Remains of the Essay: Mapping First-Year Assessment in the Age of AI

The academic essay has long been held as the gold-standard of academic assessment due to its ability to allow students to synthesise their topic knowledge critical thinking, research, and communication skills. However, as AI disrupts traditional assessment practices, there is an increasing push towards assessment redesign, particularly assessment that emphasises the learning process and authenticity. This begs the question: what is the role of the academic essay in a post-AI landscape? This project attempts to map the ubiquity of the academic essay across disciplines at one Australian university in 2025. We aim to determine how the essay is used, which learning outcomes it supports, and whether it remains the preferred assessment type despite the rise of generative AI This initial research begins by identifying core first-year topics across all colleges and extracting assessment data from the university’s curriculum management system. This is supplemented by a survey sent to Topic Coordinators designed to capture the associated learning outcomes and type of essay (e.g., research, reflective, creative). By comparing data across disciplines, we hope to identify the percentage of fields still relying on essays and the contexts in which they are being replaced by other assessment types. We’ll then reflect on how these changes align with broader pedagogical and institutional shifts. This project aims to produce a discipline-informed map of undergraduate assessment practices, highlight both synergies and divergences, and inform academic literacies development. We will share emerging themes and invite discussion about how to support students in an evolving assessment landscape.