Validating AI-Enhanced Assessment in Higher Education (A Qualitative Multi‑Phase Study on Fairness, Trust, and Cultural Adaptation in the Middle East)
Author:
Noura F. Assaf
PhD in Education, The British University in Dubai, United Arab Emirates
doi.org/10.52132/Ajrsp.e.2026.84.2
Artificial intelligence is reshaping assessment in higher education by enabling scalable, adaptive, and data-driven feedback. Yet, some concerns about reliability, fairness, and contextual validity still persist, especially in multilingual and culturally diverse systems, which research has generally overlooked. Hence, this study investigates how AI-based assessment tools can be validated rigorously and transparently to build trust among educators, developers, and policymakers. To do so, a qualitative multi‑phase study was followed with a PRISMA-guided systematic review and semi-structured interviews involving. The review identified persistent methodological gaps: few replication studies, overreliance on accuracy metrics, and limited attention to fairness or cultural adaptation, while the interviews revealed convergent priorities, namely the need for replicability, linguistic and cultural sensitivity, algorithmic transparency, stakeholder co-design, and continuous monitoring with ethical oversight. Synthesizing both strands, the study proposes a Four-Stage Validation Framework incorporating algorithmic validation, contextual adaptation, stakeholder engagement, and continuous monitoring. This framework aims to reframe validation as an iterative form of institutional governance that is essential for equitable and trustworthy AI assessment. Although anchored in Middle Eastern contexts, the findings offer transferable guidance for educational settings worldwide seeking to align technological innovation with human-centered and culturally responsive assessment practices.
Keywords:
AI assessment; validation; higher education; fairness; transparency; stakeholder engagement; Middle East; educational technology
Academic Journal of Research and Scientific Publishing
