VIRTUAL MADRID FOCUS ON PEDAGOGY

Abstract

The rapid development of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) is transforming higher education and raising important questions about teaching practices, assessment, and the future role of educators. Within English for Academic Purposes (EAP), these developments are particularly significant, as GenAI tools increasingly influence how students write, research, and engage with academic discourse. This presentation explores the implications of GenAI for EAP teaching through insights gathered from a professional development programme designed to support EAP tutors in integrating GenAI into their teaching practice. At the beginning of the programme, a detailed survey-based needs analysis was conducted to investigate tutors’ perceptions of GenAI, their existing levels of digital capability, their familiarity with AI tools, and their expectations for professional development in this area. In addition, qualitative data were collected from the first learning activity of the programme, a forum discussion in which participants reflected on the evolving professional identity of EAP tutors and considered how GenAI might reshape their roles in higher education. The presentation draws on data from two cohorts of approximately 100 participants in total, combining quantitative survey responses with qualitative reflections from the forum discussion. The findings highlight both the opportunities and the challenges that GenAI presents for EAP practitioners. In particular, the data reveal a strong demand for structured professional development that focuses on practical pedagogical applications of GenAI, as well as a sense of uncertainty among tutors regarding how their professional roles may evolve in an AI-enhanced educational landscape. The presentation concludes by discussing implications for the design of professional development initiatives that can better support EAP tutors in navigating the rapidly changing landscape of AI in higher education.