Assisting with writing
Tools like ChatGPT can quickly generate text on any topic, but what effect might that have on your learning? Below we look at how you can use generative AI in the writing process to enhance rather than hinder your learning.
Remember that you must always follow whatever requirements have been set for your assessment task. Failing to follow the requirements is likely to hinder your learning and put you at risk of academic misconduct.
Learning benefits of writing
It’s the process of writing rather than the final product that’s important in terms of learning. You learn from:
- doing the research;
- reflecting on the different ideas and perspectives you’ve read about;
- thinking carefully about your own perspective based on the available evidence;
- thinking about how best to communicate your ideas clearly and logically, which helps improve your understanding of the concepts as well as your communication skills.
Impact of GenAI on writing for learning:
Given that it’s the process of writing that helps you learn, if you skip that process you’re very likely to hinder your own learning.
If your assessment instructions encourage you to use GenAI tools for parts of the process, your teacher has decided that the learning value comes from a different process, such as critically evaluating the output that has been generated by GenAI, or thinking critically about how to adapt the prompts you enter to ensure you get the most effective output. These are legitimate tasks that can help develop your critical thinking and your ability to use GenAI tools more effectively.
However, your teacher may restrict or ban the use of GenAI tools in some or all parts of the writing process for an assessment task. If they have made this decision, it’s because they’ve thought about what the learning outcomes and potential learning benefits of the assessment task are, and how you can best demonstrate that learning.
Below are some suggestions for how GenAI tools can help you with aspects of the writing process. You should only follow these suggestions if they comply with the requirements of your assessment task. If in doubt, always ask your teachers.
Strategies for using GenAI for writing
Instead of getting GenAI tools to generate text for you, use them to assist your learning by:
1. Brainstorming initial ideas to write about
To ensure the ideas are relevant, use key words from the assessment task or research question, and include any specific requirements or limitations that need to be considered.
Example Prompt: What are some key issues in engineering management?
| Part of ChatGPT’s Response (28/02/ 23) |
Engineering management is a specialized field of management that focuses on the management of engineering projects, teams, and resources. Some of the key issues in engineering management include:
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2. Giving example outlines or structures for your writing.
First make sure you’ve checked any instructions or templates you’ve been given that require or suggest a specific structure, and always follow whatever advice you’ve been given. If in doubt, always check with your teachers.
Example Prompt:
What might be a good way to structure a report on the following topic:
Conduct research on some of the current uses of artificial intelligence oncology, as well as some of the predicted future uses of AI in this field. Discuss some of the main benefits and any potential risks of using AI in these ways.
Part of ChatGPT’s Response (30/06/2023): |
When structuring a report on the topic of current and future uses of artificial intelligence (AI) in oncology, as well as the associated benefits and risks, you can consider the following outline:
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3. Providing feedback on your writing
Seeking and acting upon feedback is one of the most effective ways of learning. Like anything generated by AI tools, there’s no guarantee that all the feedback is accurate, so seek out multiple sources of feedback, including a consultation with a HELPS Advisor.
Example Prompt:
I want you to act as a writing tutor. I will provide you with a student who needs help improving their writing and your task is to give the student feedback on how they can improve their composition. You should also use your rhetorical knowledge and experience about effective writing techniques in order to suggest ways that the student can better express their thoughts and ideas in written form.
| Part of ChatGPT’s Response (29/06/2023): |
|---|
Overall, your composition effectively conveys your argument against the use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools. However, there are some areas where you can further develop your ideas and improve the clarity and organization of your writing. Let's go through each section and discuss potential improvements: Introduction: Your introduction provides a clear thesis statement that generative AI tools should be banned due to their unethical nature. To make it more engaging, consider adding a hook or contextualizing the topic to grab the reader's attention. Additionally, you could briefly mention the growing prevalence of these tools to highlight their significance. Intellectual Property: You present a strong point about the unethical use of intellectual property without permission or attribution. To enhance your argument, provide specific examples or real-life cases where this has occurred. |
A word of advice: even when you are allowed to use GenAI tools in your assessment task, you must reference it. Visit the Study Guide to learn how to reference GenAI tools.
Reach out to HELPS if you'd like some guidelines on what to do with AI tools or to learn to become a better writer or improve your learning and academic skills.
