To maintain a high standard of excellence across our education programs, beginning this fall 2026, we will be introducing new assessment methods and online proctored exams. This change comes in response to shifting trends in academic integrity and new technologies that have posed challenges across the broader education sector.
Background
One of the strengths of AMCTO education programs is that they can be delivered at a distance to reach municipal professionals across the province. Traditionally, these programs have relied primarily on written forms of assignments such as reports, memos, short-answer questions, discussion posts, and essays, that are graded by markers and instructors for assessment.
Although written assignments have tremendous value for learning, they have become increasingly challenging for graders to assess fairly and consistently due to the prevalent use of content generated by artificial intelligence (AI) and large language model (LLM) tools.
In the last few years, we have enforced the academic integrity policy and revised the design of assignments to help curtail the use of AI-generated work. However, after consultations between staff, the AMCTO Professional Growth Committee, and the Board of Directors, we have reached the conclusion that further changes are necessary. As approved by the Board of Directors and to ensure we continue to maintain high standards in our programs, we will start introducing alternative forms of assessment and online proctored exams beginning this fall 2026 term.
What to Expect
The first program to be affected will be the Municipal Accounting and Finance Program (MAFP) in fall 2026. In 2027 and subsequent years, changes will roll out progressively in other education programs.
Each program has its own assessment requirements, which are described on the program-specific page on our website. Going forward, if an online proctored exam applies to a program, it will be described under a section called Exam Requirements on the program page.
We appreciate your understanding and support as we continue to evolve our programs. Please contact the education team if you have any questions.