Robert, your definition of rigor as High Standards + Validity perfectly mirrors the arguments I’ve been making regarding 'dysfunctional illusions of rigor.'
We often mistake student struggle for learning, when in fact, rigor should be measured by the depth of reasoning and mastery of the subject.
In my recent work, The Learn-It-All Educator: A Guidebook for Training Brains, Not Replacing Them with AI, I explore how AI doesn't erode this standard but actually makes the invisible work of reasoning visible. When we shift to valid assessments, like process portfolios, we find that AI provides the 'rope' students need to climb toward those high standards you mentioned.
This is excellent! Thank you for sharing your thoughts so clearly. I have wrestled with this buzzword for some time, and I struggle to explain why it irks me so. How you explain makes clears my own thinking.
"Rebutter" is, in fact, a word with a precise meaning. It's what I do to my toast on particularly challenging mornings. I wish all words had such a precise meaning, and I really appreciate your simple recipe of High Standards + Validity. I think that simply substituting "Validity" in for "Rigor" would help department/discipline meetings.
Robert, your definition of rigor as High Standards + Validity perfectly mirrors the arguments I’ve been making regarding 'dysfunctional illusions of rigor.'
https://www.insidehighered.com/opinion/career-advice/teaching/2026/01/15/how-ai-exploding-our-illusions-rigor-opinion
We often mistake student struggle for learning, when in fact, rigor should be measured by the depth of reasoning and mastery of the subject.
In my recent work, The Learn-It-All Educator: A Guidebook for Training Brains, Not Replacing Them with AI, I explore how AI doesn't erode this standard but actually makes the invisible work of reasoning visible. When we shift to valid assessments, like process portfolios, we find that AI provides the 'rope' students need to climb toward those high standards you mentioned.
https://zenodo.org/doi/10.5281/zenodo.18425283
This is excellent! Thank you for sharing your thoughts so clearly. I have wrestled with this buzzword for some time, and I struggle to explain why it irks me so. How you explain makes clears my own thinking.
"Rebutter" is, in fact, a word with a precise meaning. It's what I do to my toast on particularly challenging mornings. I wish all words had such a precise meaning, and I really appreciate your simple recipe of High Standards + Validity. I think that simply substituting "Validity" in for "Rigor" would help department/discipline meetings.