From Detection to Design: Struggles of an Educator in the Age of GenAI

Abstract

This presentation, titled "From Detection to Design: Struggles of an Educator in the Age of GenAI," delivered by Rahul Kumar at the University of Ottawa, examines how generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) is reshaping learning, authorship, and assessment. Drawing on empirical data from international studies (Kumar & McGray, 2024; 2025; Kumar, 2025) and the Canadian Perspectives on Academic Integrity (Kumar & Mindzak, 2024), it highlights the limitations of detection-based responses to AI-generated work. Referencing Sarah Eaton’s concept of postplagiarism (2023) and Krakauer’s framework of complementary versus competitive cognitive artifacts, Kumar argues for a shift from punitive approaches toward assessment designs that make AI a complementary partner in learning. The presentation calls on educators to distinguish between performance and learning, embedding AI in pedagogically sound ways that foster intellectual engagement rather than automate thinking.