Mitigating the Impact of ChatGPT: Cultivating Professional Identity Through Interactive Oral Authentic Assessments

Abstract

Interactive orals are emerging in prominence as an authentic assessment method, accelerated by an increase in online learning from the COVID-19 pandemic. Limited studies have considered the potential of interactive oral assessments to cultivate professional identity through reflective processes. This paper explores how interactive orals stimulate students to engage in reflective practices and in turn, how critical reflective practices influence the formation of professional identity. Findings revealed interactive oral assessments stimulate high levels of engagement in reflective practices. Goal relevance is critical for encouraging engagement in reflective processes through interactive orals. Reflective processes were stimulated through a double loop learning approach, whereby encouraging students to critically identify their desired identity as a professional in the tourism and hospitality sector, encouraged deeper reflective processes. A conceptual model is proposed along with pedagogical suggestions for further assessment of the efficacy of interactive orals for enhancing graduate outcomes in tourism and hospitality education.