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Kennesaw State University writing professor Jeanne Beatrix Law isn’t like most of her colleagues. She wants her students to be using ChatGPT when they write papers.
Yet she describes a strange sort of “don’t ask, don’t tell” situation that has emerged in the classroom. Teachers fear that AI will spur the atrophying of writing and research skills, even though they realize it’s probably being used by most students. Meanwhile, students, despite the fact that they’re using AI in their coursework, “seem to have internalized the belief that what they’re doing is wrong,” Law writes.
And that’s a shame, because AI can make students better writers, provided they’re taught to use it thoughtfully.
Law points to studies showing how students are actually using the new technology. It turns out most of them are using AI to free up more time to focus on metacognitive tasks, such as organizing ideas, honing their arguments and refining their style.
“If AI allows students to automate routine cognitive tasks – like information retrieval or ensuring that verb tenses are consistent – it doesn’t mean they’re thinking less,” Law explains. “It means their thinking is changing.”
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Studies have shown that many students are using AI to brainstorm, learn new information and revise their work.
krisanapong detraphiphat/Moment via Getty Images
Jeanne Beatrix Law, Kennesaw State University
If AI allows students to automate routine cognitive tasks, it doesn’t mean they’re thinking less. It means their thinking is changing.
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