Authent

Track student writing engagement over time by scanning and analyzing Google Doc revision history.

Authent is a Chrome browser extension that presents vital information about the writing process of any appropriately shared Google Doc. It visually renders information already stored and available in a Doc's revision histories as an interactive activity grid alongside a series of relevant statistics curated to quickly and effectively reveal the human element behind the finished product in any writing task. Our technology provides an alternative to AI "detection" products by emphasizing and encouraging what really matters: signatures of genuine engagement in composition over time. Authent offers a new outlook on assessment and evaluation of student writing in the age of AI by providing key data and metrics for teachers about student process and empowering them to understand and apply results according to their own AI use policies. The extension is DATA PRIVACY SECURE: it processes information about the writing process without collecting it, and never captures or considers what is actually written on the Doc. Authent began with a group of faculty and students from UC Berkeley coming together to discuss the stakes of AI in the classroom from all perspectives, and develop a straightforward, equitable, and privacy secure solution that could benefit the learning process. We encourage students to download the extension and work to improve their engagement from paper to paper!