of AI 🤖
www.bmj.com/content/387/...
#BMJChristmas
To get us in the mood we asked comedian @michaelspicer.bsky.social to have a look at last year's issue, and respond to some articles.
Inspired by this article evaluating the cognitive abilities of AI 🤖
www.bmj.com/content/387/...
#BMJChristmas
December 11, 2025 at 11:11 AM
The Christmas issue of The BMJ is coming soon!
To get us in the mood we asked comedian @michaelspicer.bsky.social to have a look at last year's issue, and respond to some articles.
Inspired by this article evaluating the cognitive abilities of AI 🤖
www.bmj.com/content/387/...
#BMJChristmas
To get us in the mood we asked comedian @michaelspicer.bsky.social to have a look at last year's issue, and respond to some articles.
Inspired by this article evaluating the cognitive abilities of AI 🤖
www.bmj.com/content/387/...
#BMJChristmas
This is a long, but uplifting, article about teaching humanities with the humanities as a guiding principle (credit to Carlo Rotella) www.nytimes.com/2025/11/25/m...
I’m a Professor. A.I. Has Changed My Classroom, but Not for the Worse.
www.nytimes.com
December 9, 2025 at 6:35 AM
This is a long, but uplifting, article about teaching humanities with the humanities as a guiding principle (credit to Carlo Rotella) www.nytimes.com/2025/11/25/m...
Reposted by Rachel Forsyth
Re accommodations for students: if they ask they can have them, no questions asked. Stop being a gross creep about it.
December 2, 2025 at 10:57 PM
Re accommodations for students: if they ask they can have them, no questions asked. Stop being a gross creep about it.
Reposted by Rachel Forsyth
Worth reading:
Student Engagement in Higher Education Journal (Vol.7 No.2, 2025), titled "Reimagining Student Engagement: Identity, Inclusion, and Innovation in Higher Education"
sehej.raise-network.com/raise/issue/...
Student Engagement in Higher Education Journal (Vol.7 No.2, 2025), titled "Reimagining Student Engagement: Identity, Inclusion, and Innovation in Higher Education"
sehej.raise-network.com/raise/issue/...
Vol. 7 No. 2 (2025): Reimagining Student Engagement: Identity, Inclusion, and Innovation in Higher Education
| Student Engagement in Higher Education Journal
sehej.raise-network.com
November 16, 2025 at 2:52 AM
Worth reading:
Student Engagement in Higher Education Journal (Vol.7 No.2, 2025), titled "Reimagining Student Engagement: Identity, Inclusion, and Innovation in Higher Education"
sehej.raise-network.com/raise/issue/...
Student Engagement in Higher Education Journal (Vol.7 No.2, 2025), titled "Reimagining Student Engagement: Identity, Inclusion, and Innovation in Higher Education"
sehej.raise-network.com/raise/issue/...
Reposted by Rachel Forsyth
How do teachers build trust with students in the presence of GenAI? @rmforsyth.bsky.social and I did focus group interviews and have written up very first results in these conference proceedings: mirjamglessmer.com/2025/11/13/n...
November 13, 2025 at 4:47 PM
How do teachers build trust with students in the presence of GenAI? @rmforsyth.bsky.social and I did focus group interviews and have written up very first results in these conference proceedings: mirjamglessmer.com/2025/11/13/n...
Reposted by Rachel Forsyth
@paulbernal.bsky.social at last, someone actually TALKED to a diverse range gen-z about there experience online AND offline over a year observer.co.uk/news/nationa...
‘Andrew Tate is dead’: inside the minds of 16-year-olds | The Observer
observer.co.uk
November 10, 2025 at 9:56 AM
@paulbernal.bsky.social at last, someone actually TALKED to a diverse range gen-z about there experience online AND offline over a year observer.co.uk/news/nationa...
