2 April 2026

Wednesday 13 May at 2pm

CRADLE Seminar Series 2026: Seminar #4

In this seminar, the University of Queensland’s Professor Jason Lodge will consider whether generative AI is fundamentally restructuring how students think, and ask what this might mean for assessments and assessment validity.

The proliferation of generative AI has sparked a crisis of inference in higher education

To date, and for good reason, the sector’s response has settled on a binary choice: secure the assessment by removing the tool (i.e., “Lane 1”) or permit the tool within existing frameworks (i.e., “Lane 2”). Both approaches, however, often rely on an outdated “internalist” model of learning that views cognition as a solo performance occurring strictly within the individual mind.

This seminar argues that the emergence of sophisticated AI agents necessitates a shift toward a distributed cognition framework. Drawing on recent research into “performance paradoxes” (in which AI boosts immediate task achievement while compromising durable learning), this session will explore how students’ thinking infrastructure is being fundamentally restructured.

When cognitive tools are genuinely integrated, they do not merely support thought; they constitute part of the thinking system itself.

We will move beyond the ‘AI as Oracle’ paradigm to consider ‘AI as Agentic Partner’, examining the implications for assessment. If the unit of analysis is no longer a single human but a hybrid human-machine entity, our trusted proxies for learning may no longer measure what we think they measure. The seminar will challenge participants to reconsider the hard question of assessment:

How do we generate valid evidence of learning when the process of learning has itself been transformed?

Join us in person or online to learn more about distributed cognition, AI agents, and the implications for assessment.

About Jason Lodge

Jason M. Lodge is Professor of Educational Psychology and Director of the Learning, Instruction, and Technology Lab in the School of Education at The University of Queensland. His work explores the cognitive and emotional mechanisms of learning with digital technologies, addressing critical questions of how technology, particularly AI, is shaping learning and education.

Jason’s research informs educational policy and practice across Australia and internationally. He serves as an expert advisor to the Australian Government and the OECD, applying his expertise to enhance equitable learning for all students. Jason is a CRADLE Visiting Scholar in 2026.

Is it time to move beyond grades?

Don’t miss our third seminar of 2026:

Wednesday 15 April at 2pm