Teaching the Process, Not the Product
Grades are easy to measure.
Learning is not.
When higher education started worrying about AI, the focus turned quickly to control.
How do we know what’s “authentic”? How do we make sure students are doing the work themselves?
It’s the wrong question.
The better one is: What does it mean to learn in a world where answers are free?
The Problem With Product Thinking
For decades, education has rewarded the final product — the paper, the test, the project.
That made sense when creating the product required mastering the process behind it.
But now, AI can produce those outputs instantly.
It reminds me of high school math.
I had a calculator that could handle almost any equation. But my teacher still made me show my work.
The answer wasn’t enough — they wanted to see that I understood how I got there.
That’s where we are again today.
If the product can be automated, the only way to protect learning is to value the process.
When students have to show their reasoning, connect ideas, and explain their choices, they’re learning.
When they only have to turn in the right answer, they’re outsourcing it.
Designing for Visible Thinking
At Hypothesis, we see what happens when instructors design courses around visible thinking instead of polished submissions.
Social annotation slows students down and brings their process into the open.
They highlight key lines, pose questions, respond to each other, and build meaning together.
It’s the digital version of “show your work.”
And it works.
When one university replaced traditional discussion boards with social annotation, student interactions jumped between 1,400% and 2,100%.
Another case summary on our site shows how annotation improved student retention by building connection and belonging, especially for first-year and first-gen students.
These aren’t just engagement metrics. They’re evidence that students learn best when their thinking is visible and shared.
Research backs this up.
Clinton-Lisell (2023) found that students who actively annotated readings performed better and reported higher motivation [1].
Marshall and Brush (2004) found that public annotation improved reflection and critical analysis [2].
Why Process Matters Now
AI can generate a perfect paper, but it can’t show the process of understanding.
That’s where the real learning lives.
When we shift assessment from product to process, we’re not just preventing plagiarism — we’re restoring purpose.
Students learn that thinking out loud, revising, and collaborating aren’t signs of weakness. They’re the work.
Education isn’t about producing answers anymore.
It’s about developing thinkers.
References
[1] Clinton-Lisell, V. (2023). Social annotation: What are students’ perceptions and how does social annotation relate to grades? ERIC. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1409735.pdf
[2] Marshall, C. C., & Brush, A. J. (2004). Exploring the relationship between personal and public annotations. Proceedings of the 4th ACM/IEEE-CS Joint Conference on Digital Libraries.
[3] Social Annotation vs. Traditional Discussion Boards: Which Is More Effective? Hypothesis Blog. https://web.hypothes.is/blog/social-annotation-vs-traditional-discussion-boards-which-is-more-effective/
[4] What the Research Says About Social Annotation and Student Retention. Hypothesis Blog. https://web.hypothes.is/blog/what-the-research-says-about-social-annotation-and-student-retention/
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