Reposted by Rachel Forsyth
they ask
what's the minimum to pass?
as if i keep a secret rubric
of disappointment
i say
do your best work
they hear
write more words
what's the minimum to pass?
as if i keep a secret rubric
of disappointment
i say
do your best work
they hear
write more words
November 6, 2025 at 7:54 AM
they ask
what's the minimum to pass?
as if i keep a secret rubric
of disappointment
i say
do your best work
they hear
write more words
what's the minimum to pass?
as if i keep a secret rubric
of disappointment
i say
do your best work
they hear
write more words
Reposted by Rachel Forsyth
Currently reading Nooij et al. (2025) on “Do not leave your values at the door; the permissibility of activism in the lecture hall”
@mirjamglessmer.bsky.social's blogpost on a recent HERD article
mirjamglessmer.com/2025/09/03/c...
@mirjamglessmer.bsky.social's blogpost on a recent HERD article
mirjamglessmer.com/2025/09/03/c...
Currently reading Nooij et al. (2025) on "Do not leave your values at the door; the permissibility of activism in the lecture hall" - Adventures in Oceanography and Teaching
Academia and activism, how do they go together? I’ve been curious about that for a while, as evidenced by these posts. Today I came across an article that investigates not only academic activism, but ...
mirjamglessmer.com
September 10, 2025 at 10:25 PM
Currently reading Nooij et al. (2025) on “Do not leave your values at the door; the permissibility of activism in the lecture hall”
@mirjamglessmer.bsky.social's blogpost on a recent HERD article
mirjamglessmer.com/2025/09/03/c...
@mirjamglessmer.bsky.social's blogpost on a recent HERD article
mirjamglessmer.com/2025/09/03/c...
If you can handle an entire article written in bullet points, presumably to illustrate the importance of writing skills, this is highly recommended. If we think writing is important, we should explain why, teach it, and make sure we assess it.
I think we should still teach students writing, not AI-assisted document production. www.insidehighered.com/opinion/colu...
Writing Classes Are About Writing, Not AI-Aided Production
If we want students to learn to write, AI tools shouldn’t have much of a role. If we don’t think students need to learn to write anymore, I’m not sure what we’re doing here.
www.insidehighered.com
October 29, 2025 at 2:49 PM
If you can handle an entire article written in bullet points, presumably to illustrate the importance of writing skills, this is highly recommended. If we think writing is important, we should explain why, teach it, and make sure we assess it.
Reposted by Rachel Forsyth
I know this is the equivalent of being in the remainder bin but still, if you want a bargain guide to becoming a confident assessor in higher education, my book is on Amazon currently for less than £5. #AssessmentInHE www.amazon.co.uk/Confident-As...
Amazon.co.uk
www.amazon.co.uk
October 28, 2025 at 6:34 AM
I know this is the equivalent of being in the remainder bin but still, if you want a bargain guide to becoming a confident assessor in higher education, my book is on Amazon currently for less than £5. #AssessmentInHE www.amazon.co.uk/Confident-As...
I know this is the equivalent of being in the remainder bin but still, if you want a bargain guide to becoming a confident assessor in higher education, my book is on Amazon currently for less than £5. #AssessmentInHE www.amazon.co.uk/Confident-As...
Amazon.co.uk
www.amazon.co.uk
October 28, 2025 at 6:34 AM
I know this is the equivalent of being in the remainder bin but still, if you want a bargain guide to becoming a confident assessor in higher education, my book is on Amazon currently for less than £5. #AssessmentInHE www.amazon.co.uk/Confident-As...
This is a fantastic output from some inspired research in secondary schools- should be read by everyone working with GenAI in HE as well. @mirjamglessmer.com @samillingworth.com #GenAIInHE
'What's At Stake? Young People's Take on AI and Education' - brilliant looking zine produced by young people in the UK telling education leaders & teachers what they want 'responsible AI' to look like in their classrooms.
ai-and-education.shorthandstories.com/zine/index.h...
ai-and-education.shorthandstories.com/zine/index.h...
What's at stake? Young people's take on AI and education
This zine represents the messages young people wanted to share with decision-makers and educators, to help you make responsible AI a reality in education.
ai-and-education.shorthandstories.com
October 25, 2025 at 6:59 AM
This is a fantastic output from some inspired research in secondary schools- should be read by everyone working with GenAI in HE as well. @mirjamglessmer.com @samillingworth.com #GenAIInHE
Reposted by Rachel Forsyth
🎉 We’re thrilled to share some amazing news with you… MYFest has been awarded the 2025 @oeglobal.bsky.social (OEGlobal) Award for Open Practice!! 🎉
Read more: awards.oeglobal.org/revealing-20...
