Rethinking Online Learning in an AI-Saturated World
Mentorship + Formative Assessment: one possible future of online education
The rise of AI tools capable of generating sophisticated responses has fundamentally broken traditional assessment models in education. A recent article in the Intelligencier has captured a lot of attention with a catchy title
“Everyone Is Cheating Their Way Through College : ChatGPT has unraveled the entire academic project” (screenshot with link below)
This isn't just an academic integrity problem; it's an existential crisis for how we evaluate learning. And this is a bigger problem in online asynchronous education.
Cognitive Offloading
Beyond just cheating concerns, we face something potentially more dangerous. A recent study(Gerlich 2025) showed that heavy reliance on AI tools can reduce students' critical thinking capabilities, especially among younger users. The data revealed a strong negative correlation between AI tool usage and critical thinking scores.
We're witnessing a form of cognitive offloading at scale - why think deeply when an AI can do it for you? Especially, when no one is watching? As is the case in an asynchronous online course?
This post outlines a possible way forward and I would appreciate some feedback.
A Thought Experiment: Mentorship + Formative Assessment
Imagine an online graduate program that combined two powerful educational approaches:
Structured Mentorship: Small group sessions (say six students) led by dedicated mentors, who might be alumni.
Formative Assessment Integration: Shifting from "did you get it right?" to "how are you thinking about this?"
What Makes This Approach Different
Traditional online education treats assessment as an endpoint - something to be completed and graded. This model looks at assessment as an ongoing dialogue between the student, their peer group, and their mentor.
In practice, this could look like:
Digital Learning Journals: Shared digital spaces where students document their learning journey with mentor annotations
Collaborative Goal-Setting: Using assessment data to establish specific, measurable learning objectives
Regular Check-in Sessions: Data-informed discussions about progress, challenges, and next steps.
Peer Mentoring Circles: Small groups of students working through similar challenges with mentor guidance
Think of this as a personal fitness trainer with wearable tech. The wearable (formative assessment) provides continuous data, while the trainer (mentor) interprets that data, adjusts your plan, provides encouragement, and demonstrates proper technique.
Process Over Products
The key shift is moving from evaluating final products to evaluating the learning journey itself. This approach encourages:
Deeper Learning: Through reflective practice and continuous feedback
Authentic Assessment: Case studies and projects that mirror real-world challenges
Interactive Evaluation: Oral examinations and live discussion-based assessment
Continuous Improvement: Regular low-stakes checkpoints and opportunities for revision
By focusing on how students approach problems rather than just their answers, we create an environment where AI tools become assistants in the learning process rather than shortcuts around it.
Why This Matters Now
As AI tools continue to evolve at breakneck speed, traditional assessment models will only become more vulnerable. The educational institutions that thrive won't be the ones that try to outpace AI development with increasingly sophisticated plagiarism detection - they'll be the ones that fundamentally rethink the relationship between students, assessment, and mentorship.
What do you think? Is this one possible future of online education? Have you seen other innovative approaches to assessment in an AI-saturated world? Let me know in the comments.
I Need Your Feedback
This thought experiment raises many questions I'm still working through:
Would this approach be feasible in your educational context?
What challenges do you see in implementing such a model?
How might different disciplines adapt this framework?
How do we best support this integration of mentorship and formative assessment?
The AI revolution demands that we fundamentally rethink our educational models. I believe the integration of mentorship with formative assessment offers a promising path forward, but I'm eager to hear your perspectives.
If you found this valuable, consider sharing it with a colleague or subscribing for more thought experiments at the intersection of technology and education.