Assessment is changing.
The USask Assessment Conference brings educators and leadership together to rethink and redesign assessment in response to navigating increasingly complex assessment decisions.
This free conference provides an opportunity for focused discussion on how assessment practices are evolving at USask and will help you make clear connections to your own courses, programs, and roles. Join your colleagues to hear research-informed perspectives and practical examples from across disciplines, and to explore assessment approaches that strengthen student learning.
Registration is managed separatley to attend the keynote and the conference day, and seats are limited. Attend one or both dates, depending on your availability.
Registration details
Weds, April 29 | Online keynote (90 minutes)
3:00 - 4:30pm, Zoom
A live, online keynote with Professor Phillip (Phill) Dawson on how assessment design is changing in response to artificial intelligence. Please see further details about our guest below.
Online only • Platform: Zoom • Live Q&A • Recording is not available
Thurs, April 30 | In-person conference (full day)
8:30am - 4:00pm, WP Thompson Building, USask main campus
The in-person conference day features informative sessions and active discussions led by Dr. Susan Bens, Academic Integrity Strategist (USask), the USask Assessment Champions (USask instructors/staff) and a team of experts from the Gwenna Moss Center. This day is aimed for us to explore common challenges in our varied roles, surface effective redesign approaches, and share practical insights drawn from assessment work currently underway across USask.
WP Thompson- Rm132 • Lunch and coffee breaks provided • Capacity ~180; waitlist if full
*Photographs may be taken at the in-person event
Co‑hosted by the Gwenna Moss Centre for Teaching and Learning and the Office of the Interim Associate Provost, Teaching Innovation and Strategic Initiatives.
Featured story: Assessment Champions at USask
See how colleagues across USask are approaching assessment in practice, and why their work matters now (AI, academic integrity, equity). Read the story.
Conference Agenda - April 30
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Morning |
Conference Address: Susan Bens, Academic Integrity Specialist and Wendy James, Director, GMCTL |
|---|---|
| Break | |
| Break-out Workshops • Redesigning your assessment to meet the challenge of AI • Planning for assessment policy and practice changes in your college or department |
|
| Noon-1pm | Lunch will be provided |
|
Afternoon |
Sessions with USask Assessment Champions. There will be 4 concurrent sessions to choose from; themes will be shared with full agenda. |
| Break | |
| Closing Remarks and Next Steps: Nancy Turner, Interim Associate Provost, Teaching Innovation and Strategic Initiatives |
*An expanded agenda will be shared with registrants prior to the event.
Overview
Through this opportunity to connect with our colleagues, we will,
• Where am I feeling confident and where do I need support?
• What questions do I have about assessment redesign?
• What strategies are helping balance workload, academic integrity, and student learning?
• What are the opportunities and challenges?
• Practical examples from USask Assessment Champions, our own faculty sharing their assessment stories.
• Where is this going?
• What advice would we give the implementation team about needs and next steps?
Keynote Speaker - April 29 (online)
Professor Phillip Dawson
Online only | 3:00-4:30pm | Platform: Zoom | Live Q&A | Recording not available
Assessment Design for a time of Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence can now generate outputs that meet the requirements of high-stakes assessments across many disciplines. This has sparked concerns about students using AI inappropriately to complete tasks, misrepresenting their abilities. It also raises deeper questions about the sustainability and authenticity of current assessment practices.
This presentation examines how assessment must evolve in response to AI. It draws on the presenter’s work as one of the leaders of Assessment Reform for a Time of Artificial Intelligence, a major Australian project funded by the national higher education regulator. As AI becomes an ever-present part of professional and academic life, how do we design assessments that both uphold integrity and prepare students for this new reality?
Prof. Phillip Dawson is from the Centre for Research in Assessment and Digital Learning (CRADLE), Deakin University, Melbourne, Australia
USask Assessment Champions
Introducing the 2026 USask Assessment Champions!
The USask Assessment Champions are colleagues from colleges and schools who are actively engaged in assessment work across the university. On April 30, the conference features sessions and discussion facilitated by the Assessment Champions, bringing peer perspectives and practical experience from real USask courses and programs into the conversation.
| Elaina Guilmette | School of Environment and Sustainability |
| Ella Ophir | College of Arts and Science |
| Greg Malin | College of Medicine |
| Harold Bull | College of Medicine |
| Jan Gelech | College of Arts and Science |
| Jennifer Loewen | Western College of Veterinary Medicine |
| Jordan Raymond | College of Education |
| Mark Klassen | Edwards School of Business |
| Michel Gravel | College of Arts and Science |
| Michelle Bussière-Prytula | Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy |
| Randi Strunk | College of Engineering |
| Taylor Raiche | College of Pharmacy and Nutrition |
Registration, capacity and waitlist
Registration is required separately for the online keynote and the in‑person conference.
Our keynote session is online and has a capacity of 500. We are not able to record this session.
The in‑person day has a capacity of about 180 seats; if registration fills, please join the waitlist and hold the date. We will notify the waitlist if seats become available.
Contact
Questions about the conference or registration may be directed to the Gwenna Moss Centre for Teaching and Learning at gmctl@usask.ca.