Thank you @oeglobal.bsky.social
Read more: awards.oeglobal.org/revealing-20...
Thank you @oeglobal.bsky.social
2025 Open Practices Awards
Open Practices are collective behaviors and techniques that open up access to educational opportunities. These practices promote and support the use of open educational resources, technologies, and so...
awards.oeglobal.org
October 19, 2025 at 1:48 PM
🎉 We’re thrilled to share some amazing news with you… MYFest has been awarded the 2025 @oeglobal.bsky.social (OEGlobal) Award for Open Practice!! 🎉
Read more: awards.oeglobal.org/revealing-20...
Thank you @oeglobal.bsky.social
Read more: awards.oeglobal.org/revealing-20...
Thank you @oeglobal.bsky.social
If you use Amazon, this is a bargain price on UK Amazon again. Key message: you should enjoy seeing students' assignments! www.amazon.co.uk/Confident-As...
Confident Assessment in Higher Education : Forsyth, Rachel: Amazon.co.uk: Books
Buy Confident Assessment in Higher Education 1 by Forsyth, Rachel (ISBN: 9781529770803) from Amazon's Book Store. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders.
www.amazon.co.uk
September 29, 2025 at 10:07 AM
If you use Amazon, this is a bargain price on UK Amazon again. Key message: you should enjoy seeing students' assignments! www.amazon.co.uk/Confident-As...
I've been reading The Opposite of Cheating: Teaching for Integrity in the Age of AI by Gallant, T. B., & Rettinger, D. A. (2025). I love the premise of this book which contains many generalisable ideas. Maybe it tries to do too much, but if you only read one book on integrity, this could be it!
Reading: The Opposite of Cheating by Bertram Gallant and Rettinger
Gallant, T. B., & Rettinger, D. A. (2025). The Opposite of Cheating: Teaching for Integrity in the Age of AI (Vol. 4). University of Oklahoma Press. This book, written by two experts in academic integrity, tries to move the conversation about GenAI and assessment away from detecting academic misconduct and towards good course design to reduce opportunities for cheating. The book acknowledges the responsibility usually placed on individual teachers to reduce, identify and act on student breaches of accepted academic integrity and tries to offer positive and practical solutions.
assessmentinhe.wordpress.com
August 26, 2025 at 3:09 PM
I've been reading The Opposite of Cheating: Teaching for Integrity in the Age of AI by Gallant, T. B., & Rettinger, D. A. (2025). I love the premise of this book which contains many generalisable ideas. Maybe it tries to do too much, but if you only read one book on integrity, this could be it!
Reposted by Rachel Forsyth
"Rather than taking an 'abstinence-only' approach to AI, I decided to put the central, existential question to them directly: was it still necessary or valuable to learn to write? The choice would be theirs." —Piers Gelly for @literaryhub.bsky.social
lithub.com/what-happene...
lithub.com/what-happene...
What Happened When I Tried to Replace Myself with ChatGPT in My English Classroom
My students call it “Chat,” a cute nickname they all seem to have agreed on at some point. They use it to make study guides, interpret essay prompts, and register for classes, turning it loose on t…
lithub.com
July 28, 2025 at 5:48 PM
"Rather than taking an 'abstinence-only' approach to AI, I decided to put the central, existential question to them directly: was it still necessary or valuable to learn to write? The choice would be theirs." —Piers Gelly for @literaryhub.bsky.social
lithub.com/what-happene...
lithub.com/what-happene...
This is well worth a read for the weird journey. Although I can see useful applications (I'm testing 'Assessment Review assistant' right now) I've never wanted to use GenAI to write emails or whatever. It just doesn't sound like me. If I'm writing to you, its from me www.nytimes.com/2025/07/18/o...
