ALT I’ve been speaking to more and more colleagues about how to make language and communication choices about inclusive teaching that emphasize specificity and acknowledgement of the present forms of exclusion that inclusive teaching would ideally address. The way I like to think about messaging is: How would someone who is presently feeling excluded feel reading your language? Would they feel like the people in charge understand that inclusion is a process, and are open to input, or would they feel like the point is to project an already existing state of inclusion, with no room for their experiences or needs.

ALT A qualitative content analysis revealed students generally perceive authentic, novel assessments to be exciting, motivating and inspirational; however, this was accompanied by feelings of uncertainty and unfamiliarity. More traditional assessments (e.g. essays and multiple-choice-question examinations) elicited feelings of comfort and preparedness, but students also felt worried, bored and unexcited by these assessments. Students appreciated creative freedom when lecturers set traditional assessments but would like more consideration of their feelings and need for support in authentic assessments. Hence, we argue, when advocating for authentic assessment, there is a balance to be struck between innovation and challenge, ensuring sufficient support for student’s psychological safety and feelings of comfort. Implications for practice are discussed.