Dr Huahui Zhao delivers talk on authentic assessment in the age of generative AI

On the 6th of November Dr Huahui Zhao was welcomed by the British Council to deliver a talk on “Authentic Assessment in the Age of GenAI”.

Drawing on her recently completed Global Examination Service project with Dr Yen Dang, Dr Huahui Zhao’s talk discussed how distinctive features of GenAI-assisted writing—particularly in relation to critical thinking—intersect with assessment design. Her talk highlighted key implications for written assessment practices in an era where GenAI is transforming academic writing.

This funded project examined differences in language use and critical thinking across three types of writing: ChatGPT-assisted texts, university student-only compositions, and IELTS test-taker responses.

It also analysed chat histories to explore how students collaborated with ChatGPT when preparing written coursework. Additionally, focus groups provided insights into students’ perceptions and strategies for using ChatGPT in their writing process. The findings offer significant implications for designing written assessments in a GenAI-empowered era.