Empowering International Students: Facilitating Inclusive Student Experiences through Co-participation

International students often face challenges in assessment literacy due to language barriers and limited exposure to assessment practices in their home countries. To address these challenges, a co-participation approach was adopted fostering collaboration between learners and educators. The assessment involved peer-led microlearning activities on Sustainable Development Goals within construction technologies, including a non-technical blog post and a technical group presentation. The study involved 13 postgraduate students, 12 of whom were international. A collaboratively designed work schedule with weekly tasks led up to the presentation, promoting shared decision-making and fostering ownership and accountability. During weekly synchronous sessions (3 hrs), a dedicated 30-minute period focused on co-participating in assessment-related work, enhancing teacher-student interaction, and providing tailored formative feedback. This active interaction improved relationships between peers and educators, fostering a sense of belonging and respect for diversity. Student feedback highlighted significant improvements in learning, confidence-building, and creating a safe space for experimentation and autonomy in the assessment process.