Implications of Artificial Intelligence for Teaching Academic Writing

Implications of Artificial Intelligence for Teaching Academic Writing

Large Language Models like ChatGPT and similar AI-powered tools have a number of implications for academic writing; they can provide first sentences for the blank page, offer corrections on the stylistic and the grammar level, or aid the development of an argument. At the same time, the use of LLM can foster academic misconduct through unreflected copy-pasting of ChatGPT outputs or simply not verifying sources. Teaching academic writing changes accordingly: We need to adapt to prepare students to use AI ethically and responsibly.

In this workshop, we will explore how AI is changing and challenging academic writing development with a special focus on how teaching practices can be adapted to meet these new challenges. The aims of this workshop are 1) to gain insight in the development of academic writers and the changes that are brought through LLM and AI; 2) to discuss how artificial intelligence is changing the process of writing, researching, reading and revising; and 3) to provide a space to discuss scenarios of teaching AI-supported academic writing.

A good command of English (minimum B2) is required. First experiences with LLM / AI Tools for writing are an advantage.

Disclaimer: This workshop does not provide an introduction to AI-powered tools but rather discusses their use in specific scenarios.

Frano Petar Rismondo, a political scientist and higher education expert, is part of the Center for Teaching and Learning’s (CTL) "Student Research and Peer Learning" team. He joined the CTL in 2016 and is now the coordinator of the Student Research Hub at the University of Vienna. He specialises in phenomenological approaches to academic writing, learning, and student research.

Erika Unterpertinger is a member of the team "Student Research and Peer Learning" at the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) at the University of Vienna, where she leads the team of 14 writing assistants. She is the editor-in-chief of the first German-language OA journal for writing studies, "zisch: zeitschrift für interdisziplinäre schreibforschung" (https://zisch.univie.ac.at). In her dissertation "Discovering Academic Writers' processes of 'discovery' ", Erika investigates processes of 'discovery' that are connected to novice academic writing.

Recent publications:

Frano Rismondo, Erika Unterpertinger (2023). Gemeinsames Sinnstiften? Überlegungen zur Möglichkeit von participatory sense-making in der Schreibberatung. In Karin Wetschanow, Erika Unterpertinger, Eva Kuntschner, Birgit Huemer (Hg.). Neue Perspektiven auf die Schreibberatung (S. 127-140). Böhlau.

Brommer et al. (2023). Diskussionspapier: Wissenschaftliches Schreiben im Zeitalter von KI gemeinsam verantworten. Hochschulforum Digitalisierung. URL: https://hochschulforumdigitalisierung.de/news/dp-wissenschaftliches-schreiben-verantworten-ki/