With the rise of AI tools, we need to think about how to adapt our pedagogical practices in the digital age. AI presents a unique set of challenges that require a new approach from educators teaching with writing.
Talk to your students about AI
Addressing the use of AI writing tools is an important (and necessary) part of the classroom. The University of Pittsburgh's Writing Institute Workshop on AI outlines ways to talk to your students about AI. To summarize, students benefit greatly from being taught how AI works, how assignments do what AI cannot, and the use of AI tools versus outright content generation.
In addition, it is important to practice transparent assignment design so that students understand the when, why, and how of AI use in your classroom. See Ohio State University's AI Teaching Strategies page for a template on transparent design of AI assignments.
Set realistic expectations
It is impossible to ban AI and monitor all of your students' writing for AI use. It is therefore more prudent to properly frame AI as a tool to improve writing rather than a replacement for writing. Through your lectures and rubrics, you can ensure that students are using AI properly rather than not using AI at all.
Critique and Analyze AI Output
By directly addressing the use of AI in the writing process, you can have students analyze both its benefits and its shortcomings. For example, students might ask AI to generate a piece of writing in a specific genre or on a particulate topic, and then respond to and critique the AI output based on their own knowledge.
Relatedly, they could ask AI to conduct a genre analysis, and then compare that analysis to their own. They could also use AI as a research tool and compare the AI output to that of other research tools at their disposal.
Incorporate AI use in the writing process
Students can use AI to enhance the writing process, for example by helping them: