Engaging students to become ‘practice ready’ and ‘digitally proficient’ taxation graduates

Rationale<br/>Generative artificial intelligence (AI) is a topical issue. The importance of users being able to recognise the quality of outputs is crucial. Bearman et al. (2024) state that ‘university graduates should be able to effectively deploy the disciplinary knowledge gained within their degrees to distinguish trustworthy insights from the ‘hallucinatory’.’ Ballentine et. al (2024) suggest that generative AI provides an opportunity to move away from assessment that relies on rote learning to the use of critical assessment including authentic scenario-based examples. Such authentic assessment is regarded as an important factor in preparing students for future learning in work and life (Fawns et al., 2024).<br/>As a result of the increased use of generative AI and the emphasis on the graduate competency goals set by QBS, it was identified that engagement with professional practice was crucial to effectively deploying an authentic scenario-based assessment incorporating generative AI.<br/>Innovation in a taxation module<br/>Professional services firms were engaged at key points in the module delivery. The continuous assessment was jointly drafted with a professional practitioner to ensure that it simulated a ‘live’ case in professional practice. The integration of multiple taxes, the use of ChatGPT including the assessment of its accuracy and the need for students to use excel and the Lexis online database were embedded.<br/>Impact <br/>Students confirmed that they are much more informed about a tax career, that the ‘live’ case helped them become work-ready and fostered their professional identity aiding their transition to the labour market.<br/><br/>