Humanising Generative AI Use in TESOL Assessment

Abstract

Institutional responses to Generative AI (GenAI) in higher education, from outright prohibition to open permission, leave students without the necessary conditions to engage with GenAI critically. In language teacher education, where assessment should support students in consolidating a professional identity, the lack of a principled approach to GenAI is problematic. This article proposes the redesign of two linked assessments in a final-year undergraduate module on Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), arguing that humanising GenAI use in TESOL assessment offers a way forward that places learner agency, well-being and professional identity at the centre of assessment design. Redesigned briefs are made openly available as supplementary materials, inviting implementation, evaluation and adaptation across contexts.