Opinion | The Seductions of A.I. for the Writer’s Mind
www.nytimes.com
July 18, 2025 at 3:43 PM
This is well worth a read for the weird journey. Although I can see useful applications (I'm testing 'Assessment Review assistant' right now) I've never wanted to use GenAI to write emails or whatever. It just doesn't sound like me. If I'm writing to you, its from me www.nytimes.com/2025/07/18/o...
Reposted by Rachel Forsyth
Who, or what, did the work?
The responsibility for assessment security usually resets with individual teachers, who need to balance good assessment design which is equitable and valid with a need to ensure the students did the work themselves. This is pretty challenging in a world with GenAI. In…
The responsibility for assessment security usually resets with individual teachers, who need to balance good assessment design which is equitable and valid with a need to ensure the students did the work themselves. This is pretty challenging in a world with GenAI. In…
Who, or what, did the work?
The responsibility for assessment security usually resets with individual teachers, who need to balance good assessment design which is equitable and valid with a need to ensure the students did the work themselves. This is pretty challenging in a world with GenAI. In this post I discuss some of the issues and provide a downloadable cribsheet with some mitigation ideas.
assessmentinhe.wordpress.com
July 17, 2025 at 4:09 PM
Who, or what, did the work?
The responsibility for assessment security usually resets with individual teachers, who need to balance good assessment design which is equitable and valid with a need to ensure the students did the work themselves. This is pretty challenging in a world with GenAI. In…
The responsibility for assessment security usually resets with individual teachers, who need to balance good assessment design which is equitable and valid with a need to ensure the students did the work themselves. This is pretty challenging in a world with GenAI. In…
Who, or what, did the work?
The responsibility for assessment security usually resets with individual teachers, who need to balance good assessment design which is equitable and valid with a need to ensure the students did the work themselves. This is pretty challenging in a world with GenAI. In…
The responsibility for assessment security usually resets with individual teachers, who need to balance good assessment design which is equitable and valid with a need to ensure the students did the work themselves. This is pretty challenging in a world with GenAI. In…
Who, or what, did the work?
The responsibility for assessment security usually resets with individual teachers, who need to balance good assessment design which is equitable and valid with a need to ensure the students did the work themselves. This is pretty challenging in a world with GenAI. In this post I discuss some of the issues and provide a downloadable cribsheet with some mitigation ideas.
assessmentinhe.wordpress.com
July 17, 2025 at 4:09 PM
Who, or what, did the work?
The responsibility for assessment security usually resets with individual teachers, who need to balance good assessment design which is equitable and valid with a need to ensure the students did the work themselves. This is pretty challenging in a world with GenAI. In…
The responsibility for assessment security usually resets with individual teachers, who need to balance good assessment design which is equitable and valid with a need to ensure the students did the work themselves. This is pretty challenging in a world with GenAI. In…
Reposted by Rachel Forsyth
If AI now means that your module is too easy, tough, you need to rethink your module - maybe even acknowledge that now it actually _is_ easier. Unless disciplines are rethought from the ground up you'll have the next generation of learners opting to be mathematicians because anyone can do it.
July 15, 2025 at 11:35 AM
If AI now means that your module is too easy, tough, you need to rethink your module - maybe even acknowledge that now it actually _is_ easier. Unless disciplines are rethought from the ground up you'll have the next generation of learners opting to be mathematicians because anyone can do it.
Roxana Minzatu is setting digital skills in the context of European citizenship as well as employability. We need digital skills to work together for the future: she mentions disinformation, participation in society, STEM education. #diged2025
June 24, 2025 at 8:00 AM
Roxana Minzatu is setting digital skills in the context of European citizenship as well as employability. We need digital skills to work together for the future: she mentions disinformation, participation in society, STEM education. #diged2025
Joy which you have just shared, what a lovely post!
MARKING CAN SPARK JOY
I have finished my marking! This year I got students to make posters about their research for a complete/incomplete grade (10% of the total), inspired by @corrigans.bsky.social. We had a day of showing off our posters, so today I was just clicking through them in Gradebook and clicking "complete".
June 21, 2025 at 7:33 AM
Joy which you have just shared, what a lovely post!