Artifact Is Not Competence Glossary
Artifact is not competence is the assurance-of-learning problem in plain English. A polished submitted artifact does not, by itself, prove that the student possesses the competence the artifact appears to display.
This has always been partly true. Students could receive too much help, divide work unevenly, imitate examples, or submit work whose surface was stronger than their understanding. Generative AI makes the problem larger and more ordinary. A student can now produce a fluent memo, attractive slide deck, tidy market analysis, or plausible video script with less underlying command than the artifact once implied.
The conclusion is not that artifacts are worthless. Artifacts still matter. A good report, presentation, spreadsheet, or briefing is still part of professional competence. The mistake is treating the artifact as sufficient proof.
For AACSB-style assurance of learning, the phrase is a useful warning label. If the program claims students can analyze, communicate, reason, decide, and defend, then the assessment system needs evidence of those abilities, not only polished objects that resemble the outputs of those abilities.