The Thering Framework

📋How to Use This Framework

Rate each assignment or method across the seven criteria using the three categories.
Review the design considerations for ideas on strengthening areas rated Partially Aligned or Ready for Updating.
Explore exemplar assignments for practical redesign strategies.

💡Why Use This Framework

Make assignments less vulnerable to Generative AI short-cuts.
Prepare students for ethical, critical use of Generative AI.
Align with SUNY/UB directions in teaching innovation, equity, and information literacy.

📊Framework Rubric

Criterion	Strongly Aligned & Engaging (3)	Partially Aligned & Engaging (2)	Ready for Updating (1)	Faculty Reflection & Initiatives
1. Alignment and Assessment of Outcomes	Clearly mapped to course/program outcomes and assessment criteria. Builds transferable skills and provides authentic evidence of student learning.	Connected to outcomes and assessment, but uneven. Students may not fully see the purpose or connection to their learning.	Limited or unclear alignment with outcomes and assessment. Task feels disconnected from learning goals in the Generative AI era.	Which outcomes does this task advance, and how do students know? SUNY GE Framework STRIVE AI Plan UB Task Force Report
2. Cognitive Demand	Matches intended cognitive level. Students—not Generative AI—do the thinking.	Some higher-order elements, but other parts solvable by AI without reasoning.	Predominantly recall or routine tasks solvable by AI.	At what cognitive level is this task pitched? How do you ensure students—not AI—do the work? AI in Action: A SUNY FACT2 Guide SUNY GE Framework
3. Authenticity / Context	Situated in lived, disciplinary, or professional contexts requiring judgment.	Some authentic features, but not fully connected to real-world contexts.	Generic prompts with little relevance to discipline or lived experience.	How authentic and relevant is this task? STRIVE AI Plan UB Task Force Report
4. Accessibility / Equity	Accessible formats (UDL/WCAG). Equitable regardless of AI access.	Some attention to accessibility/equity, but inconsistent.	Assumes equal AI access or overlooks accessibility.	How can every learner engage equitably with this task? AI in Action: A SUNY FACT2 Guide UB Task Force Report
5. Process Visibility	Drafts, revisions, sources, and AI use are visible and valued.	Some process elements are visible, but focus is on final product.	Process is invisible; students only submit final work.	How is student process—including AI use—made visible? UB Task Force Report SUNY GE Framework
6. AI Transparency & Ethical Literacy	Students examine authority, bias, and validity in all sources, including Generative AI. Ethical use and attribution required.	AI acknowledged but not consistently critiqued.	Ignores or bans AI without redesign. No ethical literacy.	How is Generative AI critiqued, attributed, and discussed as part of ethical information use? SUNY GE Framework STRIVE AI Plan AI in Action: A SUNY FACT2 Guide UB Task Force Report
7. Teaching Methods	Active, inclusive, AI-aware methods center student engagement.	Some interactivity, but methods rely heavily on passive delivery.	Predominantly one-way delivery with little student engagement.	What teaching methods are you using, and how do they prepare students to engage critically with Generative AI? STRIVE AI Plan AI in Action: A SUNY FACT2 Guide UB Task Force Report

🛠️Design Considerations by Criterion

These notes offer ideas for strengthening assignments and teaching methods. Use them as inspiration, not prescriptions.

Alignment with Outcomes

Consider publishing explicit outcomes advanced by the task.
Show students how assignment criteria connect to outcomes.
Add a short 'why this matters' note for transparency.

Cognitive Demand

Encourage tasks that require analysis, synthesis, or creation.
Include decision points students must justify.
Add constraints that require trade-offs or problem-solving.

Authenticity / Context

Use local data or real stakeholders where possible.
Add realistic constraints (time, ethics, budget).
Allow scoped choice with rationale required.

Accessibility / Equity

Offer multimodal submission formats with clear rubrics.
Provide non-AI or no-cost AI pathways.
Ensure accessibility: captions, alt-text, templates.

Process Visibility

Require drafts and revision notes.
Ask for a source and AI-use log.
Give credit for process (10–30% of grade). (formative assessment)

AI Transparency & Ethical Literacy

Require a Generative AI transparency statement.
Add checks for bias, authority, validity.
Ask students to distinguish their contributions from AI.

Teaching Methods

Replace long passive segments with interactive activities.
Use peer review with clear checklists.
Run short 'prompt clinics' and critiques.

✨Exemplar Assignments

1. New Generative AI-Enabled Assignments

Students use Generative AI to generate an initial dataset, then evaluate and clean it.
Students compare and critique multiple perspectives produced by Generative AI.
Students conduct AI-assisted brainstorming but produce final synthesis themselves.
Essay prompt where AI generates counterarguments, and students refute them.

2. Augmentations of Traditional Assignments

Research paper where students use AI to draft an outline, then critique and revise it.
Group project where AI drafts meeting agendas; students refine and execute.
Literature review where AI suggests sources, and students validate authority and relevance.
Lab report where AI generates sample graphs, but students must analyze and interpret results.

🎯Next Steps

You can use this framework as a worksheet to review one assignment, or as a departmental discussion tool. It is designed to spark reflection, not to serve as an evaluation rubric. For support, connect with UB's CATT or SUNY FACT² resources.

📚Institutional Alignment References

Resource	Description & Link
SUNY STRIVE AI Strategic Plan	System-wide strategy for ethical and effective use of AI in higher education. SUNY STRIVE AI Strategic Plan
AI in Action: A SUNY FACT2 Guide	Open Pressbooks guide from the SUNY FACT2 Task Group on AI in Action, with practical recommendations for ethical and effective use of AI in teaching and learning. AI in Action: A SUNY FACT2 Guide
SUNY General Education Framework	Defines student learning outcomes, including information literacy and ethical use of emerging technologies. SUNY General Education Framework
UB Task Force on Generative AI Report	University-level guidance on Generative AI in teaching, learning, and assessment. UB Task Force on Generative AI Report