I have no time to redesign my assignments
Do not redesign anything. Keep the assignment you already set and add two lines to it: "Hand in your first attempt with your final answer" and "Write two lines on what you changed and why". That is ten minutes of preparation, and you mark both as done or not done.
What is going on
The advice you are given assumes spare weeks: rewrite every task, move to oral exams, build portfolios. You have a full timetable and a pile of marking. Feeling stuck between "ignore it" and "rebuild everything" is a reasonable response to an unreasonable workload.
There is a third option. You do not need AI-proof assignments. You need one small change that makes the student's own thinking part of what is handed in.
What to do this week
Pick one assignment
The next one you were going to set anyway. Change nothing about the task itself.
Paste in two lines
"1. Before you look anything up, write your first attempt: a guess, a plan or where you are stuck. Hand it in. 2. With your final answer, write two lines: what I changed and why."
Mark the extras as done or not done
A tick for a real attempt. A tick for "what changed". Read them properly only when a final answer raises a question.
Tell the class why, in one minute
"I am interested in how you think, and this is how you show me. It also protects you if anyone ever questions your work."
What not to do
- Do not change every assignment at once. One task, one class, then see what you learn.
- Do not add a detector to your workflow. It costs time, and a score is not proof either way.
- Do not wait for the perfect plan. A two-line change this week beats a full redesign next year.
The honest limit
This does not stop a student who is set on copying, and it does add a few minutes of ticking per class. What it gives you is a view of the thinking and a fair basis for a conversation. We are not citing a study here because none tested this exact two-line change. It follows the same order, attempt first, that the research on our studies page points to.
Questions
Can I use the worksheet instead of editing my task sheets?
Yes. The printable worksheet has the attempt, the final answer and "what changed" on one page. Staple it to any assignment.
Will students just fake the attempt?
Some will. A faked attempt is usually too tidy. When the attempt is done in the first five minutes of a lesson, faking it is harder than doing it.
What is the next step when I do have time?
Move the attempt into class time for your most important assignment, and add a two-minute conversation for work that worries you. The teachers page has the full routine.