Attending ALTC 2026 in Cardiff on behalf of Portflow, once again, gave us a chance to catch up with people across the higher education sector and hear how institutions are approaching some of the challenges they’re facing.
One thing that really stood out was how much the conversation around AI and assessment has changed, even compared to a year or two ago. At first, we were discussing whether AI had a place in education at all. Then came the realisation that AI wasn’t going anywhere, and the conversation shifted towards how institutions could respond and adapt.
Now, I think we’re seeing another important shift. More and more institutions are recognising that AI detection isn’t the answer. And perhaps more interestingly, AI is exposing limitations in traditional assessment practices that existed long before generative AI tools became widely available..
That, to me, is where the conversation is becoming much more interesting.
Rethinking assessment, rather than trying to protect it
This year’s conference theme, Learning without Edges: Digitally-enabled learning in an ever-changing world, opened up discussions around how learning is changing, how students experience it and what institutions need to do differently.
Naturally, AI was part of many of these conversations. But what I found encouraging was that the focus wasn’t simply on the technology itself. There was more attention on the learning process, the purpose of assessment and how we can better understand what students are actually learning.
I think this is an important direction. If AI can produce a convincing final essay or assignment, relying on that final product alone becomes increasingly difficult. But students’ learning is much more than the final piece of work they submit. It’s also about how they got there, the decisions they made, the feedback they received, the challenges they worked through and how their understanding developed along the way.
And perhaps that’s where we should be putting more of our attention.
Learning without edges: connecting the pieces
Another interesting thread throughout the programme was how learning can become more flexible, connected and student-centred.
For me, this connects closely to something we’ve been discussing with institutions through Portflow: How do we move beyond isolated assessments and start looking at students’ learning and development across an entire programme?
This is where portfolio-based assessment becomes particularly relevant. Rather than relying on individual assignments as separate measures of achievement, students can build a body of evidence over time, reflect on their progress and make connections between what they’ve learned in different modules and experiences.
It also offers a more AI-resilient approach to assessment. Not by trying to eliminate AI from the learning process, but by placing more value on students’ thinking, reflection, personal development and ability to demonstrate their learning.
Not the magic solution but a starter of the right conversations
Of course, portfolio-based assessment isn’t a magic solution, and it needs to be designed thoughtfully. But I do think it offers an interesting way forward, particularly as institutions are starting to question whether their existing assessment approaches are still serving their intended purpose.
What I also appreciated at ALTC26 was how open and engaging the conversations were. We met so many educators and learning technology professionals who genuinely care about improving learning and assessment, while also being realistic about the challenges of making changes happen in practice. It was great to reconnect with familiar faces, meet new people and exchange ideas. Thanks to everyone we had the chance to speak with in Cardiff and looking forward to continuing these conversations!
About the Author: Yas Farahani
