Since the public release of ChatGPT and several other similar generative artificial intelligence applications (Gen-AI) that generate human-like responses in text or alternative media formats, the higher education community has been blazing with discussions, research studies and policy development on the use of Gen-AI in assessment, learning and teaching. This oral presentation adds to this unrelenting debate with a discussion on Gen-AI in the context of study programs related to Teaching and Learning (T&L) at one university in the Southern European region, specifically on Gen-AI in Teaching & Learning (T&L) students' learning activity.

The discussion draws on the observations made by the author through her direct experiences teaching on T&L study programs that target compulsory and post-compulsory educational sectors. Observations from the perspective of the author as a university academic who has been teaching on different T&L courses for several years, suggest a picture of ambivalence among students and their engagement with Gen-AI for completing learning tasks for assessment. Some students are more inclined than others to use Gen-AI to complete set learning tasks. Of greater significance is the ambivalence in the way students appear to be using these Gen-AI applications as manifest in commentaries and reflective writing pieces that they share. For this author, this raises questions relating to learning outcomes intended by learning tasks; learning outcomes that intend identity development as a professional, capable of, among other things, to reflect and possibly research significant perspectives, issues and concerns inspired by experiences of authentic workplace settings; critically reflecting on one's own actions, attitudes and values; critically scrutinising, analysing and evaluating T&L issues including ontological and epistemological assumptions playing out in action. Through individual and group tasks that demand reflective and reflexive discussion, writing, and role play, the intention is to support students develop as field professionals actively engaged with their own practices and involvement developing local educational settings.

The presentation seeks to link the authors’ direct observations to theory and practice research as an attempt to start tracing some inroads deconstructing this picture of ambivalence for arriving at possible research routes and provisional knowledgeable actions to better support students on T&L courses in their learning journey to achieve the goals of becoming professional practitioners current with the times in forming part of the professional educator community of practice and the learning society at large.

Keywords: Technology, teaching and learning, Gen-AI, educator development.