Balancing the Scales: The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Student Writing Assignments

[jaiyoung]

How are you or your institution adapting writing assignments in response to AI?  Let's share strategies. As artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT, GrammarlyGO, and others become more integrated into students’ daily academic lives, educators are facing a complex and urgent challenge: how do we preserve academic integrity, promote authentic learning, and still encourage innovation? AI’s influence on student writing assignments is undeniable, and it’s reshaping more than just sentence structure. Let’s take a closer look:

The Shift: What AI Is Changing

• Modified Writing: Student work may appear more polished, but it often masks skill gaps, weak argumentation, or a lack of personal voice.

• Reduced Autonomy: As students rely more on AI for structure, tone, and even content, their ability to think critically and independently may diminish.

• Decreased Independence: Learning becomes transactional when AI handles cognitive tasks that once built writing stamina and resilience.

• Loss of Integrity: Without clear guidance, the ethical boundary between using AI as a tool and submitting AI-generated work as one’s own becomes increasingly blurred.

Pivoting Toward Solutions

Rather than resisting AI outright, we must evolve our assignments, expectations, and assessment strategies to promote transparency, collaboration, and digital literacy. Here are three actionable pivots:

1. Group Writing Assignments

Encouraging collaborative writing processes reduces the likelihood of full AI-generated submissions while promoting peer accountability and communication skills. Group projects also expose students to diverse thinking and give instructors a clearer picture of individual contributions.

2. Integrate AI Use Into the Assignment

Instead of banning AI, guide students in how to use it meaningfully. For example:

• Ask them to generate an outline with AI and then refine it.

• Have them critique or revise an AI-generated draft.
  This helps build discernment and metacognitive awareness around tool use.

3. Require AI Prompt Transcripts (Show Your Work)

Just as students cite sources, they should be expected to “show their work” when AI is used. Requesting a transcript of their prompts and AI-generated content builds a culture of transparency and allows for formative conversations about authorship, ethics, and intent. Since we cannot eliminate AI and it’s here to stay. Instead, the opportunity lies in guiding students to use AI ethically, creatively, and responsibly while reinforcing core academic skills.

How are you or your institution adapting writing assignments in response to AI?

[PattyBowman]

Please indicate somewhere that your awesome ideas are intended for teachers of students over 13 years old. Just like driving a car, we model proper habits and use them for years with children in the passenger seats, but elementary students should not be expected to 'drive' in accounts that are not intended for elementary students. Thanks!

[TatianaAndrienk]

This is a great article about engaging with AI in depth. It is a tool that has come to stay, and rather than resisting or mystifying it, we need to embrace the possibilities it is giving to academia for better learning, interaction and research. This article is a great step in this direction!

Thank you very much for sharing!