Higher education faces two converging imperatives: the pedagogical shift toward formative, learning-oriented assessment, and the transformative emergence of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI). The pace and relative unpredictability of generative AI developments calls for flexible, iterative approaches grounded in shared understanding and mutual trust. Rather than imposing top-down solutions, we propose a collaborative, bottom-up framework that actively engages students and staff as co-creators of sustainable and ethically sound assessment practices.This paper introduces a multi-phase Educational Design Research (EDR) initiative titled New Assessment Forms, launched in response to a Student Council resolution calling for more formative, learning-oriented assessment. The project adopts a co-creative model that brings students and staff together as equal partners in exploring how assessment practices can evolve in the age of AI. By starting with the lived experiences and diverse perspectives, the project seeks to surface real-world tensions, identify pain points, and collectively develop assessment formats that are both robust and adaptive.

Our research began with informal dialogues, where students openly shared experiences, concerns, and expectations regarding generative AI’s impact on learning and assessment. These discussions informed the research design and shaped the development of subsequent interview tools, ensuring authentic student insights guided the inquiry from its outset. Methodologically, the project combines service-design logic (insight, co-design, pilot, evaluate) with iterative action-research cycles. It is further informed by principles of learning design—understood as a systematic, iterative, and collective process that actively involves stakeholders in shaping pedagogical practices. The purpose of this process is to cultivate shared educational ownership, continual evaluation, and structured improvement.

The project specifically aims to:
1. Co-identify challenges and enablers related to AI-integrated assessment practices;
2. Co-design, pilot, and refine assessment prototypes suitable for generative AI contexts;
3. Produce transferable insights to inform policy and further research.

The project is currently in the insight and co-design phase, with data collection involving qualitative interviews with students (N≈4×4) and academic staff (course coordinators, lecturers, examiners), alongside institutional document analysis. Emerging themes include fairness, transparency, academic integrity, and the need for clear, evolving guidelines on AI use. Students, acting as co-researchers, have articulated the limits of traditional assessment models and called for increased AI literacy, not only for learners but also for educators. Their insights point to a collective need to rethink not just assessment tools, but the values and expectations underpinning them.
This project offers institutions a participatory framework for iteratively shaping assessment strategies amidst uncertainty. Early-stage prototypes and emerging design principles presented in this paper illustrate how collaborative engagement and shared ownership can cultivate trust and adaptability—critical for effectively navigating the rapidly changing educational landscape influenced by generative AI.

Keywords: Higher Education, Generative AI, Assessment, Educational Design Research, Collaborative Learning, Co-creation, Academic Integrity, AI Literacy, Formative Assessment, Student Engagement.