Reimagining Belonging and Student Voice through Inclusive Assessment and Generative AI Pedagogies

This presentation examines how inclusive assessment design and generative AI pedagogies can reframe the student experience by strengthening belonging, agency, and co-creation in higher education. Drawing on the author’s experience leading large postgraduate modules such as International Data Analytics (COMP-1913) and Ethics and Global Corporate Citizenship (MBA Global), this practice-based study explores how authentic, real-world assessments can promote inclusion and reflective learning across diverse cohorts. Underpinned by constructivist and social learning theories, the approach positions students as partners in meaning-making rather than passive recipients of content. The use of generative AI tools is embedded not as a technological novelty but as a dialogic learning partner, prompting critical engagement, ethical reflection, and personalised exploration. This reframing encourages students to interrogate their digital practices while developing analytical and self-regulatory competencies essential for future professional contexts. The presentation also reflects on the iterative redesign of assessments following the author’s PGCert in Higher Education, highlighting how feedback literacy, transparent criteria, and culturally responsive assessment tasks have enhanced student confidence and participation. Emerging insights reveal that inclusive assessment practices, combined with guided AI use, can bridge attainment gaps and promote authentic learning that transcends disciplinary boundaries.